Cléo's Corner- Scribing Hymns With My Blue Ink Pen
December 2023
This is the complete and extensive breakdown of the Jeannie's Garden tracklist with everything you need to know about these songs (along with some stories and fun facts).
Cloudy Days
Track 1, Cloudy Days, also the second single released during this era, is a song that harnesses the feeling of being lost in your mind using the cloud motif to explain the “cloudiness” that follows hereinafter. It touches on the themes of feeling lost, dazed, and confused, yet the freedom that follows despite those turbulent emotions. There’s a dreariness and dreaminess to the song that reinforces the idea of holding onto faith and hope despite not being able to see clearly through the clouds.
Cloudy Days was born back in 2021 when I was standing on the pier in Deep Cove, staring out into the crisp September sky and vividly seeing a patch of clouds and the beautiful patterns illuminated by the sun. It was a stark contrast to chilly weather which subsequently caused me to become nostalgic about warmer times. This can be taken in the physical sense
but also figuratively in allowing several conflicting Lenticular clouds courtesy US National Parks Services Images
emotions to exist together and being celebratory
towards it. The cloud metaphor is displayed most
notably within the bridge where examples of classifications of clouds are used to emphasize the murkiness of the state of mind. My favourite lyric in this song is “Lenticular ever so particular” because lenticular clouds are so unique and instantly recognizable.
Jeannie's Garden
Track 2, Jeannie’s Garden, is also the title track. I wrote this song with the idea of the aftermath of picking yourself up after a mental breakdown and gaining resiliency again. It’s cheering up the listener and instilling a sense of optimism despite being rained on. Jeannie’s Garden is youthful with the cliché saying of learning how to dance in the rain yet also learning how to channel the pain into something that could make the world better.
The lyric in the second verse, “my best friend once told me the prettiest eyes cried the most tears” was something my best friend, Abby, told me when I was 12 when I was crying and it stuck with me for a long time and now I’ve immortalized it in a song. Painting the world in watercolour refers to how watercolours are fluid and vary in levels of opacity and pigments which can metaphorically contrast with the way people can have a rigid and black-and-white view and be unable to progress. In general, most paintings are layered, building on different shades and colours to add dimension and complexity to form an overall masterpiece. I find the most interesting people to have many layers and life experiences that paint their souls and transform them into the masterpieces that they are.
Also, I included the line, “trekking Everest to new heights” which has a double meaning because Everest is also the name of my go-to iconic black electric acoustic guitar. I am a crazy lady who names her guitars that start with the letter E. I named it Everest because I was watching Friends Season 8 Episode 9 after I bought my guitar. In the episode, Joey points to the turkey and says, “You are my Everest” and nothing in my life has been the same since then.
Springsong
Track 3, Springsong is the quintessential song about spring in my discography so far. The melody of the chorus came to me before the lyrics did. I tried putting the melody in different songs but it didn’t feel right. Until one spring day in the kitchen, I was chopping up some celery and I started singing the first verse of Springsong and the rest followed suit. Butterflies also flutter throughout the album because, during this era, I felt
especially connected to butterflies. I had this one Wisteria taken by CLJ
long-distance friend who I told to think of me every time they see a butterfly.
The lyric, “Holding onto the preserved flowers in your hands, the reminders of your previous garden, to notice the new bloom,” is about holding onto the pain of the past and not being able to fully appreciate the new happiness in one’s life. I also love to preserve flowers, especially ones I get at the end of shows, and I do that to remember the magic of those nights. Wisteria is one of my favourite flowers and some grow near my mailbox and I had to include them in this song because they are so underappreciated. I also made the stylistic choice to name the song Springsong as one word not “spring song” because in my notes, I just wrote it as one word and I didn’t feel the need to change it.
Castaways on the Reef
Track 4, Castaways on the Reef began as a poem. It was 1 am and that is usually when I get my best creative ideas. I found myself writing about everything that I loved about the ocean and tried to capture the beauty of it and born came the first verse of the song. One of my favourite lyrics of all time is, “The friendliest hellos from the walruses” because during this particular summer, I was volunteering at a local aquarium. Every morning as I walked up to the gates, I was welcomed with the barks of the walruses. To me, it was almost their way of saying hello. A fun fact, sea otters hold hands when they sleep so they don’t drift away. Isn’t that the most precious thing you’ve ever heard? This song almost did not make the final cut, but I am so glad I included it because it’s one of my fan favourites also a personal favourite as well. I have always felt a connection with bodies of water. In fact, I have a Scorpio stellium, love mermaids, and learned how to steer a ship before I could drive. My favourite necklace is one my grandpa got for me before I was born that has an engraving of a ship on waves on it. It’s almost like he knew I would have an affinity with the ocean.
