LADY JANE Lyrics discussion

[Suzy]

Hadn't listened to Lady Jane for awhile now, and today - as I did my laundry, I realized how this song has grown on me! I actually kinda like it.

 

The tune is still in my head.

[Fmbm]

I really have grown to love this song. I think the story is very fascinating and sweet, but also tragic. It's great

[racinghorse83]

from the reactions of my friends (and my own personal ones.. ) i can tell that this song is the kind of song that will grow on fans, and fans only. i can't see anyone who is always listening to 'mainstream' music liking it, and to be honest i can see very few people liking it.

 

the songs for sorrow are great. but reactions from my friends and family who don't mind mika, buyt think he's OK, clearly tell me that the new songs are bland. they're like eating rice afetr a fantastic colourful meal that played with you're tastebuds.

 

they're raw and honest, yes, but they just don't tick the boxes.

Blue eyes is clearly the best out of the three songs, but i was told by a guy friend 'omg. that song is so boring. i prefer mika's old stuff.'

 

i'm fully expecting the new album to be amazing and nothing like this EP at all.

thats why i truly hope that the EP is publicised as little as possible, simply becasue it could turn so many mika fans completely off him.

[AnnaMariaPetra]

Question about this line in the last verse:

 

Swimming through the ocean with a desperate air

 

I hear Mika singing: desperate stare, so I was surprised to read air in the book....

 

What do you think?

[AnnaMariaPetra]

http://www.mikasounds.com/

 

The emperor of a distant land

The only man who didn't understand

that though you think you've got your prize

there's another fish that has escaped your eyes

Lady Jane, her lover's there

swimming through the ocean with a desperate stare

looking for Lady Jane

looking for Lady Jane

 

 

Oh, good. I see I am not the only one who heard stare...

[leentje1820]

Same here! I also hear stare.

[iadoremika]

When I got the EP/art book I layed down on my bed, put in the earphones and listened to Lady Jane -- accompanied with the lyrics and art in the book -- and it sort of struck me how meaningful the lyrics are. The ending is so sad as well.

[Fmbm]

According to this Gary Go interview, Lady Jane was the name of a lingerie shop on Carnaby Street. Pete Townshend would go in there all the time.

[CalicoSkies]

This is completely irrelevant but there is a song by the Monkees called Lady Jane. Luckily I like them both equally even thoguh the Monkee's Lady Jane is more saucy. Mika's is more forlorn.

[talks2much]

its a wity song about a woman who had love and lost it and spent the rest of her life looking for her lost lover. she ends up dying and it turns out the lover was looking for her.

[mouselle]

its a wity song about a woman who had love and lost it and spent the rest of her life looking for her lost lover. she ends up dying and it turns out the lover was looking for her.

 

You have a very interesting name for a person with only one post in two days!!

 

I thought people might have started discussing Mika's interpretation of the song as being about a lady who mutilates herself to gain/keep the attention of her lover.

 

It was shocking to me that the song we had been interpreting so graciously and psychologically is so graphic in his mind!

[DerMoment1608]

From this article:

 

Right now, over tea, he's reciting lyrics like poetry, about "Lady Jane, the river fish, who became the world's most wanted dish". The song was based on music by Schubert and a story by Goethe, and it encapsulates the fantasy world Mika has created since childhood.

 

Is this true? I tried to goole the story from Goethe but it's nearly impossible if you don't know the name. And, to tell the truth, I'm not sure if it's right what the author is saying there.

 

Edit: I found a poem of Goethe which is called "Der Fischer" (The Fisherman) - and this poem was set to music by Schubert.

 

Here you can hear it and read the English translation of the lyrics:

 

There are some motive-connections between "Lady Jane" and this poem, yes, but no big ones. I would say its rather coincidental.

 

On the other hand - "Der Fischer" is one of Schuberts "Lieder". And Mika has told in some Interviews that he sung them on College.

Edited February 26, 2010 by DerMoment1608

[Christine]

There are some motive-connections between "Lady Jane" and this poem, yes, but no big ones. I would say its rather coincidental.

 

On the other hand - "Der Fischer" is one of Schuberts "Lieder". And Mika has told in some Interviews that he sung them on College.

 

I think "inspired by" may be more accurate than "based on", although I don't recall Mika saying anything about this before so I'm not sure what is true.

 

Thanks for the links. I hadn't noticed this mentioned in the article.

