Years ago in Detroit she began a solo surf band named “Idee Fixe”. She has since migrated to Nashville, Tennessee, as member of The Black Belles.
Her debut solo album, Bathtub Love Killings, was released in 2014 by Third Man and featured more pop style than her prior works with The Black Belles, while still maintaining the sounds of garage rock. Jean's second solo album, Night Owl was released on August 30, 2019, again by Third Man.
December
Olivia Jean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With wicked plans to feed off mine
You need to vicariously feel
The happiness you know you can't steal
You don't have the nerve to remember
What you did to me in December
Yeah
How you drag me down to your level
Your betrayal comes as no surprise
Because I chose to ignore the signs
Deep down I knew it wasn't right
The way you prey on my dreams at night
You don't have the nerve to remember
What you did to me in December
Yeah
So sickening how you revel
How you drag me down to your level
You must think you're some kind of rebel
To drag me down to your level
I am the victim you despise
I saw the fire in your eyes
And when your hatred was revealed
The wounds you left will never heal
You don't have the nerve to remember
What you did to me in December
Yeah
So sickening how you revel
How you drag me down to your level
Must think you're some kind of rebel
To drag me down to your level
In "December" by Olivia Jean, the lyrics detail a relationship gone wrong. The singer recalls how the person they were once involved with led them into a "wretched life" with "wicked plans." The former partner, unable to find happiness on their own, needs to feed on the singer's joy. The singer compares them to a vampire, sucking the life out of them. The chorus repeats the idea that the former partner cannot handle the truth about what they did to the singer in December, revels in dragging them down to their level, and thinks of themselves as a rebel.
The second verse explains how the singer chose to ignore the signs of their former partner's true intentions, despite feeling that something wasn't right. As the relationship spiraled downward, the former partner revealed their hatred towards the singer. The pain inflicted by the former partner has left wounds that will never heal.
In terms of themes, the song portrays a toxic relationship in which one partner takes advantage of the other. At the same time, it expresses the singer's sense of betrayal and their hopes for revenge against the oppressor, who they narrowly escape. A deeper interpretation may evoke the idea that December, as the final month of the year, represents endings, and the betrayal in this song may have occurred towards the end of a relationship or year.
Line by Line Meaning
You led me to your wretched life
You introduced me to your unhappy and unpleasant existence
With wicked plans to feed off mine
You had sinister motives to use and take advantage of me
You need to vicariously feel
You want to experience happiness through someone else because you can't find it yourself
The happiness you know you can't steal
You are aware that stealing someone else's happiness can't fill the void in your own life
You don't have the nerve to remember
You lack the courage to recall or admit what you did
What you did to me in December
The wrongs you committed against me last December
So sickening how you revel
It's appalling how you enjoy and take pleasure in causing pain and suffering
How you drag me down to your level
You lower my spirit to match your own negative vibes
You must think you're some kind of rebel
You have an erroneous belief that your actions against me make you a revolutionary or a hero of sorts
I am the victim you despise
You hate me because you consider me a target of your abuse and cruelty
I saw the fire in your eyes
I noticed the intense anger and hatred that you directed towards me
And when your hatred was revealed
When you finally showed me how much you hated and resented me
The wounds you left will never heal
The emotional and psychological damage you inflicted on me will be permanent and won't ever go away
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Norah Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind