An emotional and confessional singer and songwriter whose music is an atmos… Read Full Bio ↴An emotional and confessional singer and songwriter whose music is an atmospheric blend of Nordic folk and indie pop, Siv Jakobsen has used both her talent and her own personal perspectives to build a critically acclaimed body of work.

Her third studio album, ‘Gardening’ (2023), is a stripped-down set of songs, delving into difficult themes like bleakness, doubt and fear, sung in a voice that is hauntingly ethereal. A sense of calmness that runs through it. ‘Romain’s Place’, for example, is a ballad about what seems to be domestic abuse: “Through it all there was a lot that kept me from leaving/ like your fists around my wrists…”. But there are also upbeat moments, like ‘Sun, Moon, Stars’, that sees Jakobsen joined by Ane Brun on vocals and a beautiful string outro: “You are the reason that I am alive”, suggesting there’s a light in the end of every tunnel. In fact, Jakobsen has said the same in ‘Dark’, from her debut EP, ‘The Lingering’.

Siv Jakobsen is based in Oslo, and trained in Boston’s Berklee College, where she found her folk pop identity. Soon, her life experiences became the themes of her work. Siv knows well that the best way to face a problem is to stare it in the eyes and acknowledge it. That’s where the healing begins. And that’s what she’s been doing, slowly-yet-steadily, from her first release in 2015 to 2020’s ‘A Temporary Soothing’, and now with ‘Gardening’, while also touring extensively. Siv’s lyrics, vocals, pauses, breaths, fingerpicked acoustic guitar sound, and arrangements all come together to calm her bruises. With each of her albums, she opens up to us even more, evoking emotion with precision to amazing effect.

Crazy
Siv Jakobsen Lyrics

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I'm up at dawn
Clawing at the walls
Calling your name
I scratch until I bleed
'Til the echo of my plead is tamed
And I call upon your greed
I call upon your needs
Like a foolish woman

Cause I'm a poet, I observe and I
Grasp upon a need to feel
I'm up and off the wall for you
Crazy
Writing songs for you
I'm up and off the wall for you
Crazy
Cause I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't know you
I'm brittle, I am bleak
I am tearing at my seams
And I've lost my brain
You are the winner of this play
I have folded, I am lame
But I'm no child, I'm not naive
I know what it is you want from me
It is the thrill of the chase and the dance of the girl
So I twist and I dance and I twirl
Up and off the wall for you
I'm crazy
Writing songs for you
I'm up and off the wall for you
Crazy

When I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't know you
I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't know you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Siv Jakobsen's song "Crazy" speaks to the desperation and madness that can consume a person when they are infatuated with someone they barely know. The singer confesses her vulnerability to this person, calling upon their greed and needs, while admitting her own foolishness in pursuing them. She observes her own need for connection and the lengths she will go to feel it, surrendering herself to the other person's power over her. The use of the word "crazy" repeatedly emphasizes the irrationality and instability of her feelings, further emphasizing her sense of helplessness in the situation.

The song captures the emotional intensity of being consumed by one's own desire, to the point of feeling like they've lost themselves in the process. The singer acknowledges her own vulnerability, as well as the manipulation and control exercised by the other person. The use of metaphor, such as "tearing at my seams," and "the thrill of the chase and the dance of the girl," adds to the dreamlike quality of the song's imagery, hovering between reality and fantasy.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm up at dawn
I am awake early in the morning

Clawing at the walls
I am desperate and struggling

Calling your name
I am longing for you

I scratch until I bleed
I am hurting myself in my desperation

'Til the echo of my plead is tamed
I keep pleading until it has no effect

And I call upon your greed
I ask for your selfish desires

I call upon your needs
I ask for what you want

Like a foolish woman
I am acting stupidly

Cause I'm a poet, I observe and I
Because I am a poet, I pay close attention and notice things

Grasp upon a need to feel
I understand the importance of emotions

I'm up and off the wall for you
I am doing crazy things because of my love for you