| The Killers – This River Is Wild Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| This may sound like a joke, but I'm being serious. I think the 'Man in Red' refers to Elvis Presley. Elvis went from being a young dynamic rock star with the world at his fingertips (not unlike Brandon Flowers) to being a reclusive over-weight drugged-out Las Vegas lounge act who died of an overdose in his bathroom at 42 years old. That's a long, long, long way down. | |
| Doves – Kingdom of Rust Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| This interpretation is insightful. In terms of Kierkegaard, this is the finite and the search for the infinite; the inner commitment of faith and the infinite spiral of despair. | |
| Doves – Kingdom of Rust Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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And so each venture Is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate With shabby equipment always deteriorating In the general mess of imprecision of feeling, Undisciplined squads of emotion. And what there is to conquer By strength and submission, has already been discovered Once or twice, or several times, by men whom one cannot hope To emulate–but there is no competition– There is only the fight to recover what has been lost And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss. For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business. |
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| Coldplay – Viva la Vida Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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This addresses one of the most basic problems of power, which is that doing the things necessary to get into power and stay in power tend to be morally self-destructive and often contrary to good intentions of those trying to get into power. This song could be about Pinochet, who became a military dictator that repressed and murdered his own people in order to 'set them free' by instituting a democratic regime. It's interesting that the narrator seems to believe he can't reach heaven ('St Peter won't call my name'), but the only actual mis-deed he mentions is dishonesty. The line "Never an honest word" is similar to Romans 3:4: "God forbid: let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That you might be justified in your sayings, and might overcome when you are judged." It's also similar Christ speaking in Matthew 15:11: "It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man." |
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| Goldfrapp – Strict Machine Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I want everybody to think alike. I think everybody should be a machine. (Andy Warhol) The things I want to show are mechanical. Machines have less problems. I'd like to be a machine, wouldn't you? (Andy Warhol) |
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| Barry Manilow – Copacabana (At the Copa) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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This song is a Marxist indictment of the power of the upper class that hints at the perpective of Che Guevara and refers indirectly to the Cuban revolution. It speaks to inequality and depicts the arbitrary excesses of the wealthy at the expense of common people. To drive the point home, the wealthy thug is named 'Rico,' meaning 'rich.' The reference to Havana is a comparison of the decadence of a mob-owned New York club to pre-revolutionary Cuba with it's exploitation, lawlessness, greed and graft. |
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| Metric – Gold Guns Girls Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I like the Hunter S. Thompson interpretation. It fits. Gonzolace. | |
| Belle & Sebastian – Step Into My Office, Baby Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| No published work received by the public remains within the context of the individuals referenced by the work. Limiting the interpretation of the work to the impact on it's characters rather then it's audience disregards the subtext of the work and is, well...naive. | |
| Josh Ritter – Mind's Eye Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Has anyone else noticed this song completely rips off London Calling by The Clash? The first time I heard it, I actually thought it was a cover. What do think goes through someone's mind when they are plaigarizing one of the most famous songs in Rock history? Is it; "Maybe no one will notice?" | |
| Marillion – The Only Unforgivable Thing Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| I get the feeling that H considers betraying your own people (family, children, loved ones) as the most unforgivable thing. This is the theme of both “Brave” and “Afraid of Sunlight” as well as a number of songs before and after those albums. There do seem to be references to the Iraq war (or war in general), but it also seems like there is more than political commentary. The first lines sound like they don’t refer so much to guilt itself as to a person who embodies another’s guilt. Hence the references to smiling, laughing and looking at the weather. The first lines actually sound like the guilt of a man who replaced his wife with a younger woman and now wakes up every morning to the reflection of his betrayal in his new lover’s eyes. One of the most interesting things is that this song is in the first person as if the narrator were the one responsible for the negative events and consequences alluded to in the song. Together with the last line; “We did,” it seems like this is about everyone sharing in the guilt and everyone committing betrayal. | |
| Counting Crows – Einstein On The Beach Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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It's nice that some folks have been able to look at this as relating to the philosophical aspects of quantum mechanics, but this song is about nuclear war. It is based on a strange misconception that Einstein was in some way related to the development of nuclear weapons. Other than providing a supporting letter introducing Oppenheimer to some of Einstein’s political connections, Einstein had absolutely nothing to do with the development of the atomic bomb. Other strange misconceptions in this song include the assertion that Einstein had some desire to be ‘well-liked.’ No one who actually knew Einstein ever classified him as being sycophantic or insecure and his work was never aimed at gaining recognition. I understand the concept that terrible things are created by normal people just trying to do a good job, but that just doesn’t apply to Einstein. Maybe to Oppenheimer… Personally, I think this song is a little bizarre and kind of embarrassing for its inaccuracies. Also, the poetic imagery borrows very heavily from “The Sun is Burning” by Simon and Garfunkel. |
