All lyrics by Joe in the Studio (Yusif Aliyev)
Single · 2023 · Written by Yusif Aliyev
This song is basically a love song written for someone who hasn't entered my life yet. I liked the idea of singing directly to a future partner as if I already knew her, even though we’ve never met. It’s about believing that somewhere out there is a person I’ll connect with in a way I haven’t experienced before, while also wondering if I’m being too optimistic. The song plays with that contradiction—feeling close to someone and missing them even though you’ve never actually met them. At its heart, it’s a hopeful song about love, patience, and the idea that sometimes it’s okay to dream about what’s still ahead.
[Verse 1]
Nothing is better than
Being loved by you
And no one can understand me
Better than you do
[Chorus]
But I
Haven’t met you yet
Oh I
Haven’t met you yet
[Verse 2]
Something is telling me
You aren’t very far
But sometimes
Sometimes it feels like yes indeed you are
[Chorus]
‘Cause I
Haven’t met you yet
Oh I
Haven’t met you yet
[Post-Chorus]
Some days it feels like that
You are too good to be true
But a man can dream won’t you agree
[Outro]
Some days it feels like that
You are too good to be true
But a man can dream won’t you agree
Yeah
Single · 2022 · Written by Yusif Aliyev
This song is the final chapter in the story that started with "What If She’s Not Single?" and continued with "I Just Like Her, idk". By this point, the uncertainty and overthinking had mostly faded, and I was beginning to accept that things might simply not work out the way I had hoped. The song came together very naturally while I was casually playing guitar, strumming a couple of simple chords and humming the melody. The lyrics appeared almost immediately and captured the feeling of letting go, moving on, and trusting that life has a way of working itself out. It’s one of the shortest and simplest songs I’ve written, which felt appropriate given its message. It also gave me the chance to use a ukulele for the first time in one of my songs, something I’d wanted to do for a long time but had never found the right place for until this one.
[Verse 1]
I wish that I could see
It wasn’t meant to be
I don’t have to agree
I guess it’s destiny
[Verse 2]
Maybe it’s supposed to be
Some kind of mystery
And opportunity
Waits ahead of me
[Outro]
I guess in time I’ll see
I guess in time I’ll see
Single · 2022 · Written by Yusif Aliyev
This song is basically a continuation of "What If She’s Not Single?". At this point, I was seriously thinking about telling her how I felt, but I still wasn’t sure whether that was the right thing to do. Part of me wanted to be honest and take the chance, while another part was worried about making things awkward or finding out that she really was with someone else. The song came from that frustration of knowing what I wanted to say but feeling unable to say it. When I sing “Why does it have to be this way?” that’s not really a rhetorical question—I genuinely remember thinking that. It felt like life had introduced someone special into my world and then immediately attached a question mark to the whole thing. Around that time I was listening to a lot of Bob Dylan, which probably influenced the way I approached the verses. They’re sung in a fairly simple, conversational, almost spoken style, with the lyrics carrying most of the emotion. The song is really just me trying to make sense of that uncertainty and wishing things could be simple for once.
[Verse 1]
Why is it so hard to tell her how I feel
Even though I know that this is something real
Cause I have never felt this way before
Now the question is “what am I waiting for?”
[Verse 2]
I’d say we’re friends but I know that’s a lie
I’m not dishonest though just let me clarify
Because if one day she would say to me
That she’s engaged oh I would be in misery
[Chorus]
Why does it have to be this way
Please tell me it will be okay
All that I want is just to say
That I like her oh
[Verse 3]
"Go try your luck" they say when I confide
Don’t think they get that there won’t be a second try
All could be ruined for the timing could be wrong
So I am here instead writing this sad song
[Verse 4]
The thing is that they’ve got a point I won’t deny
But it’s not easy staring in those hazel eyes
I care too much to see her leave me all alone
With my guitar and this one melancholic song
[Chorus]
Why does it have to be this way
Please tell me it will be okay
All that I want is just to say
That I like her oh
Single · 2022 · Written by Yusif Aliyev
I wrote this song during a time when I had feelings for someone but wasn’t sure whether she was already in a relationship. We had become friends, and part of me felt like there might be something more between us, but then I heard from a friend that she had someone. The strange thing was that I had never met him, never heard her mention him, and didn’t really know what to believe. The song came from that uncertainty more than anything else—the feeling of wanting to be honest about how I felt while also being afraid of finding out the answer. It’s about being stuck between hope and reality, and all the overthinking that happens in between.
