| Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare) (feat. MGMT & Ratatat) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| For the people who think this is a party/drunk driving is fun song, the chorus should clue you in that it isn't. As should the full title. He's playing with the idea of 'pursuing happiness' or 'getting out dreams' and juxtaposing it with the reality - 'nightmares' and 'night terrors'. A night of catharsis or pursuing happiness is ultimately futile, and the line 'i'll be fine when i get there' comes off as self-reassurance and wishful thinking. After a night of fun you still have to sleep, you're still going to be subject to the same night terrors or nightmares as before, maybe even exacerbated further. | |
| Built to Spill – Car Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I think the first verse shows a couple going through a lover's quarrel, or maybe something even more serious than that. She takes the car and goes away to think things through, while he stays at home and gets a break from things as well. The last line is snippy, but with the music/melody it comes off with a mix of emotions. The second verse he reflects on how each of them needs each other. Resigned, the protagonist goes to sleep to dream. Its kind of difficult to discern whether or not he is being malicious by wanting to see her when she discovers the truth about things. That is to say if he takes enjoyment in watching someone "untame itself and break its owner." He might just be genuinely dreaming about a more functional relationship, where he could watch her loosen up and where he could accompany her on that journey though life. I think at the heart of the song is the difference between the two people in terms of their pursuit of the truth. The woman is maybe more pragmatic, her taking the world apart is described mechanically, the car is a tangible object, and she escapes in the physical world, whereas the man does so through dreams. |
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| The Kinks – Suzannah's Still Alive Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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The song is reminiscent of Oh Susanna to me. It seems like the title is challenging the listener by saying that while the character of that song (Oh! Susanna) might be dead, Susannah herself is still very much alive and has to deal with the death or absence of her loved one. It doesn't matter that the man from Oh! Susanna is constantly telling her "Susanna don't you cry" or trying to console her, she's going to cry regardless. Because of the nature of "Oh! Susanna", in that her character is completely unresolved and that the story is static, she's stuck in limbo and knows "she can't ever win" and "she'll cry and never die" forever. It sounds like poor Susannah has also developed a drinking problem to a certain extent. It's interesting though to see how many times the phrase "whiskey and gin" have been used together in music. I was just listening to some Elliott Smith (who was a fan of the Kinks and Ray Davies) and heard the combination come up in his song "We're All Friends Now". I'm guessing a subliminal influence of the Kinks :) |
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