Moreover, ocean conservation, restoration and environmental advocacy are causes near and dear to my heart because of the current climate crisis that affects every organism on Earth. In regards to the ocean, it is the planet’s largest ecosystem and is home to millions of species. Our oceans have only been roughly 5% discovered, not to mention the lack of protection or regulations that have the best interest of the health of the ocean in mind. A fun fact, you might think that planting more trees is going to help produce cleaner air, but that’s a myth. Coral reefs are also known as the lungs of the planet and is responsible for producing 50% of the world’s oxygen, even though they only take up 0.0025% of the earth’s surface. Not to mention reefs around the world are impacted due to climate change causing a rise in bleaching events (when coral reefs have sudden changes in environment/ temperature and causes them to starve and turn white). Almost all human activity will end up in the ocean and cause a ripple effect that unfortunately vulnerable populations and third-world countries will be hit the hardest. There is so much government officials and lawmakers can do to help our oceans and giving up plastic straws is NOT the only solution. We need to urge them to have stricter regulations on overfishing, unnecessary oil drilling and explosives that damage the sea floor, implement marine conservation protective regions to allow endangered animals to repopulate, and more.
I know this is supposed to be an article about analyzing my track list but as an artist, I like to make art that comments to the state of the world. For people to care, they have to see the beauty of the ocean and feel the depth of this underwater kingdom. To me, this song captures what I find so exquisite about the ocean and hopefully that's a starting point for people.
Wildflower
Track 5, Wildflower, at the core of it, is a sweet and endearing song about a friend of mine who had one of the most beautiful souls I’ve ever gotten to know and love. She was the first person who encouraged me to release music after not touching it for years and will forever have a place in my heart for seeing the light inside of me even when I couldn’t see it for myself. There are certain people you meet in your life that are divinely timed and fated who teach you much about yourself and she was one of those people for me.
Dear Ol' Apple Tree
Track 6, Dear Ol’ Apple Tree is a song that I wrote to exercise to practice crafting stories. Something you should know about me is that I love apples. In general, apples are symbolic in mythology which revolves around the idea of love, temptation, death, and hope.
A story I was told growing up was that a fairy enchanted apples to have a star in the center of them. That is why you can see the star indentations where the seeds lie when you cut it in half. I always found that so special and it makes you pay attention to the little moments of magic in everyday life. The overall premise of this song is capturing the summer love between two twin flames with the apple tree that connects them both despite external challenges from social condemnation and the limitation of summer love.
Twin flames are a specific and unique type of relationship that is very intense and invokes deep transformations between the two. The myth behind it is the splitting of the “superhumans” by Zeus and now these souls are spending the rest of their life trying to find their other half. In other words, two souls that are divinely connected, mirror each other in their love and flaws causing a deep sense of familiarity yet friction. It creates a dynamic that is filled with elation, ecstasy, and powerful awakenings. It’s rare for these types of relationships to last and not everyone gets to experience them in their lifetime. But it is truly something special when two flames join together to create an immense blaze.
Midsummer's Night Gleaming So Bright
Track 7, Midsummer’s Night Gleaming So Bright is a time capsule song of the summer of 2021. This was one of the best summers I ever had and I felt so free, euphoric, and magical all the time. There was an ease that followed me everywhere. I released 2 versions of it because it is quite a long song. It is a heart-warming ballad about living in the present and appreciating all the wonderful simple pleasures in life.
I wrote the verses like diary entries recalling things that happened during my summer days like hanging out in my backyard, camping, and healing from burnout. I am quite drawn to songs and shows that include mundane everyday subject matter that can seem quite domestic or boring, but I find them so fascinating because those concepts are new and unfamiliar to me. The bridge is my excuse to talk about wood because I have a hidden passion for carpentry. The second verse talks about rebuilding after a forest fire and I included some “pioneer trees” which are the first trees that come back after a forest fire and begin the healing journey to tie in the theme of resilience. Then there’s a mini section that starts transitioning the summer season of the record into fall, which fits so nicely overall in the record in the playback.
