Nika Roza Danilova was raised in Merrill, Wisconsin, on over 100 acres of forest. Danilova started singing early on, buying voice lesson tapes and opera sheet music at the age of 7; soon she began working with a vocal coach. It was not her parents' idea: "I begged them to do it. For some reason, I really wanted to sing opera even though I wasn't really exposed to it as a kid. I think my little baby toddler mind heard some opera song and then became fixated on how powerful it sounded," she later remembered. Danilova started performing opera when she was 10 years old, but experienced serious psychological difficulties. "I would too often lose my voice before performances due to anxiety, and was so hard on myself. I would beat myself up about any imperfections or flaws in my voice. I was such a perfectionist, and my voice was still so young so it couldn't do everything I wanted it to, and I resented myself for that. But since performing as Zola Jesus it's been getting easier," she later recalled.
In her teens, Danilova started to experiment in a more rock-orientated format. By naming her alter ego after Jesus Christ and the French writer Émile Zola she said she consciously wanted to alienate peers. "It worked perfectly – a lot of people wouldn't even say Zola Jesus because they thought it was sacrilegious", she said in an interview. "Using Jesus in my name isn't necessarily supposed to be a strong statement. I respect religion and I know people do need it, but it's a weird phenomenon in our world. It's so weird," she later commented. Inspired by favorites like Ian Curtis, Lydia Lunch, Diamanda Galás, Throbbing Gristle and Swans (but also bubblegum pop and classical aria), she started to record at home, using keyboards, drum machines and "anything else she had on hand". In 2008 she debuted with singles "Poor Sons" on Die Stasi and "Soeur Sewer" on Sacred Bones Records.
In 2009, while still studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Zola Jesus recorded (in her apartment) and released her debut full-length album The Spoils. The sound was in a certain way dependent on her surroundings. "I usually record in the winter because I am holed up. It's cold outside but warm inside with the heater and blankets. A lot of the songs are cold but in the coldness you find warmth. Winter has a lot to do with it.
Zola Jesus released an EP titled Stridulum in 2010, described as her most melodic work to date. Inspired by the Giulio Paradisi 1979 film of the same name, it marked "a huge leap forward in terms of fidelity and accessibility." After the release Zola Jesus performed at the SXSW festival, for her second time. Her second full-length album Stridulum II, which was an extension of the EP regarded as a debut in the UK, received 8/10 from NME which praised Danilova's classically trained voice as "the deadliest weapon in her arsenal" and called the album a "dark masterpiece."
Zola Jesus' third full-length Conatus was released in late September 2011 via Sacred Bones. The album's 11 tracks were produced by Brian Foote (aka Nudge; Jackie-O Motherfucker, Cloudland Canyon) and Danilova herself, including elements of cello, double bass, violin, and viola.
Zola Jesus has played with Former Ghosts and toured in support of Fever Ray and The xx. She also provides guest vocals on "New France" from their 2012 album Wonky.
Long Way Down
Zola Jesus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were the one, I would say
We are the one and the same
But now it's in you, it's in you always
And on the hill of the days
When all the words were said
But now it's in you, it's in you always
And on the face of it, it's never forgetting
I follow it down, the cracks are indebted
[Chorus:]
Long way down
They don't need to let you know that
Long way down
It's a Long way down
They don't need to let you know that
Long way down
[Verse 2:]
Far from the cracks in the bed
Downtown, the worries all may(?)
But now it's in you, it's in you always
Find all your reason to stay
Halftime, it's close to equate
But now it's in you, it's in you always
[Pre-Chorus:]
And on the face of it, it's never forgetting
I follow it down, the cracks are indebted
[Chorus:]
Long way down
They don't need to let you know that
Long way down
It's a Long way down
They don't need to let you know that
Long way down
[Bridge:]
They don't need to
(They don't need to let you know)
They don't need to
(They don't need to let you know)
They don't need to
(They don't need to let you know)
They don't need to
(They don't need to let you know)
[Chorus:]
Long way down
They don't need to let you know that
Long way down
It's a Long way down
They don't need to let you know that
Long way down
The verses of "Long Way Down" by Zola Jesus speak of a shift in a relationship where the singer saying "We are the one and the same" now says "it's in you, it's in you always." Perhaps the relationship was initially very close, but now the connection is lost, and the other person now holds onto something that the singer no longer shares. The phrase "on the hill of the days, when all the words were said" could be referring to how the relationship reached its pinnacle where they both understood one another clearly. Now, the other person has something stuck in them that the singer does not, and the singer can't reach them. They have fallen onto hard times, represented by "long way down," and they don't need to tell anyone because it's a familiar feeling. The pre-chorus speaks of how the singer is pursuing something that they can't forget or let go of, and they are following it down deep, trying to understand it.
The second verse speaks of the bridge and how small problems seem effortless from a distance. But now that they are close, they have become challenging, represented by the phrase "it's close to equate." The singer seems to want to stick around and find a reason to stay despite the hardship. The bridge might hint towards society or their relationship with other people as a whole, saying "they don't need to let you know."
Line by Line Meaning
You were the one, I would say
You were the person I relied on the most
We are the one and the same
We were so close, we could be mistaken for the same person
But now it's in you, it's in you always
Whatever we had, you hold onto it tightly
And on the hill of the days
Looking back on our time together
When all the words were said
After everything we've been through
But now it's in you, it's in you always
And you still hold onto it tightly
And on the face of it, it's never forgetting
Even though it's not obvious, it stays in your memory
I follow it down, the cracks are indebted
I see its influence everywhere, it's left its mark
Long way down
It's a difficult journey with many obstacles
They don't need to let you know that
Not everyone will tell you about the challenges ahead
Far from the cracks in the bed
Away from the marks it's left behind
Downtown, the worries all may(?)
The distractions of the city can make you forget
Find all your reason to stay
Discover the things that make it worth the struggle
Halftime, it's close to equate
We're halfway there, but the challenge continues
They don't need to
Not everyone will tell you the truth
(They don't need to let you know)
(They don't need to tell you what you're up against)
Contributed by Liam G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@maxidonoso5498
insanely underrated this is my favorite song from her
@Maxianaconda
One of the best songs on Taiga!
@iChoricci
#Сочувствие
@JP-lh5py
This album deserves HD quality.
@droolglop1110
then buy it?
@JP-lh5py
I did. And I'm talking about the Youtube upload here- it should be 720p or higher for max audio quality. 480p doesn't do the music justice.
@droolglop1110
ugh maybe so people will buy it in order to fully enjoy it?
@JP-lh5py
Why are you replying with a question in every response? The point is, this upload quality is shit. There is nothing left to argue.
@droolglop1110
then why don't you upload it in HD quality?
@iChoricci
🦋🍀🍎🍀🦋