[laura*]

From this article:

 

 

 

Is this true? I tried to goole the story from Goethe but it's nearly impossible if you don't know the name. And, to tell the truth, I'm not sure if it's right what the author is saying there.

 

Edit: I found a poem of Goethe which is called "Der Fischer" (The Fisherman) - and this poem was set to music by Schubert.

 

Here you can hear it and read the English translation of the lyrics:

 

There are some motive-connections between "Lady Jane" and this poem, yes, but no big ones. I would say its rather coincidental.

 

On the other hand - "Der Fischer" is one of Schuberts "Lieder". And Mika has told in some Interviews that he sung them on College.

 

Franz Schubert/Die Forelle (Lied and quintet)

Based on a poem by Christian Schubart.

[suzie]

I found a poem of Goethe which is called "Der Fischer" (The Fisherman) - and this poem was set to music by Schubert.

 

yes, I am pretty sure this is the one he meant, I found it right after the Scottish article, and as Christine pointed out, 'inspired by' is a more accurate term in this case.

[Sophie<3Mika]

Okaayy. I think this song is about trust or attention or maybe just love? She obviously wasn't happy even though she had such a unbelievable talent of walking on water, she just wanted someone to love her and she thinks the only way they would is if they see her talent. When she does, & they fall for each other, she's so happy that when he 'drowns' she wants to find him. Suggesting it might be the only thing left to live for, & trusting in the fact that he'll still be there.

 

Now, everyone is talking about this beautiful fish, and she got all the attention she wanted before. She learnt her lesson, that it wasn't the fact she could walk on water that was worth her. She was in love and it didn't matter if no one saw her again apart from him.

 

It's actually adorable because even though she died, the fact he's still alive & looking for her, means he trusted her enough to know she'd be looking for him.

 

I think it might be reflecting Mika's singing career. Even though he's a very well known, popular singer, the people who love him won't stop loving him and it's not the talent that represents him. Also the fact the song is about fish, which is his fear, might imply that if you get too involved & obessessed in the fact you are famous, you're turn into your own fears & it will only worry you?

 

That's what i thought anywayy, please read.. that took me ages:roftl:

[Shine]

yes, I am pretty sure this is the one he meant, I found it right after the Scottish article, and as Christine pointed out, 'inspired by' is a more accurate term in this case.

 

There's still one source which could be linked to Mika song. It's Oscar Wilde fairytale "The Fisherman and his Soul" from his famous volume "The Happy Prince and Other Stories". The first part of the Wilde's text is obviosly based on the Goethe ballad "The Fisherman" and later it evolves in a different way. Mika is great admirer od Wilde's work, he mentioned it several times hence it's possible he read this one too. And of course the classic one "The Little Mermaid" by Andersen, wich has the crucial motif of sacrificing her own life for man's love.

[suzie]

There's still one source which could be linked to Mika song. It's Oscar Wilde fairytale "The Fisherman and his Soul" from his famous volume "The Happy Prince and Other Stories". The first part of the Wilde's text is obviosly based on the Goethe ballad "The Fisherman" and later it evolves in a different way. Mika is great admirer od Wilde's work, he mentioned it several times hence it's possible he read this one too. And of course the classic one "The Little Mermaid" by Andersen, wich has the crucial motif of sacrificing her own life for man's love.

 

yes, I agree the story must come from multiple sources, though ultimately from Mika's little unpredictable and complex brain..

 

We gathered this song is based on The Fisherman by Goethe as Mika himself said in a Scottish interview that the song is based on a poem by Goethe and music by Schubert. Now the closest in meaning this combination of authors produced is the above mentioned poem that Schubert wrote a melody to. However, neither the lyrics themselves are about the same story we find in Lady Jane nor the music reflects the same mood, so I think we can safely conclude that it is only inspiration at most.

There are many 19th century German songs /poems (”lieder”) with mermaids tempting fishermen into the deep of the sea. Rationally speaking it was a time of explorations on the sea and artists’ imagination was obviously moved by shipwrecks, too. There are several poems, paintings and musical pieces about sirens and different kinds of sea creatures from this era, some taking these stories to a different level. If you think about it, men wanting to be with / becoming mermaids and escaping into a different world might have another meaning, too .

