| Joni Mitchell – Woman Of Heart And Mind Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| She was such an incredible writer. | |
| Joni Mitchell – Barangrill Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I think you're spot on | |
| Joni Mitchell – Barangrill Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I don't agree that this song is about extolling the virtues of waitresses and gas station attendants. I think it's about Joni--the woman writing the song, not the characters in it. The singer's a very smart woman who's sick of journalists, academics, and people who supposedly have answers. Like on the album Hejira, she hits the road in search of her own answers. But it's not really for their supposed enlightenment that Joni admires the waitresses and gas station attendants she encounters: it's just 'cause they're the opposite of journalists and academics and so on. The quest is about her, not about the people she meets; in fact, Joni's condescending, talking about these people's simplicity. I think she knows that. She writes, "Her mind's on her boyfriend and eggs over easy," undercutting her assertions about this person's enlightenment. Plus, there's the simple fact that she calls her Mecca or whatever Barangrill, or Bar and Grill. I think that's a bit of a self-deprecating joke. Joni's being a narcissist, and she knows it, but that doesn't mean her confusion and desire for truth isn't sincere. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, but I think it's moony-eyed to act like it's some Fanfare for the Common Man. |
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| The Magnetic Fields – The Desperate Things You Made Me Do Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| I don't think it's tongue-in-cheek, though I see how you could interpret it that way. I agree with suclid003's first interpretation. One person singing to a friend who wants to kill him/herself or already has. There are so many great lines in this song. The desperate things you made me do... Such an interesting and evocative choice of adjective. Plus, the melody is so beautiful, as are all of his melodies. He's as great a songwriter as John or Paul. | |
| The Magnetic Fields – Deep Sea Diving Suit Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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I see this song as being written from one friend to another, not about a relationship. Although the Magnetic Fields became known for doing tongue-in-cheek love songs through 69 Love Songs, the rest of their catalogue is pretty varied, especially their mid-nineties stuff. What's cool about this song is you can hear both sides of the story. Friend A feels too depressed (the significance of the fifty-pound lead boots, dragging him down to the bottom of the ocean) to deal with Friend B, and he feels betrayed when B decides to stop hanging out with him. But you can hear why B wrote him off: A comes off as pretty self-absorbed and self-pitying. Why would B say he never offered him anything if it weren't true? Stephin Merritt gives you one guy's perspective, and thanks to his meticulous writing you get both sides of the story. Just another example of how great a songwriter he is. |
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| Neko Case – Behind the House Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| The line "Or is this your way to tell me / that I could've save you" to me implies a huge sense of guilt and failure. She failed to save someone from death or something else, here symbolized by the burning of the house. The line "Tonight I woke up crying in the lane behind the house" is the perfect opener. I love this song. | |
| Neko Case – Favorite Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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The part with the deer I think may be about suicide. Wanting to follow the thing into death, maybe feeling especially bad after hitting an animal with your car, but knowing about the legions of sorrow that follow suicide. In a way, others' grief does stand between you and death, so it can seem like legions of sorrow defying you. On the Live at ACL album she also plays "Behind the House," which contains the lines "Or is this your way to tell me / that I couldn't save you?" Those lines imply a sense of guilt and failure, I think. Many songs on the album seem to have something to do with death and sorrow. Since I always listened to the album as a whole, I thought of "Favorite" as being about someone you love who you've lost. I heard the line "Found favorin' Heaven" as "Found favor in Heaven." So then it's not just following the deer, but following the lost beloved someone, perhaps feeling an obligation to. That may be reading too much into it. But it's worth noting too that the song's got the feeling of a prayer. |
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| The Kinks – David Watts Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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one of the kinks' best songs! i agree with professorknowitall--the self-effacing lyrics are really funny, but they also make for a really accurate depiction of kids' tendency to sort of idolize somebody. it could be david watts, who is a gay and fancy-free perfect/popular kid, or a pop culture icon. personally, i used to idolize indiana jones. this is a really simple song and it captures that tendency amazingly well. also, i always thought there was an element of schoolboy crush here. maybe that's just me. and if lola bat is right, maybe ray was writing this song to make the real david watts feel good. dwatts13's post has got me cracking up. fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa |
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