Her first full-length album, Happenstance, followed in June 2004. It receiv… Read Full Bio ↴Her first full-length album, Happenstance, followed in June 2004. It received generally positive reviews from critics. It was produced by John Alagia (Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Ben Folds Five). "I Want You" features several members of prominent American Klezmer group The Klezmatics. Videos were made for the first and second singles "Worn Me Down" and "1963".

Her songs have featured on several TV shows, including The L Word, Charmed, How I Met Your Mother, ER , Nip/Tuck, Men in Trees, Alias, One Tree Hill, Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy and The O.C., to which she made a guest performance in season 2. Her song was also used in So You Think You Can Dance (Season 6). Yamagata also contributed a song to Mandy Moore's 2007 album, Wild Hope. She also toured with Moore, opening many of her shows around the country.

On May 22, 2008, a new banner was added to her site indicating the digital release of a new EP, Loose Ends, with three new songs, serving as a preview for the now delayed release of her second full-length album.

In early 2008, her site featured a "teaser video" for the new album. The album was finally released on October 7, 2008. Yamagata's second studio album is called Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart. This album is much darker than its predecessor and deals more with heartache. It was originally slated for release in the late-summer of 2007.

On October 9, 2008, a two-song live acoustic video performance premiered on LiveDaily Sessions, featuring the songs "Faster" and "Sunday Afternoon".

On April 2, 2009, she performed her single "Elephants" on One Life to Live in the fictional Capricorn Cafe.

She previewed the song "Jonah" on October 10, 2009 on her official website. Later on in November 2, Yamagata premiered the song "He Loves You Deep Inside". The songs serve as an appetizer to her next record.

Over And Over
Rachel Yamagata Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I really thought I was OK
I really thought I was just fine
But when I woke this time
There was nothing to take me back to sleep
To take you off my mind
This time

I keep saying

Over and over and over and over again
Let it rain
Let it rain
Over and over and over and over again
Let it rain
Let it rain

I need to hide within the storm
So have the lightning come
And bring the winds that scream
And spill the fog all over town
And hold me in your stand-still ground

And I will sink down
And you'll be washed away
You'll be washed away

Over and over and over and over again
Let it rain
Let it rain
Over and over and over and over again
Let it rain
Let it rain

I really thought I was OK
I really thought I was just fine
But when I woke up this time
There was nothing to take you off my mind

Over and over and over and over again
Let it rain
Let it rain
Over and over and over and over again
Let it rain
Let it rain

I need to hide within the storm
So have the lightning come
And bring the winds that scream
Spill the fog all over town
And break through every door
Strip away the trees
And raise the rivers high
Just help me drown

And hold me in your stand-still ground
And I will sink

And you will be washed away
You'll be washed away

Overall Meaning

The song starts with the singer acknowledging that they thought they were okay previously. However, something has changed, and they are unable to sleep because thoughts of someone (presumably a lost love) continue to linger in their mind. The repetition of "over and over and over again" emphasizes the indelible nature of these thoughts. The singer then seemingly calls out to a storm, asking for the lightning and winds to come and distract from the thoughts of the person they can't get out of their mind. This call for storm and chaos is a metaphor for the emotional turmoil that the singer is experiencing. While the storm rages outside, the singer desires to hide within it, to be lost in the chaos, to have the fog and darkness envelope them completely so that they can be left alone with their pain. The final repetition of "Let it rain, let it rain" is an expression of the singer's surrender, a plea for release and acceptance of what they cannot control. The song ends with the singer wanting to sink, to give up and disappear. The suggestion that the object of the singer's suffering will be "washed away" suggests that they may be seeking a way to forget, to move on from the pain of this lost love.

Overall, the song explores deeply emotive issues such as heartbreak, loss, pain, and emotional turbulence. It speaks to the universal experience of human suffering and the inability to control our thoughts and feelings. The call for the storm is a powerful metaphor for the need to confront and accept our pain, to find a way to make it our own so we can move beyond it. There is beauty in the rawness of this vulnerability, and Yamagata's powerful vocals add to the emotional depth of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

I really thought I was OK
I believed that I was doing alright

I really thought I was just fine
I believed that I was completely okay

But when I woke this time
Upon awakening from sleep now

There was nothing to take me back to sleep
Further sleep was not possible

To take you off my mind
To remove you from my thoughts

This time
Presently

I keep saying
I repeat

Over and over and over and over again
Numerous times

Let it rain
Allow the rain to fall

I need to hide within the storm
I require refuge in the midst of the storm

So have the lightning come
Bring on the lightning