Lyrics like “Never underestimate the warmth of the summer rays encapsulated in the heart during the crisp autumn mornings when you just want to fall apart” and “Scribing hymns with my blue ink pen” are lines that give me so much serotonin. Also, I’ve always loved seeing the moon during the daylight which birthed the chorus of the song. I would say Midsummer’s Night Gleaming So Bright is one of the most lyrically complex and descriptive songs of my discography so far. It’s a fan favourite and one of mine that I like including on my set list.
Autumn Equinox
Track 8, Autumn Equinox was my debut single. The quintessential song about autumn like Springsong is to spring. This was also the third song I’ve ever written in my entire life. I was inspired by the closure that autumn brings because it is the season of transformation and death.
"Venture in groves of imagination" is a motto for this era because it beautifully puts into words how nature-centric this record is and how I find a lot of solace and inspiration in nature. All the answers I’m looking for, finds me in nature. The second verse was born when I was bored in pre-calculus 10. I found myself staring out a window, watching these chickadees bouncing from branch to branch. There is a BC Indigenous story of how to remember which trees are Douglas firs due to the pine cones having little spikes that look like mice feet. The story goes that there was a great fire and the pine cones scooped the mice and they became trapped inside. It's an easy way to identify the cones of the tree.
Fun fact, I wrote the bridge in 5 minutes inside the vocal booth as I was recording the song. The night before I wrote that verse, I remember so vividly hearing the sounds of midnight rain pitter-patting on the roof. During that year in my life, I also struggled immensely with disordered sleep and rain or ocean sounds would be my saving grace.
These 60s Songs Got Me Feelin' So In Love
Track 9, These 60s Songs Got Me Feelin’ So In Love is a love song that evokes the feelings of falling in love and escapism loosely tied to vintage love songs and bonfires. It was partially inspired by a moment in a relationship where I found myself thinking with the exact words, "These '60s songs got me feelin' so in love". I was picturing the timelessness of songs that work in different scenarios like singing at campfires, afternoon walks by the pond freeing yourself from your home life, dancing in a candlelit room, etc.
This song is another one of the lyrically immersive songs of my discography. It follows the infatuation and early stages of falling in love and getting lost in romantic daydreams when one plays their favourite vintage records. Songs that transcend generations and continue to have a new life outside of its origins.
If there’s anything you need to know about me is that I love older music, especially the 60s. I even use song titles of classic vintage to craft the lyrics of the bridge. I adore including pieces of what I love in everything I do.
Solstice Night
Track 10, Solstice Night is the official closing track of the Jeannie’s Garden album that is about the Winter Solstice, a celebration that marks the official transition into winter and the darkest day of the year. I would consider Solstice Night to be more overtly spiritual, even though most of my other songs are spiritual too.
“Light the metaphorical match to the shards of paper” is a lyric that refers to something I do when I want to cleanse and get rid of something. I tend to want to burn it all down when I need to get rid of something. Poetically, it’s about releasing and letting go without the physical act of lighting something on fire because it's a quick internal switch of deciding to go higher.
The year I was making Jeannie's Garden, I started my own tradition of getting an ornament to hang on the Christmas Tree that is dedicated to another year of CLJ's artistry. I hope to have a whole collection of dated ornaments recalling this life I am building for myself.
Heliotropic
Heliotropic is the official closing single of the Jeannie’s Garden era and it was not included on the album. It is a feel-good hot girl confidence song. I wrote this one night characterizing the “sunflower” part of myself and envisioned a girl who radiates vivaciousness, vibrancy, and has the world at her fingertips. She is beautiful because she celebrates her individuality as well as looking out for other people. Even though her time in the sun isn’t permanent, she’ll put herself back together and return when she’s ready.
Heliotropic was a relatively fast write for me and everything seamlessly flowed. It was so divinely guided. Sunflowers are my favourite flowers. I learned that heliotropism is a term that refers to plants that grow in the direction of sunlight. Hence, sunflowers are considered to be heliotropic. In the poetic sense, being heliotropic is following the light and gravitating toward what makes you feel golden. Heliotropic was one of my “underground” songs where I would play it backstage or for small audiences, even though it was unreleased. I never had any intention to release it, but some of my lovely Junebugs convinced me otherwise and now it's a staple in my setlist. It’s a fan favourite for good reason and my all-time personal favourite (if I do say so myself). It’s so fun singing the chorus and saying “damn girl”.
Bonus photos from the Heliotropic shoot
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