Top Ten Songs by Jewel
Jewel first came into the mainstream in 1995 with her debut album Pieces Of You. Since then, this woman has released several other albums, including Spirit (1998), Joy, a Holiday Collection (1999), This Way (2001), 0304 (2003) and most recently Goodbye Alice in Wonderland (2006). Below is a compilation of what I feel are her top ten songs.
10 – Intuition
One of Jewel’s less popular songs and the only hit from 0304, Jewel abandoned her normal acoustic sound and lyrics to create a more mainstream, pop sound. Written moreso to mock mainstream than actually cross over, the single backfired,
causing many fans to turn a deaf ear to the rest of the album. Lyrics from the song include “Sell your sin. Just Cash in. You got something that you want me to tell. You’ll love me. Wait and see.” It appeared that Jewel was doing the very thing Intuition was against: Selling out. Shortly after, the song was discovered and became quite popular on a commercial for
the Intuition Ladies Razor Blade.
9 – What’s Simple is True
Featured in “Ride with the Devil” which also starred Jewel “What’s Simple is True”, from 1998’s Spirit album shows a soft, romantic side to the singer. More of a sung poem than a standard song, the lyrics are flowing, just like her poetry tends
to be. Slow and performed on an acoustic guitar, the song maintains generally the same pace throughout the song. Filled with wonderful visuals of a sung poem, one can feel the emotions behind the point of the song: The Simple Truth of her love for someone.
8 – Again and Again
From her newest album “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland”, Jewel returns to a more acoustic sound than her previous album. The song is written in first person, about someone who can’t abandon the love they have for their ex. Recalling memories within the song, one can almost feel the heartache within her voice. The point is simple, like most of her songs, “There is no giving in There is no giving up in love.”
7 – Life Uncommon
With a feel of the 60’s, “Life Uncommon” starts out slow and almost church-like in sound before picking up to an almost standard retro-sounding song. While not one of her more popular songs based on charts, the message behind the song is beautiful. “Our voices ring out clear with sounds of freedom.” She states her message clearly without forcing a listener to take her side, mainly because what the song is for or against varies based on what the listener picks up. Powerful in voice and spirit, Life Uncommon is worth checking out if you haven’t heard it.
6 – Foolish Games
With a slow, melodic piano, Foolish Games depicts the tale of a woman in a failing relationship. Poetic, she paints the tale of the relationship as one that is breaking her down. Almost sweetly, she uses simple lines that state his carelessness in
regards to her is destroying who she is. Like day and night, she compares his like for Mozart and her clumsy guitar playing. With confusion as to what went wrong, she begins to stand up for herself and calling his treatment of her a foolish game. Laced with a beautiful violin solo, the song is relaxing and heart-wrenching all at the same time.
5 – Standing Still
One of Jewel’s newer songs, “Standing Still” is written in the first person. With an upbeat feel, the song is more cheerful than her slower-paced songs. Written about a person who is standing still while everything else in life passes by quickly, it weaves a very gentle reminder to take time out to observe things. If not, that is all that life will be: One big blur.
4 – Who Will Save Your Soul
Off of 1995’s Pieces of You, “Who Will Save Your Soul” was one of two hits from that album. With a more laid back feel than most music at that time, the acoustic sound with a hint of blues feel became popular in practically no time. Jewel’s opinion emphasized that mankind as a whole had a lot of improving to do or we would not be saved. Perhaps the most impressive part of this song comes at the end where she turns to scat singing instead of actual lyrics.
3 – You Were Meant For Me
Another of Jewel’s more reknown songs, “You Were Meant For Me” seems to be about a guy and a girl who have broken up. More importantly, how her dreams and hopes for a reunion between the two seem to be fading as time goes by, as she clearly states in the song, “Dreams last for so long, even after you’re gone and I know you love me and soon you will see you were meant for me and I was meant for you.” The song takes place in a day in the life of the singer, who tries to cope with her new life – moving into her own place and more importantly trying to reverse her flaws. The song leaves one with hope for both singer and the unknown lover to reunite sometime, however, it does not state any outcome in the song.
2 – Pieces of You
Jewel emphasized the importance of tolerance in “Pieces of You”. For every hate she mentions in the song, she turns it around on the listener, inquiring each time if they hate the person beacause they’re a bit like that person, too. With lyrics of, “She’s an ugly girl does that make you feel safe? Ugly Girl. Ugly Girl. Do you hate her cause she’s pieces of you?” Jewel dives deeper in, turning to the pretty girl, gay man and a Jewish man. A beautiful guitar sound with the angelic sound of Jewel singing leaves this song as a very memorable and song worth listening to as well as sharing with others.
1 – Hands
From Spirit, “Hands” is a melodic song about not feeling useless in any situation. From poverty to heartache, she sings gently how she knew she could overcome whatever obstacles that come in her way. “My Hands are small I know but they’re not yours they are my own..” begins the chorus of the song which reflects that no matter how small you are that you can do something no matter what. She also mentions prayer in situations, but does not force that upon others. She merely states, “I will get down on my knees and I will pray.” Like a lot of her earlier songs, she mentions God, making this a suiting song if you’re a believer or not. There are two versions of this song, one from Spirit and a more holiday sounding one with bells and chimes from Joy, A Holiday Collection. This song is perhaps the most influential song from Jewel and definitely worth checking out.
While Jewel has many other songs worthy of mention, these are perhaps the most memorable and influential songs of a personal opinion. No matter where these songs place on your personal list, each one is uniquely Jewel.