 

Oscar Wilde’s story is in a way similar, in terms of using the idea of someone turning into a mermaid in order to be with the person he loves but the storyline is completely different as in the end the guy gives up his new life for some quick pleasure.

[Shine]

yes, I agree the story must come from multiple sources, though ultimately from Mika's little unpredictable and complex brain..

 

We gathered this song is based on The Fisherman by Goethe as Mika himself said in a Scottish interview that the song is based on a poem by Goethe and music by Schubert. Now the closest in meaning this combination of authors produced is the above mentioned poem that Schubert wrote a melody to. However, neither the lyrics themselves are about the same story we find in Lady Jane nor the music reflects the same mood, so I think we can safely conclude that it is only inspiration at most.

There are many 19th century German songs /poems (”lieder”) with mermaids tempting fishermen into the deep of the sea. Rationally speaking it was a time of explorations on the sea and artists’ imagination was obviously moved by shipwrecks, too. There are several poems, paintings and musical pieces about sirens and different kinds of sea creatures from this era, some taking these stories to a different level. If you think about it, men wanting to be with / becoming mermaids and escaping into a different world might have another meaning, too .

 

Oscar Wilde’s story is in a way similar, in terms of using the idea of someone turning into a mermaid in order to be with the person he loves but the storyline is completely different as in the end the guy gives up his new life for some quick pleasure.

 

Of course, these topoi are the common European heritage of the Romantics aesthetics.

But actually I'm not sure that Wilde's story ends the way you've put it. What quick pleasure? They both disappear in the sea, far away from the humans and "Sea-folks". In Wilde's literature almost every single piece ends up with the death of someone, mainly of the main characters.

But Mika involved a grotesque motif in Lady Jane: she was actually eaten by the king of some distant foreign land. So you're right, these could have been only subtextes for his own lyrical vision.

[Lea.]

This is the way I feel the song. Not saying it‘s an interpretation' date=' just the impression I got.

 

Lady Jane was special and could do more than the others. She believed in „higher“ things, maybe she was a dreamer, had a beautiful soul and ability to rise above the usual world (the river, I suppose). One day she finally found a man she loved and told him her dreams and desires, her thoughts and wishes. And so they walked through this world together. Sadly, the man wasn‘t that special, he couldn‘t believe in these things, lift himself higher then the simple, plane and usual world. So, he drew back (maybe left her because of moral/psychological pressure).

LJ started thinking that she should change, not make him change. So, she sacrificed for love, got rid of her distinctive feature and emerged into the grey, into the mainstream, started searching for him.

Before she was above which made her unreachable. Now, everyone starts to want her, but don’t have the power to catch her. I think they see that she is not for them, she’s looking for someone else. Then, one man gets her by force (maybe it’s a rich foreigner, who takes her with him).

The conclusion is that her lover still loves her, he’s searching for her.

What couth my attention is the way the plot changes from closed to an open one. River -> sea -> ocean. I think ocean might mean the whole world. It’s like living at home, then going further and further. Maybe her lover “drowned” into the sea, so she started looking there. What actually happened was that he got “flushed” into the ocean, so LJ couldn’t find him. Nor could he find her because of the enormous amount of water. Distance, that is.

[/quote']

I agree with this, I interpreted this song in a related direction.

Wow, I'm really impressed. You're real freaks.

I mean, you've been to thousands of concerts etc.

 

Well, I love MIKA's music & LJ is one of my fav now.

I really love your interpretations.

 

Sry for my English, I'm a German, 14 year old girl

[Taylor!]

I love everyone's thoughts on the song!

I know this is probably way off, but after seeing this picture I wondered if the lover in the song is poor Mika himself?

In this picture the lover down below looks like him to me, especially since he's wearing a tie with flowers on it, something only a man like Mika would.

[Lea.]

i love this picture.

[eloise.shaw]

i love this picture.

 

me too

[qwurtie]

I recall Mika doesn't actually eat fish...maybe his little legend is what he tells people as the reason:wink2:

 

but he does eat fish... i remeber in an interview he sed he doesnt like fish but he likes eatting them (or soemthing like that)

[qwurtie]

I love everyone's thoughts on the song!

I know this is probably way off, but after seeing this picture I wondered if the lover in the song is poor Mika himself?

In this picture the lover down below looks like him to me, especially since he's wearing a tie with flowers on it, something only a man like Mika would.

 

it does look like him.. where did you get the pic from?.. did he draw it?