Goodbye Alice In Wonderland

[Angel Eyes]

I came across a random post somewhere talking about songs that are 10 years old and it made me think, what was Jewel doing 10 years ago? 2005... she was on the "Tour For No Reason" and working on Goodbye Alice In Wonderland. So when did the GAIW video come out? January or February 2006? Looked though the EDA archives and it came out Jan. 25th. It was kinda weird at the time to have such relative silence on Jewel's end regarding the development of the album to suddenly an announcement that she finished it and was dropping a low-key music video on Unedited. Exciting, too, though.

Anyway, along with the video, she posted a message about the album itself. Whether you like or dislike the album I thought it was a pretty interesting retrospective read.

http://www.smoe.org/lists/jewel/archives/v11.n020

So, my record is done! It's written, recorded, mixed and mastered.

It's been a long journey, but I'm really really excited and exhausted. I really tried to live up to this record. Making records is kinda hard for me. Writing is easy. Feelings have overwhelmed me since I was young, and I spent years getting fluent at trying to get out of their way, to paint a picture with nothing in-between the feeling, and hearing those feelings.

I did this alone. By myself. Just the feeling and me and a pen. I have always loved words and the craft of writing. It is a love affair that has outlasted many relationships! I am sure it will last my whole life. It has been a rewarding and calming pursuit. Never disappointing. Making records didn't start till I was 19. It's harder for me, because I had no grasp of the process. It is rigid and not alive in the way performing or writing is. It's been hard for me to adapt to, also, I guess, because I am not in control. I need to rely on musicians and producers and mixers. They all have to see, feel, and interpret my vision as clearly as I do.

And that is hard to do. It's rare, especially because I don't like rehearsing. I don't like to practice. I am impatient and petulant. I don't even like things to be perfect, in a technical sense. I just like it to move you.......

Well, it's been 12 years since I recorded my first CD, and I feel like I have learned enough to finally affect the outcome of one! On my first CD I avoided the whole problem by recording it live. That way nothing could come in between me and the raw feeling when I sang. I think I was able to do the same thing on this CD, but with some musicians playing!

This is a singer-songwriter CD. This is a terribly personal CD. I was cryptic enough that I did not betray what I feel is personal, but I was able to exorcise the feelings I needed to. It has been a crazy ass life, and a crazy ass couple of years. What I can say about it, I said in the songs. I tried to make this an intensely personal record; one that is almost embarrassing to listen to. I pulled no punches. I tried not to repeat myself on any song.

In some ways this is an old-fashioned record. I think u need to hear all 13 songs to get the whole picture. I hate records that have 2 or 3 good songs and the rest are low calorie fillers. I want you to hear the whole CD. Give it a chance. I spent so much time on these lyrics. So much blood and guts went into these songs. Even into what order they are in, so they complement each other. I layered it, so that hopefully every time you hear it, you get something different out of it.

I have been in this business for a while now. It's kinda wild to think about. Sometimes my mind can't even compute it. I grew up in alaska. A weird upbringing, but a lot of good to it, too, I guess. I ended up homeless and living in a car. I used to shoplift so I didn't have to use food stamps. I used to have doctors turn me down for my kidneys cause I didn't have insurance. I used to hope beyond hope and I even believed in people who did not deserve my naive faith, but somehow it has all turned out ok. I mean, now I have plenty of money, great doctors, and I get to write songs for a living! Its all so unbelievable. But it is just as strange in new ways. Ghosts follow you, and it is still all on my shoulders. Just how I like it.

I have made a life I really like. I live in Texas. It's not like Alaska, but it's a big ranch, and has nothing to do with the music scene. Just like when I was young, music is just something I love and do. It's not a scene, its not parties or schmoozing, or being political. Don't get me wrong, I am gonna do my job to the best of my ability. I am competitive, and like succeeding. I will promote my CD, and work hard, and do everything I have to, to try and get people to hear this music, but on all my off days I am at the ranch riding and eating at the local diner. I am truly lucky. In fact, on this record, im gonna try to do a lot of my press at the ranch here. I'm also gonna go home to alaska and do some stuff up there, so u guys can see it. I never really have shown it to anyone, and id like to now. It goes with the music.

I have been thinking a lot about this CD, about the music business, about how everything works. I am in the business, but in a lot of ways I have the freedom to do things my own way. I care a lot about this record. It means a lot to me, and I want you guys to get a feel for it. It gets frustrating that fans only download one song they hear on the radio. It gets frustrating that radio only plays certain songs that fit a certain format. I have songs that I think will do good on radio, but there is one song that sums up this record and this time in my life, my whole life really....... And I don't think it really has a shot at radio cause its 6 minutes long. So, I had a friend shoot me singing it at the ranch on Super 8, and I'm gonna release it on this web site tomorrow. I want people to hear and see things when there is still nothing between me and the feeling. Soon there will be interviews and singles and the dance will begin. The circus will wind up and I will dance for my songs the best I know how, but for now I want to give you a visual that is as raw as my lyrics. It's the title track on the record. 'Goodbye Alice in Wonderland'. I think i said it all in the song, and it is all pretty clear. But I guess I will answer questions about it if u have some. I won't do that for the press, most likely, because it never really works.

I hope you enjoy. The CD won't come out until early May, so this is my teaser. I may even leak this on the web, so that more people can see and hear this song before the first single drops.