[Intro]
I met this girl and now she
Means a world to me
But there’s a catch (of course there's a catch)
They say that she might have someone
[Verse 1]
Who am I to think that
You and I could be a thing
So why can’t I get you out of my mind
[Verse 2]
Of course you would have someone
As you should be loved but if I could
Be free of this uncertainty
[Chorus]
Maybe I should be honest with her now
Perhaps we’ll see how things play out
But I don’t wanna write a song about my heart falling into pieces
What if she’s not single anymore
[Verse 3]
If I knew I’d see there can’t be
You and me I am in
Misery when I think that you could be with him
[Verse 4]
Part of me wishes that
One day we would love
Eventually but what if that is not meant to be
[Chorus]
Maybe I should be honest with her now
Perhaps we’ll see how things play out
But I don’t wanna write a song about my heart falling into pieces
What if she’s not single anymore
[Outro]
Of course you would have someone
As you should be loved but if I could
Be free of this uncertainty
I would
Single · 2022 · Written by Kevin Parker
I’ve always loved this song, and when I decided to record it, I wanted to hear what it might sound like if it had been recorded a few decades earlier. I tried to keep the feel and spirit of the original while reimagining it with more of a classic rock approach, using acoustic and electric guitars, piano, and a more vintage-style production. My goal wasn’t to completely change the song, but to make it feel like my own version while staying true to what made me love it in the first place.
[Chorus]
It feels like I only go backwards, baby
Every part of me says "go ahead".
I got my hopes up again, oh no... not again.
Feels like we only go backwards, darling.
[Verse 1]
I know that you think, you sound
Silly when you call my name (my name)
But I hear it inside my head all day.
When I realize I'm just holding onto
The hope that maybe
Your feelings don't show...
[Chorus]
It feels like I only go backwards, baby.
Every part of me says go ahead.
I got my hopes up again, oh no... not again.
Feels like we only go backwards, darling.
[Verse 2]
The seed of all this indecision isn't me, oh no,
'Cause I decided long ago.
But that's the way it seems to go when trying
So hard to get to something real,
It feels...
[Chorus]
It feels like I only go backwards, darling,
Every part of me says "go ahead".
I got my hopes up again, oh no... not again.
Feels like we only go backwards, darlin'.
[Outro] x2
Feels like I only go backwards, baby,
Every part of me says "go ahead".
I got my hopes up again, oh no... not again.
Feels like we only go backwards, darling.
Single · 2022 · Written by Yusif Aliyev
This song started with a fingerpicking pattern I came up with while playing guitar. As the melody developed, it naturally turned into a song about missing someone who used to be a part of my life. It’s about that strange feeling where you know a relationship is over and should probably be left in the past, but at the same time you don’t want to let go of the memories because they’re all you have left. The song isn’t really about heartbreak as much as it is about holding on to something that’s already gone and being unsure whether you truly want to move on.
[Verse 1]
I remember the night
When we were underneath
The moonlight
And you were in my arms
[Pre-Chorus 1]
But then we went our separate ways
The days go by and I just can't get you out of
My mind though I don't think I really want to
[Chorus]
I don't wanna let go
Of the memory of you
I don't wanna let go
Of the memory of you
[Verse 2]
Now I wonder if you
Have moved on easily
Or do you
Reminisce about the time
[Pre-Chorus 2]
When you and I have said our last goodbye
And how I lied when I said it's alright
Although you know I didn't really want to
[Chorus]
I don't wanna let go
Of the memory of you
I don't wanna let go
Of the memory of you
[Outro]
I wish that I have told you all of this
Then you would know how much I'll miss you
Single · 2021 · Written by Yusif Aliyev
I wrote this song after a small moment that probably shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did. I had sent a message to some old university friends and didn’t hear back for a day, and while lying in bed with a guitar, I started wondering whether people really mean the things they say or if some relationships are more superficial than they seem. That’s where the line “People acting strange these days, they don’t mean what they say, they really don’t” came from. The song naturally took on a blues-rock feel as I was writing it, and over time it grew into something bigger with a guitar solo, vocal harmonies, jazz-influenced chords, and an unexpected synth section at the end. Even though it came from a moment of doubt, I don’t think it’s a cynical song. It’s more about trying to make sense of those feelings when they show up. It’s probably my favorite song I’ve written so far.
