Jake Miller is someone who started off as an independent artist, rapping in his basement. I actually had the blessing to see Jake live before he blew up, so it is always inspiring to see how artists have changed and grew over the years. He first released his Spotlight EP (2012) with the single “What I Wouldn’t Give” and later signed with E1 Music to release “A Million Lives” and his The Road Less Traveled EP (2013). He then signed to Warner Bros., releasing his first album, Us Against Them (2013), which was around the time that I met Jake at a free concert to launch Bridgit Mendler’s Hello, My Name Is… nationwide tour. This was also Jake’s first time in California, so that was cool!
His Dazed and Confused EP (2014) was when Jake started to get a larger coverage. I can remember him starting to be played on the radio and friends started to talk about him. His Rumors EP (2015) then came out, followed by Overnight (2016). 2:00am in LA (2017) was when Jake ended his contract with Warner Bros., and then released this album, Silver Lining (2018) this week!
Jake mentioned on Twitter that this is hands down his favorite album he’s made so far, and that the album tells a story. There is always a silver lining.
- Think About Us
Okay, I immediately get a throwback vibe. Jake sounds so 60’s in this, and I am pretty sure it is just because of the instrumental and his voice. It does not sound like the Jake that I grew up with, but then again, this is Jake’s intimate and personal album.
You can already tell that Jake is dedicating this song to someone who means a lot to him. He is obviously thinking about someone.
I can relate to this line: “’Cause even though I’m doing my best to move on, I think about us sometimes. … Everywhere I go I swear I keep seeing your face, and my heart still breaks a little when I hear your name.”
And honestly, it is totally okay to have those thoughts at times. You lost someone who meant a lot to you at that moment. But the beauty of life is that you will find someone else to fill that void. And usually, people are temporary anyways. You will eventually get over that pain and your heart will heal, and you will be able to recover from whatever you were going through.
I just want to say, you can forgive, but do not forget. Learn from your mistakes. We are still young, so why make the same mistake twice?
- Mulholland Drive
“Sun’s coming up, and we’re both still drunk.”
When I first heard this song, I was thinking about running off with a loved one and escaping the troubles of the world. The instrumentals are absolutely beautiful and makes me feel like I am actually running into my paradise.
“I don’t ever wanna leave. ‘Cause I just need a little more time with you. Just stay a while, I promise I can prove that I can make all your wildest dreams come true. But I just need a little more time with you.”
And that’s how you should be feeling if you are on cloud nine, but a few lines later, Jake goes more real with us. “Why do good things always have to come to an end? We can run, run away. Run as fast as we can. Not all good things have to end.” But unfortunately, even the good things have to end. Not everything is going to be perfect. Not everything is going to work out.
We all want that extra time with that special someone, but sometimes, that just cannot happen. Real life happens. Or maybe you are trying to save a relationship, but you do not have the time. Or you simply cannot force things to happen if they are not meant to be. Simply said, Mulholland Drive as a paradise that we can to run off to. To escape the realities of the real world by running away from your problems.
But fantasies will not always last.
- The Girl That’s Underneath ft. Jabbar Hakeem
This is one of my favorite songs off this album straight up. And just knowing this was a collaboration makes this even better!
“She walks on red carpets everywhere she goes. You can find her all designer from head to toe. Out in Calabasas, she thinks she the baddest. But your heart is plastic, that shit ain’t attractive. Can you be a real human for a second, please? This ain’t TV there’s no one watching, it’s just you and me.”
To be honest, I think every everyone is like this at times. As social beings, we want to climb up that social ladder. And in the process, we end up hurting those who mean the most to us. Those who will stick by your side, even when you are no longer striving in success with life.
I can write a whole blog post in relation to this song, but I will probably just put it in my main blog.
Jabbar has a stanza where he sings: “But what you really like to do? Let me know and maybe I can plan a night for you. … I’m just trying to get to know who you really are. … So take off that mask and show me your flaws.”
There are times where it can be hard to take off that mask though. It can be a challenge to take off that persona and show someone the true you. You are scared to expose yourself to someone. To know your flaws and insecurities. Sometimes it is a lot easier to just stick to being fake and pleasing others. And to have someone who really wants to get to know the real you can be scary. But sometimes we do have to take that leap of faith and believe that it is best to actually show your true colors to someone. Sometimes it can relieve you of some burdens. So what’s the real you underneath?
