<![CDATA[Ella Brain: the demo diaries]]>https://ellajane.substack.com/s/the-demo-diarieshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8Fol!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F832c6a75-ab0b-489b-b304-1ab7f641ac26_1280x1280.pngElla Brain: the demo diarieshttps://ellajane.substack.com/s/the-demo-diariesSubstackFri, 24 Jul 2026 02:37:15 GMT<![CDATA[full moon - demo]]>https://ellajane.substack.com/p/full-moon-demohttps://ellajane.substack.com/p/full-moon-demoTue, 23 Jun 2026 22:43:55 GMTlyrics:

i went swimming in a shallow river
i went swimming in the black and gold
i went swimming in a shattered mirror
with the full moon hanging low

oh i like it when you touch my body
oh i like it when we take it slow
oh i like it when you say you want me
with the full moon hanging low

couldn't help it, had to kiss you at the red light
couldn't help but take the long way home
now i'm thinking if i want you for a long time
i can let another second go

oh i like it when you touch my body
even like it in the light of day
i never wanted anyone to see me
but then again, nobody's seen me this way

open up the blinds
you can take your time

and it's funny how we never knew then
all the things that we were gonna know
you were tucked away in california
you were sitting right beneath my nose

HI EVERYONEEEE!!!

today i revisited some old demos while sitting in a waiting room chair at #questdiagnostics and stumbled upon this gem. “full moon” is a song i always thought i wanted as an intro to an album/project, but it never really ended up making sense in a tracklist. so i thought i’d share it here!!!

it’s about falling in love for the very first time, written while i was doing so. i came up with those first four lines while driving back from a weekend trip in ojai with my boyfriend at the time. he was asleep in the passenger seat and that made me angry because i couldn’t believe he wasn’t awake to see how MASSIVE the moon was, seemingly following just the two of us on our winding drive home. it was just enormous, and so golden. i drove by this river that was sort of choppy in the breeze, and as he slept peacefully next to me i watched the dark, churning water reflect the moon in fragments. it hit me right then that i was feeling so much i had never, ever felt before but had always wished to (see: “i wanna” by ella jane). even now, several years older and at a completely different place in my life, this song remains such a special time capsule of that moment.

so here it is!! something to tide you over before “Sparkwheel” drops next month ;)

(if you haven’t seen on my social media… i have an EP coming out on july 3rd and i am SO EXCITED for you guys to hear the new tracks on it. presave it here!)

LOVE YOUUUUUU

]]><![CDATA[a peek behind the songwriting curtain (scary)]]>https://ellajane.substack.com/p/a-peek-behind-the-songwriting-curtainhttps://ellajane.substack.com/p/a-peek-behind-the-songwriting-curtainThu, 09 Apr 2026 03:38:47 GMTthis video might make no sense at all OR some of you will find it helpful/interesting! so that’s a risk i’m willing to take. either way - trying to do something new.

here are the first draft lyrics:

Verse 1:
All my men are down 
I’ve got nothing to lose 
Crying in the drive thru car wash 
dignity is screwed 

What’s the point of lying?
Nothing left to prove
When the worst has already happened
What’s a glass half empty girl to do (maybe dumb. can't decide)

Pre-chorus?? Chorus??
I’m not above begging (????)

Verse 2: 
Baby what’s the rush?
things were going relatively fine
plus I could be whoever you want 
If you give me just a little bit more time

Guess I’m just afraid that soon I’m gonna sleep off all my fight 
cause I can feel you slipping away
With each new day I start to feel alright,
Don’t wanna feel alright 

Pre-chorus?? Chorus??
Man I would do anything
To get you back (????? don't like. i can beat that)
I’m not above anything

and here are the alternate verse 2 lyrics: 

baby (?) I’ve been patient
I’ve held my tongue, I’ve been polite 
I gave you all the space you were craving
But one more day of it and I might die

and then here’s some lyric ideas in the “junkyard” - what i call the bottom portion of a notes app entry, where i shove all the miscellaneous crap that may or may not make it into the song. these are the lyrics/concepts that are underbaked and jotted down in a rush, but which might come in handy later in the writing process.

I’m yelling like a freak
I’m on a hunger strike
I don’t care what it takes
You’re gonna leave here mine

I’m gonna freak out all your neighbors
I’ll let em think whatever they want (???? haha)

I’ll be a madman on a prison break 

they'll drag me out kicking and screaming
skin between my teeth
you should be scared, baby
i'm not above anything

okay also… last question… does the phrase “i’m not above anything” even make sense??? lmk. LOVE YA

]]><![CDATA[The Demo Diaries #1]]>https://ellajane.substack.com/p/the-demo-diaries-1https://ellajane.substack.com/p/the-demo-diaries-1Sat, 19 Apr 2025 02:30:46 GMTHi! In the spirit of shaking my perfectionism, here’s a very messy voice memo of a new song I’m working on that is very much in its infancy. Definitely still working on the structure of it and CERTAINLY not married to that silly little pre-chorus, lol (Seriously, don’t be shy about your thoughts on that one). But I really like the bones of it, and I’m excited to keep working on it :)

Anyway, I’d love to keep doing this if you guys would be interested! I also was thinking it could be cool to share more early versions / first drafts of songs I already have out, so let me know if you guys would be interested in stuff like that or have any suggestions.

Without further ado, here’s “Big Tobacco” !!! It’s about men in the music industry who suck ass and balls. That’s all <3

lyrics:

(verse 1)
noticed me -
you were the first one to notice me
and you had a habit of knowing things
that i didn't

trusted you -
it was the only thing i could do
and when you spoke, you believed it, too
'til you didn't

(pre-chorus that's sort of a joke but sort of maybe not?)
now i wanna thank you
oh, i wanna thank you
for making me the bitch i am

(chorus)
you always say it's not your fault
find someone else to take the fall, you're gonna
smoke your lungs all black, i know
then waste your last breath cursing out Big Tobacco
x2

(verse 2)
listen close...
he's playing god with the radio
turning the dials with the speakers low
it's not up to me

quiet now!
the judge is thinking, the jury's out
but i got a feeling it's heading south
and the blame's on me

(chorus)
you always say it's not your fault
find someone else to take the fall, you're gonna
smoke your lungs all black, i know
then waste your last breath cursing out Big Tobacco! 

and you don't know your left from right
if you'd had said so, that'd be fine, but now we're
driving in circles eighty miles from home -
i'll take the wheel, but i gotta say i told you so!!!!

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