Insensitive
(Anne Lorree) Performed by Jann Arden
How do you cool your lips, after a summer's kiss?
How do you rid the sweat, after the body bliss?
How do you turn your eyes, from the romantic glare?
How do you block the sound of a voice
You'd know anywhere?
Oh, I really should've known
By the time you drove me home
By the vagueness in your eyes, your casual goodbyes
By the chill in your embrace
The expression on your face that told me
Maybe you might have some advice to give
On how to be insensitive
Insensitive
Insensitive
How do you numb your skin, after the warmest touch?
How do you slow your blood, after the body rush?
How do you free your soul, after you've found a friend?
How do you teach your heart it's a crime to fall in love again?
Oh, you probably won't remember me
It's probably ancient history
I'm one of the chosen few
Who went ahead and fell for you
I'm out of vogue, I'm out of touch
I fell too fast, I feel too much
I thought that you might have some advice to give
On how to be insensitive
Oh, I really should've known
By the time you drove me home
By the vagueness in your eyes, your casual goodbyes
By the chill in your embrace
The expression on your face that told me
Maybe you might have some advice to give
On how to be insensitive
How do you rid the sweat, after the body bliss?
How do you turn your eyes, from the romantic glare?
How do you block the sound of a voice
You'd know anywhere?
Oh, I really should've known
By the time you drove me home
By the vagueness in your eyes, your casual goodbyes
By the chill in your embrace
The expression on your face that told me
Maybe you might have some advice to give
On how to be insensitive
Insensitive
Insensitive
How do you numb your skin, after the warmest touch?
How do you slow your blood, after the body rush?
How do you free your soul, after you've found a friend?
How do you teach your heart it's a crime to fall in love again?
Oh, you probably won't remember me
It's probably ancient history
I'm one of the chosen few
Who went ahead and fell for you
I'm out of vogue, I'm out of touch
I fell too fast, I feel too much
I thought that you might have some advice to give
On how to be insensitive
Oh, I really should've known
By the time you drove me home
By the vagueness in your eyes, your casual goodbyes
By the chill in your embrace
The expression on your face that told me
Maybe you might have some advice to give
On how to be insensitive
My sister-in-law, Rudy, and I went to see Jann Arden in concert (Rudy would be the fan, and I'll happily tag along anywhere) and I have to say that she puts on a fantastic show; intimate in storytelling and knockout vocally, I'm more of a fan now than I ever was.
It was madness right from the start - we took our seats in the second row and were soon surrounded by superfans; middle-aged women who wanted to whoop and raise the roof and introduce themselves to us. (And while at first this seemed fun, these ladies quickly became a constant annoyance; come on, you say you're a huge fan and you won't shut up while Jann is talking or singing? You think she wants you to talk back to her while she's talking about her family? Have another plastic cup of house white.) But, annoyances in the audience apart, Jann was funny, snarky, open, uplifting, and just so relatable.
In addition to stories about her father who recently died (whose unpredictable alcoholic behaviour sent the young Jann Arden to her parents' basement where she would play records and discover intriguing songwriting), and stories about her mother's Alzheimer's (and recent relocation to a nursing home), and stories about visiting her brother in jail for the past twenty-nine years, and stories about her decades-long music career - any one of which would have made for a perfect Tunesday post - I think this was my favourite story, linked to one of my favourite Jann Arden songs, so this is the one I'll recount:
Starting with, "Anyone see that Gwenyth Paltrow movie, Sliding Doors, about the casual choices you make sending you into alternate lives? Well, I believe that happens all the time." As she explained it, when Jann was first starting out, she'd spend an entire day - six or seven hours - on her guitar, just writing songs until she couldn't feel her fingers anymore. Totally broke, she'd scrounge up any change she could find, and usually, go to a nearby cafe where the lovely owner would make sure that Jann left with something in her belly. But this one day, as she stepped out of her crappy basement apartment, she decided to take a walk across the park instead of heading immediately to the cafe. As she was walking, suddenly Jann could hear a wave of music coming out of a nearby apartment window. A wave that hit her like falling in love, like lightning, like a crush. As she soon learned, this music was coming from a young woman - Anne - who spent her days in a crappy apartment, sitting at her crappy keyboard, writing beautiful songs. The two met and talked about songwriting and became friends. And when Jann Arden was invited to make a record in L.A. and she wanted to put this song - this song she heard once in a park that struck her so deeply that it changed her DNA - the producers told her it would need to wait for a second album; that Jann's first had too many ballads. "And that's how quickly life can change," said Jann. "Because I turned right instead of left on that day, I heard music that would change my life forever. It's no exaggeration to say that my life before and after hearing this song were completely different. That my life before and after recording and releasing this song were completely different. And all because I turned right."
We had a fantastic evening of song and storytelling and I'd go see Jann Arden anytime she comes through again.