- Vibrations
There is a “Rumors” (205) vibe that I immediately get when this started playing. And a somewhat disco vibe too?
This is a song that I can easily dance to since it is so upbeat, but in all honesty, this is a song I do not really dig. Please do not hate me for announcing that to the world! I don’t know. It is just not my taste in music.
- Permanent
“I think your friends know more about us than I do. I don’t know what to say when my mind mess about you. I guess I’m confused. Tell me the truth. Do we have a chance or are we through? I think your friends know more about us than I do.”
Already crying to this. It is so sad reminding me of Jake’s “Goodbye” with Brittney Holmes from his The Road Less Traveled EP (2013). We lose such amazing people in our lives, and sometimes you have to admit something. Sometimes, it is your fault that someone amazing slipped out of your life. Sometimes, it is your fault.
“Is permanent what you meant when you said you needed space?” Sadly, if that person does not want to stay in your life anymore, sometimes it is best to leave them alone. I learned that the hard way. I still want to hit that person up, but it’s not worth it. They will have a place in my heart, but in all honesty, I ruined things. And that is something that I seem to constantly do. But it is who I am. My personality just clashes with other people quickly. And that is something I am slowly learning to fix, while not losing who I genuinely am in the process.
“I still drive by your house on my way home. I keep my eyes on the road. I don’t wanna know if there’s somebody new.”
I just hope things do not stay permanent at times, but I am respecting people’s lives enough to wait for them to hit me up. It is not worth trying to be in people’s lives if they just do not want to stay in anymore. “You won’t even pick the phone up. I just think that we deserve closure.”
So for now, just remember on the memories, but do not live in the past.
- Drinkin About You
Anyone who knows about drunk calls can see themselves in this position that Jake is trying to express. When we are drunk, we are the most honest about what we are feeling and able to express what we are hiding to say.
“We had our reasons for calling it off. I can’t remember them now. I can’t see myself without you. Maybe that’s why I keep drinkin’ about you.” That’s just depressing, if I must say. I want to say one thing – you do not want to be drinking if you are thinking about someone or caught in the feels. No. Don’t.
The song is really slow, but I love it. Maybe because the lyrics are so easy to remember considering the repetition, or how the song is relatable to almost anyone, whether you drink or not. Essentially, we are caught up on someone that is not in our lives for the moment, and constantly thinking about them. There’s so many things that you want to say, but sometimes you just need that little motivation to let your words out.
- Hit and Run
“You can just hit me up whenever you want love. Don’t need no invitation. ‘Cause I know just what you want. Don’t need feelings involved. Don’t need to make things complicated. We are both alone tonight.”
Wow, such a scandalous song. There is such a bad boy vibe in this song, but this is also such a f***boi anthem. Personally, I would never do a “hit and run” because that is not me, but I will still respect those who are down to do that.
You know, people get lonely and sometimes just need someone with them. I think what has me hooked with this song is the chorus hands down!
- Distraction
“It’s been six months since we talked at all. You asked me not to, so I didn’t call. It’s nice to run into you, even though it might be too soon. ‘Cause it seems like you’ve been moving on.”
Okay, is this a follow-up to “Parties” from the 2:00am in LA (2017) album? I can easily see the resemblance. Just listen to “Parties” and then listen to “Distraction” right after. Let me know if you see the correlation too.
“She’s just a distraction, I confess. She’ll never take up the space that you left.” Ugh. When getting over someone, you need to get distracted. Find sometime to take up your time. Be preoccupied filling up the void. Even if there’s no connection, sometimes you need someone to distract you and keep your mind off that person you lost.
- Paris and New York
“We turned colder. Yeah, seasons changed. Tell me if we are drifting apart, love. Tell me when did it go wrong? And it’s obvious. We needed space. Maybe we’re just getting older. How did we get so lost so far away? Now we’re here we’re still the same, just you and I. And we’re still the same. … Can’t change who we are.”
People change over time, whether for better or for worse. In the long run, we are trying to improve ourselves, even if that means losing someone along the way. Sometimes when you are trying to create that change for yourself, you get too deep in the progress and it might be too much for your loved ones. But just know that you should still continue to develop yourself. If they are meant for you, they will come back to you.
