| Death Cab for Cutie – What Sarah Said Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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This is a very powerful and emotional song, that I hold very close to my heart. Ironically it evokes feelings of great sadness and joy for me. October 19th will be 3 years since my mom lost her battle with cancer. I still ask why she was taken from us(ME!), knowing there is no answer. I remember the day she told me she had it like it happened 5 minutes ago.....and I wish everyday that somehow I could forget it. But I know I never will. I stayed very strong as I comforted her and lied that it would be ok. But after I got home and collapsed in the corner of my room as I yelled at my wife to leave me alone, all I could hear screaming in my head was "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME??!?!?" That was probably the most selfish moment I've had in my life. Especially considering what my mom was about to go through. But honestly, I still feel that way today. I actually owned the Plans album at that time and I may have heard this song once or twice, but never gave it much thought. The true weight of it hit me square in the chest as my wife and I were driving around one weekend after my mother had passed away. We were driving along the beach looking at the devestation that still lingered from when Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast a year earlier. I was in a somber mood and wanted something lite, so I put this cd in. We were driving through an intersection when the line "Love is watching someone die" played. It hit me so hard that I was barely able to pull the car into the vacant parking lot of what used to be an Outback Steakhouse....(it's funny the things you remember). It was the first time I truly cried since I watched them lower my mother into the ground. Well thanks to this song, I was able to take a small positive away from my moms passing. Because when my mother drew her last breath, she was surrounded by a living room full of people that truly loved her. So at times when I feel that I need to, I'll play this song.......and I'll cry.....and then I'll smile. And the whole time, I'm wondering if I'll be as lucky as my mom was. To have a room full of people that care enough about me.....to stay with me.........and watch me die. |
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| Afghan Whigs – Rebirth of Cool Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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The thing I love most about music is that no matter what the songwriter was thinking when they wrote a piece, it is still left up to the listener to find their own meaning. So what follows are a few facts with some maybe's, could be's and personal opinions thrown in. Personally I feel that 'Gentlemen' was The Afghan Whigs best album, but this is by far my favorite song. I only say that because even though they've done many songs and covers that I love, I can listen to this one over and over and find myself caught up in it just as I did when I first heard it. And then proceed to hit previous and listen to it again, if I haven't already put it on a loop. Anyway, now that we got that bit of unnecessary information out of the way, on to the song. This song originally appeared as a hidden track, called "Miles Iz Ded", on the 1992 album 'Congregation'. It was the band's third studio album, but the first in which you could see the true potential and genius of Greg Dulli and crew. It was written and recorded the same day the band heard the news that legendary jazz musician Miles Davis had passed away. The song touched on a few, of the many, issues that surrounded and plagued Davis throughout his life and career. Most notably among these being his musical innovation, drug addiction and alcoholism. The latter obviously giving way to the very memorable and uniquely infectious hook "Don't forget the alcohol ooh baby ooh baby". Later in 1992, the Whigs released an EP titled 'Uptown Avondale'. It contained four covers from the classic Motown Era of music. Most notable among them is the track "Come See About Me", as made famous by The Supremes. The EP also contained a hidden track, which was a slightly tweaked remix of "Miles Iz Ded". It added a drum loop and some processing to the guitars and vocals. After the band heard the finished track, they referred to it as "Rebirth of The Cool". Purely an opinion, but I can only guess that this was an homage to the "cool jazz" album 'Birth of The Cool' that was released in 1957 by Capitol Records. It was a compilation of 12 tracks taken from session recordings of the Miles Davis Nonet during the years of 1949 and 1950. Even though Davis was just one of the many notable musicians and arrangers/composers that took part in the collective project, he was given top billing because he was said to be the musician that best represented that style of jazz. So "Miles Iz Ded" and "Rebirth of The Cool" are the same song. Though I will say I am more partial to "Rebirth". Hopefully this will be helpful to someone, if they can just make it all the way through this book I had no intention of writing. I just went back and realized I don't even want to read the whole thing. |
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