raise your voice jay song

Jay’s Terrible Song In ‘Raise Your Voice’ Lives In My Mind Rent-Free

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Raise Your Voice is a transcendent movie. I could talk about it every minute of every day of every week of every month of every year for the rest of my life.

If you want to read a full recap of the iconic 2004 flick, we’ve got you covered. From Hilary Duff’s bizarre dialogue and painful outfits, to her choir-solo-exorcism scene, the movie has gifted us a lot. But I’m not here to talk about Duff or her character Terry. Nope. I want to speak exclusively about Oliver James’ character, Jay.

For children and teens of the ’00s, Oliver’s face will be synonymous with two of your favourite teen movies and teen leads, starring opposite Duff on Raise Your Voice and alongside Amanda Bynes in What A Girl Wants.

This handsome actor just appeared, sang a couple of little songs in a couple of little films, put a spell over teen girls the world over, then yeeted off into the unknown. I miss him.

However, what I do not miss is that horrendous song Jay sang to Terry in Raise Your Voice. The song came about when Terry — being classic Tezza — was spying on Jay, as he practiced for the performing arts school’s big showcase. He caught her watching, and she then presumptuously asked him to keep singing his song titled ‘You and Me’.

I really wish she didn’t.

“It’s just my lyrics, they’re really lame,” he told Terry at the time. Decide for yourself…

Let’s discuss the lyrics Jay sings: “You and me, can’t you see, how our hearts are one. Please believe, and don’t deceive, now our journey’s just begun. Sunlight in your hair, makes my heart jump in the air”.

OK, I have questions. What does he mean by “please believe, and don’t deceive”?? What are they believing and how are they also deceiving at the same time?? Is the deception that your “hearts are one”, because that’s just not anatomically feasible? And what’s this obsession with sunlight in someone’s hair — does Jay know that causes irreversible sun damage??

But above all, my question is how did this “songwriter” even get into a performing arts school when they write pure trash like that?? I DON’T GET IT. Even the piano chords on their own — which Jay boasts are his strongpoint — are so deeply basic.

It’s even more baffling that after he agreed to write a song with Terry for the showcase, Jay and Terry ended up writing this…

This song has zero Jay influence.

‘Someone’s Watching Over Me’ is one of Duff’s better pop bangers — it slaps! Jay’s ‘You and Me’ doesn’t even compare. It simply defies belief that Jay could get judged for songwriting when he cannot write to save his goddamn life, and clearly just yoinked all of Terry’s lyrics.

I understand this is a fictional movie about fictional characters but it’s simply not fair. I still can’t sleep at night!