Iris DeMent: The songwriter who gave Julia Jacklin faith in her own lyrics
Julia Jacklin has many muses. In her lyrics, you’ll find the influence of religion, relationships and regret, each of them tackled with as much confusion and vulnerability as the last. But you’ll also find the influence of the artists that preceded her, from musicians who soundtracked her youth like Britney Spears to lyrical geniuses like Fiona Apple and Leonard Cohen.
There is one more underrated songwriter who has had a particularly potent influence on Jacklin’s approach to lyrics: Iris DeMent. The Americana singer may not be helmed among the lyrical greats like Cohen often is; she may not have had the cultural impact that Spears boasts, but her influence on Jacklin was no less important.
In fact, Jacklin’s love for DeMent seems to stem from her contrasting style with Cohen. Unlike the Canadian lyricist, DeMent’s lyricism isn’t informed by poetry. She doesn’t rely on ornate descriptions or elaborate metaphors. Instead, she leans into simplicity, something that Jacklin can relate to in her own writing.
“I’m not much of a poetic songwriter,” Jacklin admitted while appearing on Amoeba’s ‘What’s In My Bag?’ series, “I feel like I’m pretty direct”. Though she tried, earlier in her career, to infuse her lyrics with poetry and “flowery language”, believing that it was integral to great songwriting, she found that it wasn’t quite her style.
Instead, her approach to lyricism was much more direct, which bred insecurity until Jacklin stumbled upon DeMent. The Aussie found that, even though she didn’t hide the meaning of her words behind baffling poeticisms, it was still full of meaning and impact. “I like her songwriting because you know exactly what she’s saying and it doesn’t make it any less interesting,” she shared, “It actually just is so generous.”
You can hear this style on DeMent’s biggest hit, ‘Our Town’, which shows off her country-style vocals as well as the sweet simplicity of her lyricism. “Up the street beside that red neon light, that’s where I met my baby on one hot summer night,” she sings, “He was the tender and I ordered a beer, it’s been 40 years and I’m still sitting here.”
Her words are unadorned by adjectives or metaphors. She simply tells the story to her listeners straight, trusting that all of the meaning and feeling will be held within her words. In fact, they’re made all the more universally beautiful as a result, as she contains gorgeous sentiments in sentences that are easily understood. Her songwriting feels intrinsically human.
“It reaches in and it holds you,” Jacklin gushed. For the Aussie songwriter, it held her so tightly that it gave her more faith in her own lyrical abilities. “I think that just made me feel like I could write a bit plainer and it still would be good,” she admitted. With three records full of indie rock laments to her name, Jacklin has more than proven this statement to be true.
Jacklin has cemented herself as one of the greatest lyricists in the modern scene of sad girl music. The apparent “plainness” of her lyricism allows her words to resonate with so many listeners. She certainly sprinkles in some poetry here and there, but the talent of her lyricism largely stems from how clear it is. Perhaps we have Iris DeMent to thank for that.