[Verse 1]
People acting strange these days
They don’t mean what they say
They really don’t
[Verse 2]
They will be all friendly to your face
But when you think they have some grace
They really don’t
[Verse 3]
Somehow that’s alright today
But I don’t feel that way
I really don’t
[Verse 4]
I don’t mean that everyone’s like this
And life is just a dark abyss
I really don’t
[Outro]
Why do we fake our way through life
Does it make you satisfied
Does it make you feel alive
When we make each other cry
That’s not good for you and I
Single · 2021 · Written by Yusif Aliyev
I wrote this song because I have a habit of getting stuck in my own head after awkward situations and overthinking things that probably aren’t a big deal. Sometimes I’ll replay a conversation over and over, thinking about what I should have said instead or worrying about how I came across. While writing it, I realized that most of these things feel much bigger in the moment than they actually are, and by the next day they barely matter. The song is basically me reminding myself to stop being so hard on myself and just let things go.
[Intro]
One... Two...
One, two, three, four...
[Verse 1]
You made a fool
Of yourself
Once again
And now you're laying in your bed
Thinking about the things you should have said instead
Reliving it in your head
While still feeling regret
For that one laugh you didn't get
[Chorus]
Although tomorrow
(Tomorrow none of this will matter anyway)
You won't even remember it
'Cause it doesn't really matter
A tiny bit
Tomorrow
(Tomorrow none of this will matter anyway)
You won't even remember it
'Cause it doesn't really matter
A tiny bit
[Verse 2]
You're way too harsh
On yourself
Unnecessarily
That's totally uncalled for
Filling your head with angst and agony
Comparing yourself to
People on TV
Though it's all just make belief
[Chorus]
Because tomorrow
(Tomorrow none of this will matter anyway)
You won't even remember it
'Cause it doesn't really matter
A tiny bit
Tomorrow
(Tomorrow none of this will matter anyway)
You won't even remember it
'Cause it doesn't really matter
A tiny bit
[Bridge]
Yesterday's reality
Today is just a memory
And nothing more
You may think it's a disaster
Though it's mostly in your head
And nothing more
[Outro]
You made a fool
Of yourself
So what?
Single · 2021 · Written by John Mayer
This was the first song I ever released seriously, which made it a special project for me from the start. I’ve always felt that it could fit naturally into a Beatles record, so I wanted to explore that idea and create a version that sounded like it came from that era. The whole arrangement started when I was listening to the verse, “And when the pastor asks the pews for reasons he can’t marry you, I’ll keep my word and my seat,” and I imagined church bells ringing in the background. That image stuck with me and became the starting point for the production. From there, I added elements inspired by The Beatles, including Mellotron parts and an original guitar solo influenced by George Harrison’s playing. The goal was to stay true to the emotion of the original while making it feel like something I would have wanted to hear myself.
[Verse 1]
A great big bang and dinosaurs
Fiery raining meteors
It all ends unfortunately
[Chorus]
But you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, just wait and see
[Verse 2]
Parts of me were made by you
And planets keep their distance too
The moon's got a grip on the sea
[Chorus]
And you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, it's your destiny
[Verse 3]
Life is full of sweet mistakes
And love's an honest one to make
Time leaves no fruit on the tree
[Chorus]
But you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, it's just meant to be
[Verse 4]
And when the pastor asks the pews
For reasons he can't marry you
I'll keep my word and my seat
[Chorus]
But you're gonna live forever in me
I guarantee, just wait and see