| Liz Phair – Chopsticks Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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"Chopsticks" contrasts a sinister sonic palette against a lyric that feels confused and drugged, almost. I have trouble thinking of this as simply "pick up a guy at a party and sleep with him but there's no chemistry" song. The high reverb on the piano, Phair's monotone delivery, the feedback and screech of the guitar at the "playing jacks" / "all hell broke loose" part-- this spells out a tryst gone wrong, perhaps violently wrong. Victims of trauma can go into a catatonic, thousand-yard stare, state of mind especially when recounting the traumatic events. This sounds less like a stereotypical Gen-X disconnect between sex and emotional connection than a catatonic retelling of a sexual assault. Even though the protagonist is in control-- she picks him up, agrees to "do it backwards", it's her car they are in-- it doesn't mean that what happened between them was consensual. She said that "all hell broke loose after that" which should give the listener pause especially as it comes on the tail of the screeching guitar figure. What Phair leaves out of the lyric is for the listener to determine. We have an inconsistency in the lyric, though. The protagonist "met him at a party" and he told her how to drive him home so we are made to understand that they are at *his* house yet at the end of the song she "dropped him off" and "drove on home". So where were they? A third location that he was pretending to be his home? |
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| Genesis – No Reply At All Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| @[edfinkel:16835] That is frickin' hilarious. Made my day. | |
| Genesis – No Reply At All Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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That is frickin' hilarious. Made my day. The bridge to this song is probably the best lyric Phil has written. Definitely my favorite. In "No Reply" he channels the grief of a crumbling breakup without the pain of it becoming obvious or nasty ("I Don't Care Anymore", "In The Air Tonight"). Instead he expresses in the bridge the fear and vulnerability that comes with a breakup. "Oh, but my back is up / I'm on my guard / With all the exits sealed". His lyrics don't often elicit chills. The protagonist here is not just heartbroken, he's terrified. |
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| Hüsker Dü – Whatever Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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It is hard not to hear the lyric "I'm not the son you wanted / But what did you expect? / I made my world of happiness / to combat your neglect" as coming from a place of childhood emotional trauma that may be related to Bob's homosexuality. If you read Bob's memoir it is clear that the Mould house was, at best, somewhat chaotic and that Bob didn't have the best relationship with his father. "Whatever" is the fulcrum upon which Zen Arcade's emotional power rests, where its themes are spelled out and the depiction of home life in "Broken Home, Broken Heart" are brought to resolution. The band is firing on all cylinders and it is one of Bob's most compelling vocal performances. Although Grant doesn't have a lot of tricks in his suitcase he does blast out a lengthy fill on this track that I love. After this track the is the dreamy denouement of "The Tooth Fairy And The Princess" answering the catharsis of "Whatever" with a long exhale, an entreaty to remain determined nonetheless ("Don't give up"). |
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| Tegan and Sara – The Con Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| @[0wls:7643] She's guilty of having "listened in" from the previous line. | |
| Talking Heads – Crosseyed and Painless Lyrics | 8 years ago |
| Always thought the title and the first verse combined to describe something sexual going on with the protagonist. "Crosseyed and Painless" could be orgasm. "Lost my shape": an erection. "Trying to act casual": how else would you be if you were showing arousal when you are (maybe) in a social situation? And as the Levitra ads tell us, you "might end up in the hospital" if this condition lasts too long. (I know this was written before the advent of ED medication.) | |
| Pete Townshend – Rough Boys Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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It's Pete's response to punk rock. Many musicians of his generation came out with work that was, if not an attempt to "do" punk, at least influenced by it. The "rough boys" are the Pistols, Ramones, et. al. and the femaie "nobody knows her" and "she's so easy to find" is a metaphor for rock music. The protagonist in the song is acknowledges that he can't be seen with the rough boys of punk rock because they would be embarrassed ("I'm so pale and weedy") possibly by his wearing of "Hush Puppy shoes". There isn't a more aggressive song in Pete's solo work. He's just venting about punk rock, saying "It's been done, guys." Of course one could read into all the homosexual language of the lyric. It works that way as well, especially considering Pete's sexual ambiguity at certain periods in his life. |
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| Elvis Costello – How to Be Dumb Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| This is about Attractions bassist Bruce Thomas after he penned a thinly veiled tell-all about Elvis Costello and the Attractions called "The Big Wheel". Costello and Bruce Thomas remain estranged. | |
| Cursive – The Radiator Hums Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| The older you get, the more this song makes sense. For those of you in your teens and twenties who are not yet married, make sure you earmark this song if communication between you and your significant other is degraded to the point of throwing dishes and phones. It means it's over and it's OK to leave. | |
| Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band – Ashtray Heart Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| 'Ashtray Heart' is about the end of a relationship, humiliation, emasculation and infidelity | |
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