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about

After returning home from graduating from university and scraping through a very stressful last semester of school, I came home and got dumped out of the blue. My partner at the time came over to my house, kissed me, and pulled the “I love you, but I’m not in love with you." I wrote this song that night. In only a few days, the life I had come to know and be comfortable in radically changed. I had left my school, friends, and apartment, and I was undergoing a bit of an existential crisis because it felt like a whirlwind of change that I wasn’t prepared for. This breakup was the cherry on top.

Four days later, my parents surprised me with a recording session with Van Plating.

Lemons are, in terms of taste, a rather sour fruit, but they actually have an insanely high sugar count, making them more “bittersweet” than anything else. And honestly, “bittersweet” is the perfect way to describe what heartbreak is: it’s bitter because it hurts, but it’s sweet because it opens the door for something better.

When I got to Lakeland at the beginning of January, my heartbreak had shifted into its stage of anger. When Van came to me with her idea of turning this sob story into a 90s-esque, fast-paced, borderline indie-rock song, it was an immediate “Yes, let’s do it” for me. We reworked the melody I sent her and made some lyric changes before recording. Once we had the skeleton of the song, it became clear that something was missing. That was when Van reached out to Nathan Kalish. Nathan’s unique, honest voice fits perfectly with the song. Liam Bauman’s guitar, Van Plating’s strings, Taylor Ard’s bass, and Reid Stains' drums enlivened the song and gifted some sweet, sweet flavor into the tune.

lyrics

You squeezed all the juice from me
I wish it didn't taste bittersweet
Cause when I saw it in your eyes
You were getting ready to say goodbye

You told me pretty things
Then swept the carpet under my feet
When you told me you loved me
But that your heart was unhappy

And it all made sense but it was all so dense
Weighing heavy on your mind and weighing heavy on your time
Cause it felt so right but you didn't want to dim my lights
And leave a sour taste on my tongue
Lemon

You pulled all the tears from me
I wish they didn't taste so damn sweet
Cause when I see it in your eyes
You were breaking your heart breaking mine

You kept saying you were sorry
When you reached out to hold my hand
You said you couldn't understand
But knew it was lonely leading the band

And it all made sense but it was all so dense
Weighing heavy on your mind and weighing heavy on your time
Cause it felt so right but you didn't want to dim my lights
And leave a sour taste on my tongue
Lemon

And you said you want what's best for me
I wish that didn't taste so bittersweet
Cause when I look into your eyes
I wish you could what I see through mine

It all makes sense that it was all so dense
And weighing heavy on your heart and ripping you apart
Cause it felt so wrong saying words to wall you up
It left a sour taste on your tongue

It all makes sense that it was all so dense
And weighing heavy on your heart, ripping us apart
Cause it felt so wrong saying words to wall you up
It left a sour taste on our tongues

credits

released October 21, 2022
“Lemon”
Written by Olivia Bolger and Van Plating

Performed by
Olivia Bolger: Vocals
Van Plating: Vocals, acoustic guitar, orchestral strings
Nathan Kalish: Vocals (Featured)
Liam Bauman: Electric Guitars
Reid Stains: Drums
Taylor Ard: Bass

Engineered by
Van Plating: Producer
Liam Bauman: Mixing engineer
Eric Broyhill: Mastering engineer

license

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tags

about

liv. image

liv. New York, New York

liv. has taken on writing and singing as a release from her normal day-to-day. liv. strives to depict honesty and genuineness in her music, often writing and singing from a very emotionally raw and charged stance. With a Fiona Apple-Shania Twain-like voice, it's almost impossible to define liv. with any one genre. ... more

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