| Black Flag – Room 13 Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| Best part about this song, is that while he's begging for this person to comfort him, begging for an emotional connection, he's also so fucked up at this point that he's threatening their life if they don't comply. Now what kind of love is that? The love of a very screwed up, battered soul, which is what Black Flag communicated better than anyone in the history of music---and usually not even by lyrics (one note from Greg Ginn's guitar communicates more despair than a thousand verses ever could). | |
| Big Black – Bad Penny Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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"Don't curse me for my nature," and then what is it? Is it really "don't bless me for my luck," or is it "don't bless me for my role"? Or "Don't blast me for my role?" "Don't bless me for my wrongs?" "Don't blast me for my wrongs?" Knowing Albini to be quite the poetic fellow, it seems to me like he wouldn't be redundant, but rather he would cover two sides of the coin in a couplet like that. I always figured it was "Don't curse me for my nature / Don't bless me for my role," IE, don't judge me either way, I just do what I do. |
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| Hüsker Dü – Hardly Getting Over It Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I was really pleasantly surprised when I first heard this track on "Candy Apple Grey." Unfortunately, my second-hand copy skips pretty much all the way through this song, which next to "Don't Wanna Know..." has got to be the best on the LP. | |
| Hüsker Dü – Whatever Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| Gotta be one of the top ten greatest songs ever written. Moves along with such an impassioned pace, sounding at first hopeful before sinking back down as he repeats his mantra: "Whatever you want, whatever you go, wherever you go, whatever you say..." He knows his life is supposed to be lived in subservience to his parents' wishes and he robotically recites those words with the hollowness he has learned. That's effecting enough...but the point of the song where he confronts them... "I've made my world of happiness to combat your...ne....gle...e...eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeect"... His voice fading into tortured moans, as Bob Mould's signature guitar wash moves through a system of the most emotionally gut-wrenching chords I've ever heard. "Zen Arcade" is one of the most magnificent artistic achievements of all time, and "Whatever" is its highest point. | |
| Hüsker Dü – Hare Krisna Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Having had some rather close experiences with Hare Krishnas, I find this song very amusing. Bob Mould must have studied a bit to know who Radharani is, which makes it all the better. "Zen Arcade" is full of 60's influence - I've always thought "Pink Turns to Blue" could have been a Nuggets classic if it wasn't 15 years too late. "Hare Krishna" bears a striking resemblance to the Strangeloves' "I Want Candy," which was a 60's pop hit. (Other than that though, the rest of the album bears resemblance to little of ANYTHING...except pure genius!) |
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| Hüsker Dü – Eight Miles High Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| The Byrds version blew my mind wide open. The Husker Du version made me cry. | |
| Fleetwood Mac – The Green Manalishi Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| You get fed up with your band's obsession with money, so you record one final song with them, ABOUT how you're sick of their obsession with money. That's so fucking punk. Long live Peter Green! | |
| The Electric Prunes – I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Guy loses girl, guy still loves girl, guy dreams of still having girl, guy wakes up to find guy does NOT still have girl, guy becomes extremely depressed. Not every song from the 60's was about LSD. |
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| Black Sabbath – Sweet Leaf Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I remember when I was but a wee lad (a wee rock-n-roll lad, mind you) I asked my dad why there was coughing at the beginning of the song. In a quick attempt to preserve my innocence he said, "Ozzy Osbourne was sick during the recording sessions and he accidentally coughed on the tape, and it got left in." Years later, I told him about this and he vehemently denies saying it! | |
| Black Sabbath – After Forever Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Black Sabbath confused me. I have to assume that their actual outlook on life is expressed in songs like "Under the Sun," but I've noticed that pretty much the entirety of the "Master of Reality" LP is Christian messages. "After Forever" directly takes nonbelievers to the task, "Lord of This World" condemns people for denying God's love in favor of sin, and "Into the Void" describes a voyage to a foreign planet, specifically stating "Leave the Earth to Satan and his slaves / Leave them to their futures in their graves." I can't figure this out. Either there was some intense philosophical difference between the members/lyricists of Sabbath, or "Master of Reality" is a concept album from a Christian point of view. Anybody else ever thought of it that way? |
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| Bad Brains – House Of Suffering Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Given their Rasta beliefs, it's not just a condemnation of the world, but also a plea to be returned to god and their spiritual nature: "Got to have my origin"... On allmusic.com, I read that this song asked where can Jah love be found, and then answered itself by saying that it can be found in "the underground" punk scene. I take serious issue with that. HR had a flair for weird wordings, "It's here in the underground / Inside the hearts of your own children" means that Jah-luv is hidden within us all, even those who don't know it. The idea that HR thought "Jah Love" could be found in the hardcore scene is ludicrous; he HATED the hardcore scene and that's why he left Bad Brains so many damn times to start reggae bands. |
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| Shellac – Song Against Itself Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| I've read Bob Weston as saying this song was just their response to hearing about a carnival attraction called the "Bicycle Against Itself," which was two men riding the same bicycle in opposite directions. | |
| Shellac – Prayer to God Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Steve Albini has never been married, and has been in a serious relationship for over 10 years. This song is no more autobiographical than him talking about washing out his truck after committing a murder in "Fish Fry" by Big Black. It is, however, the perfect example of his ability to examine both the normal side of humanity and the dark sides we don't like to admit. The thought of someone actively praying to god for another's death does not sit well with most, but for a person in such an emotional situation, it makes perfect sense. I also think it's interesting how Albini shows the confused nature of tumultuous emotions: at the same time the character is praying for the death of his ex-girlfriend, due to her betrayal, he still obviously loves her and prays for it to be painless. Imagine the torment of this situation... |
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| Mission of Burma – That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| My friend Karl figured this one out (I had no idea what Clint was saying half the time...my ears aren't so good!). It's the story of a couple starting college; the girl wants to go to school in Tulsa, but unbeknownst to her, the guy WANTS her to go, so that he can "escape" his "certain fate" of being stuck with her. He covers it up in niceties that make it seem he's looking out for her interests, though. | |
| Mission of Burma – New Nails Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| This song is obviously a condemnation of the Catholic church, and a hilariously brutal one at that. The interesting thing about it to me, though, is that it seems to convey a respect for Christianity before institutionalization; Roger Miller seems to almost be channeling the frustration of Christ. | |
| Rush – 2112 Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I think the ending of this piece is up for debate. The rest is obvious. Society in the future, controlled by the Temples of Syrinx, a totalitarian regime insistent that life should be focused solely on technological progress as the key to the future. A commoner happens upon an ancient artifact-a guitar from a previous time. He teaches himself to play it and is amazed by the concept of music, something he had not before known of. He takes his finding to the Priests of the Temples, assuming they will be as excited as he is, only to find out they have intentionally phased out music because they regard it as a waste of time. The man falls asleep and has a dream of a prophecy that the elder race (some of whom travelled to other planets to escape the Syrinx regime) will return to reclaim their home planet. However, upon waking, he cannot stand the realization of his "cold and empty life" in the face of what he has seen, and in my opinion (this is up for debate as well), he commits suicide. "My lifeblood spilleth over..." Now comes the confusing part. A war occurs, and somebody wins. After the suicide of the main character, the music suddenly gets very upbeat and "inspired," suggesting to me that the Elder Race have returned, just like in the dream. However, suddenly the music switches to a very dark and chaotic nature. I'm not sure if this means the Elder race completely obliterate the Temples of Syrinx in a shocking display of power; or if the Temples counteract and crush the Elders, proving they will never be stopped. |
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