Hope you all are well, Jewel

[Angel Eyes]

Fun fact: There are more than a couple of different versions of the GAIW video. I think I've only seen 3, I can't remember where, but here are two. The first is what was put up on Unedited.

[Donna Sue]

I know it's not her most popular album, but I've always loved GAIW. I've listened to the CD so much in my car I'm sure its worn thin by now. 

I used to wonder who the song was about... actually never crossed my mind it might be her mother, of course now it makes sense. Always thought it was just an old flame or something.

[Nobody]

I don't like everything Jewel does, and I'm a production snob - but I played the hell out of that CD.  Then again, I like 0304, too.

[Jessica]

I like this CD a lot - imo, there's nothing spectacular about it, but, more importantly, there's nothing terrible about it.  This is about as country as I can stomach from Jewel - this album represents that limit.

[Angel Eyes]

I used to wonder who the song was about... actually never crossed my mind it might be her mother, of course now it makes sense. Always thought it was just an old flame or something.

Yeah, it took some of us fans years to realize it was about her mom, and even then there were still questions about it. My initial thought, personally, was that it was about her fans and the music business in general after all the criticism she got for Intuition and 0304. The fact that she made it so cryptic that the song could be interpreted multiple ways shows just what a good writer she is, I think.

Now this thread makes me want to look through the GAIW booklet. I know there's one page that says something like "To Ty, because in a world of fiction you're the truth I can believe in." That in itself is really eye opening after reading Never Broken and seeing how she seemed to sorta become dependent on Ty's levelheadedness after Nedra.

[Simon]

I always loved this album too. I was really disappointed with 0304, and didn't play it all that much, so in many ways - to me - this felt like Jewel's first 'proper' album in four years, so I was really excited about it.

Speaking of things that are nearly ten years old, I'm really surprised that the Essential Songbook DVD concerts were also recorded in 2006. I didn't get that set until the end of 2008, and mostly played it in 2009, so for it to be a decade old seems rather shocking!

[Nobody]

I said it before, I'll say it again - she needs to release an anthology.  On double vinyl, as well as a double CD.  Nothing less will suffice!   

[Jessica]

Like, what's your definition of anthology?

There's a collection of all her albums you can buy and there's also a greatest hits CD.

[Nobody]

Previously unreleased, alternate versions, live cuts, demo tracks...must I go on?

[Donna Sue]

Nothing less will suffice!   

Ha! A bit demanding, SMP? 

Seriously, I would kill for a double CD of unreleased, alternate versions, live, demos, whatev is in the vault!! 

[Nobody]

Nothing less will suffice!   

Ha! A bit demanding, SMP? 

Seriously, I would kill for a double CD of unreleased, alternate versions, live, demos, whatev is in the vault!! 

Demanding?  Really?  I thought I was being mellow for once.  I could totally think of ways to be more demanding...like accompanying DVD releases.  I mean, think of the unlimited possibilities... If Jewel and Alan really got on the stick and took what he has in his treasure troves, combined them with what EDAs, radio stations, and "previously unreleased footage" people have collected, Jewel could just sit back, hopefully re-org her site store, and retire.  She wouldn't have to crank out anything new again.  But if she did, and special packaged all that...well, it could probably be bundled with Javo's yet to arrive PUP and GH, and arrive at the same time.  Signed, of course 

[Mr. Joe]

[/quote]

Demanding?  Really?  I thought I was being mellow for once.  I could totally think of ways to be more demanding...like accompanying DVD releases.  I mean, think of the unlimited possibilities... If Jewel and Alan really got on the stick and took what he has in his treasure troves, combined them with what EDAs, radio stations, and "previously unreleased footage" people have collected, Jewel could just sit back, hopefully re-org her site store, and retire.  She wouldn't have to crank out anything new again.  But if she did, and special packaged all that...well, it could probably be bundled with Javo's yet to arrive PUP and GH, and arrive at the same time.  Signed, of course
[/quote]

   But we can dream 

[Javo]

  I lioke that way of thinking

[Matt]

This was the first album that I loved from start to finish and it really introduced me to Jewel as a storyteller and made me rediscover her.

I love everything about this album. It has a healthy mix of folk, pop, pop/rock, and country. I really love her belting on Last Dance Rodeo and Fragile Heart; the songwriting on Long Slow Slide, Goodbye Alice In Wonderland, Where You Are, 1000 Miles Away; the imagery in the previously mentioned songs. Love it all.

I'd love this on vinyl and yes, I'd also like a deluxe edition with alternate cuts, demos etc but I doubt that'd happen. It's a shame that Jewel doesn't own the rights to her material from the Atlantic contract. If her mother hadn't screwed over her finances she may have been about to buy them. I was surprised to hear that Atlantic own the rights to the Bearsville recordings - I thought it was a live show, surprised to hear that they own the rights.

A little off topic, but I love the album, and the song. GAIW was my favourite Jewel song, until Love Used To Be.

[Nobody]

I love it too!  And, anything and everything ov vinyl!

I can't always listen to Where You Are.   She is a very under appreciated songwriter, no matter what genre it comes out as.

[Javo]

I'm hearing good ideas for Record store day here, we might tweet about this to Jewel now and then, if she keeps on hearing it she might do something with it, best to tweet to Alan as well I quess.