“Maybe my heart’s in a difference place. Guess that we got lost in our time zones, trying to do this alone. Baby somethings never change.”
Can I just say that Paris and New York are two completely different personalities? If cities can have personalities, I think they can. However, they are not that different either, which is probably how Paris and New York fell for each other. The time difference is not that off from each other, and there is the repeated background saying “don’t ignore me.” But sometimes the time difference can make a change for people. The person in Paris might be sleeping when the one in New York might need someone to talk to, or something. To compare this to another of Jake’s songs from a previous album, I would recommend “Halfway” from 2:00am in LA (2017).
- Showing You Off
I do not know. This song is not calling out to me. The first ten seconds of each song gets to an idea of how I would feel of a song, and I was not feeling the vibes for this one sadly.
However, can a guy serenade me to this? Be proud of your significant other and show them off. Show that they matter to you, and let others know that they are yours.
- Starting Over
“Do you remember last October? We called it quits and cried all night. That’s the last time you slept over. Maybe we just needed time. Let’s pick this off from where we left off. I’ll take you places we used to love. If we don’t drive, then we’d never know. It’s time to feel like maybe we are starting over.”
Going off of “Paris and New York.” Remember how I said that if they are the one for you, then they will come back to you? Well, I see this to be the follow up. There is such hope in this song, and I hope that if you wanting to get back with someone, I wish you the best. Continue making those precious memories with them. But please, just do not compare them to how they used to be. People can change, but what’s beautiful about love is that you are learning new things about them each day.
Every relationship will have their ups and downs, and so props to you if you managed to get back with someone and are happy together. You proved that you are willing to start over and fix whatever might have ended you two in the first place. It’s a rare thing.
- Love Again
Okay, this song. Ugh, perfect. “Look at what you done. I think I’m in love.” To be in love. To be loved. Wow. This song basically gives a definition of what love is. Or just one ideal perspective. Essentially. You want to be in love with that special someone. Someone who you don’t mind being lazy with. Someone you don’t mind flying with. Someone you don’t mind going on adventures with.
Love is not perfect, but you see that certain someone to be a rather close definition of what perfect is.
- Headlights
This is the shortest on the album with just a bit over a minute.
“Don’t stress about what you cannot control. You know that everything is going to work itself out, okay? It always does. Imagine that you were driving from one end of the country to the other and sometimes the drive is easy, and sometimes you’re driving in the pitch black, and you can’t see in front of you. But you have headlights. And that lights up about 100 feet. And you focus on that 100 feet. And you get through it. And then your headlights focus on another 100 feet. And you keep going. And you trust yourself. And you’re gonna get to the other end of the country, okay? Good stuff happens to good people. You just gotta be yourself, don’t ever change for anyone. Keep busting your ass, okay? I’m proud of you kid. … So you gotta remember what Bob Dylan said: You gotta keep swimming or you sink like a stone.”
This is seriously such a deep monologue given by Jake’s father. When feeling lost, I will definitely give this a listen. It is inspiring. You got to just keep going. Do things in parts, rather than focusing on the whole concept. One step at a time. You will not get anywhere if you are only going to out in half the effort or simply giving up in the process. Where would you be if you did not focus on that 100 feet in front of you?
- Be Alright
The perfect transition from “Headlights” and Jake wanted to mesh the monologue with this, but did not think it would have given “Headlights” the justice it truly deserves. This song is “Headlights.” Everything will be alright. “Got a long way to go, but I’ll make it to the end. And I’m gonna be alright. When you feel like you’ve lost your way. When you’ve seen every shade of gray, just know that everything will be alright. When you’re so far away from home. And when you’re scared and all alone, just know that everything will be alright.”
Everything will be alright as long as you have faith and love in life. You just have to believe that things will be alright. Things will work out in the end. We are all on our own journey, and we might get lost or stuck somewhere, but as long as you keep finding a way to persevere and keep going, you will be alright. This is the perfect way to end this album, considering how Jake is still on his own journey and wants us to know that we will essentially be alright.
One of my favorite albums of 2018 so far!
Jake Miller’s Links:
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