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| Belle & Sebastian – Step Into My Office, Baby Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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This is about the perceived shift of power from men to women both in the office and in the world at large. This is why there is the reference to Margaret Thatcher, one of the first elected female leaders of a major first world economy. The man in this song seems to be finding himself trapped in a position that women have traditionally been put in, where his skills are underutilized; "She gave me some dictation, but my strength is in administration," and he's viewed as a sexual object; "A chance of overtime. Say my place at nine?" While the tone through the first part of the song sounds as if the man is complicit in being subjugated, the last few stanzas reveal feelings of defeat; "My output is in decline...My banner I laid down with a sigh." He doesn't believe he can compete with a woman; "Now I doubt if I’ll ever catch her." This is a negative and reactionary view of the empowerment of women. It presents the idea that if women are empowered, they will become oppressive and emasculating to men. The implication is that the empowerment of women should stop because it makes life difficult and complicated for men. Simply stated, it’s a mantra for the weak-minded and insecure male. |
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| Ultravox – Vienna Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Despite Wikipedia, I don't see a single textual reference to 'The Third Man' in the song ‘Vienna’ The Third Man is about a pharmaceutical distributor in post-war Vienna who is responsible for a number of patient deaths because he dilutes medicines delivered to hospitals. The man fakes his own death and disappears when he fears the authorities are closing in on him, but his American friend tracks the man down and eventually kills him. ‘The Third Man’ is a horrifying film that looks into the motivations of a character who commits unspeakable acts for profit and puts the viewer into the position of looking at it based on the question; “What if this were my best friend?” The song ‘Vienna’ is about the ebb and flow of sights, sounds and sensations. I like the interpretation of a brief love affair because the lyrics describe sensations that are felt strongly and then fade or fail to have meaning. This focus on severe but transient sensation was a key theme for the new romantics. (“Save a Prayer,” “The Killing Moon,” “Cars,” “Forever Young,” “A Forrest”) I don’t see how the images in ‘Vienna’ could possibly relate to ‘The Third Man.’ There are no references to death or any sense of unconscionable acts. The internal emotional focus in the song ‘Vienna’ isn’t consistent with the sense of social morality from the ‘The Third Man.’ Also, It seems unlikely that ‘Haunting notes, pizzicato strings’ refers to the soundtrack from ‘The Third Man.’ It is more likely that the line refers to the gypsy style of music that was common in the streets and cafés of Wien in which instruments are frequently plucked rather than bowed. The most telling element is that ‘Vienna’ references ‘the warmth of your hand.’ Although there is an unrequited love aspect to ‘The Third Man,’ there is no interaction between characters that would really qualify as ‘warmth.’ This line seems very out-of-place for a reference to ‘The Third Man.’ I did 20 minute interview with Midge Ure once, but intentionally avoided questions about Ultravox. I wasn’t aware then of a potential reference to ‘The Third Man.’ I wish could go back and get him to comment on it. |
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| Manic Street Preachers – I Live To Fall Asleep Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Depression and/or a deeper mental disorder is certainly the backdrop for this song. It seems to be a dialogue between two conflicting perspectives. As it switches from first person to third person, it seems to first sympathize with the violent, depressed figure and then alternately condemn their weakness and lack of action. The first person character seems to be haunted by dark and potentially delusional thoughts. It’s possible it refers to James Richey or another figure like him. Richey was known to suffer from severe depression and his disappearance in 1995 is potentially attributable to suicide. Taken in this context, ‘falling asleep’ could be an analogy for silencing one’s own political voice During Richey's time with the Manics, he was very outspoken in terms of social commentary and contributed the bulk of the band’s lyrics. Even if the disappearance was not suicide, Richey unquestionably gave up his mission of preaching societal reform when he disappeared. The third person narrator in the song expresses some outrage at the silence of the depressed figure; “How could you become another boy struck dumb?” The narrator here clearly believes that the other figure has something meaningful to say, but isn’t saying it. The third person narrator clearly had a close intimate relationship with the depressed person; “When did you become another distant friend? Everyone who loved you stayed, waited till the end.” The narrator is disappointed that their friend gave in to the depression or mania and stopped being a meaningful contributor in the lives of their friends and loved ones. This song tries to sympathize with the depressed/delusional figure by understanding the context of the person’s thoughts; but in the end, the overwhelming sentiment is disappointment and bitterness for having lost a meaningful voice and meaningful emotional relationship to depression and weakness. The crux of the sentiment is contained in the chorus, which is simply; “How could you…?” |
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| Arcade Fire – Intervention Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I haven't been able to find any older version of the lyrics for Intervention, so I'm posting them as well as I can make them out. These are taken from a live version recorded in 2005. If anyone has comments or improvements, please post them. The King’s taken back the throne The people, they all groan and choose what they want written on the stone: ‘We’ll go at it alone’ You can taste the fear lift me up and take me out of here You know I wanna fight, I wanna die Just tell me what to say Working for the Church While your family dies Your little baby sister Gonna lose her mind Every spark of friendship and love Will die without a home Hear the soldiers groan ‘We'll go at it alone’ There’s something in the air The people, they all just sit and stare And tell me what to point to, tell me where And tell me… Who's gonna throw the very first stone? Oh! Who's gonna reset the bone? Sitting with his head in a sling I hear the soldier sing Working for the Church While your family dies Little baby sister Gonna lose her mind Every spark of friendship and love Will die without a home Hear the soldiers groan ‘We'll go at it alone’ Shine, shine a light Someone touch and teach me how to fly And know there’s something always shouting die But I just don’t know why You know, I can taste the fear Lift me up and take me outta here I can make it I can ?? clear You know I’m going to pay Working for the Church While your family dies Little baby sister Gonna lose her mind Every spark of friendship and love Will die without a home Hear the soldiers groan ‘We'll go at it alone’ |
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