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| The Who – Who Are You? Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Actually Townshend was drinking w/ John Lydon and Steve Jones of the Pistols. As he became more inebriated and the discussion became more heated, he began screaming at them "I'm Pete Townshend! Who the f*ck are you?"
The song Rough Boys from Empty Glass is actually dedicated to the Sex Pistols. |
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| Steely Dan – Kid Charlemagne Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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I heard the Dan interviewed once (I believe VH1 Storytellers) where they confirmed that Owsley was, indeed, the inspiration, at least partially, for the song. |
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| David Bowie – Sorrow Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Two facts: This song was not written by Bowie (after all, it's on his 'Pin-uops' album, which is all covers), it was originally recorded by The Merseys. George Harrison actually borrowed the couplet "With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue" for "It's All Too Much" |
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| Beastie Boys – So What'cha Want? Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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I always thought the meaning of "You can't front on that" is related to a basketball defense that blocks a cutter, but a 'front' is also a colloquialism for product (drugs) bought on credit, as in 'you can't front on that, you have to pay for that dime bag right now.' |
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| America – A Horse With No Name Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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There is no Neil Young version. Bunnell has said that in a way this was his Neil Young tribute. When this song came out Neil and the Laurel Canyon singer songwriter scene were at the forefront of popular music. And, though I doubt it was actually a purposeful Shakey impersonation, the lead vocal does share a similar timbre with Mr. Young. |
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| Mott The Hoople – All the Young Dudes Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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My understanding is that this song was written as part of the Ziggy Stardust concept, where in the end times all the news would be delivered by newsboys ("News guy wept and told us earth was really dying" from Five Years). When Bowie heard that one of his favorite bands Mott the Hoople was disbanding due to lack of commercial success, he offered them a choice of some of the Ziggy songs. Don't remember where I read this, but it makes sense to me.
One other interesting note: On Bowie's Lodger, the song 'Move On' is 'All the Young Dudes' recorded backwards. |
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| The Who – Athena Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Ms. Russell rejected Mr. Townshend because she was already in love with another man, the director Nicolas Roeg, whom Pete had wanted to helm his Lifehouse film. Despite knowing that she was committed to someone else, he thought his rock star status might allow him to steal her away. No such luck. No wonder the LH project fell apart yet again.
For me, this back story elevates the song from pop schmaltz into an ode to unrequited love.
"It's Hard", while no masterpiece, is an underrated record from a time when The Who was struggling for relevance. I'm a little biased, though as I saw them on this tour; The Clash, touring Combat Rock, opened for them. Nothing but good memories. |
submissions
| The Doors – Not To Touch The Earth Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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I was looking to see if anyone was going to cite The Golden Bough, which as you pointed out, is a anthropological study of magic and religion (from the late 19th century). This is also one of the two main sources that T.S. Eliot references in his notes for The Waste Land (the other, 'From Ritual to Romance', is specific to the Grail motif). It is my contention that Morrison was using the mythological imagery (especially from the Between Heaven & Earth chapter) to paint a picture of the turbulent 60's.
And, btw, TGB is an incredibly interesting read and stands with the works of Joseph Campbell on the study of mythology. |
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| The Cure – Killing an Arab Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Also, the way he behaved at his mother's funeral (he smoked cigarettes and drank coffee! Scandalous!)
Mersault has become desensitized to life and, in an attempt to feel something (anything), he shoots the Arab. Does life have intrinsic value? I believe this is the question posed by Camus (similar to the one Hamlet asks in his famous soliloquy). There's also something about the socio-political climate of post WWII France and the prejudice against Algerians. |
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| The Beatles – I Am the Walrus Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Except that this song is chock full of literary references (Joyce, Carroll, Shakespeare). 'Glass Onion' is the song Lennon wrote to make fun of the the 'deep meaning' seekers. |
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| David Bowie – Station to Station Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Kether and Malkuth are the two extremes on the Tree of Life, which is the key to Kabalah. Kether is the divine godhead, the crown of pure knowledge, the one. It breaks down into the masculine element of wisdon and the feminine element of understanding (two and three on the tree). Malkuth is the spirit made flesh and is the foot of the tree and represents the kingdom of man. The ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life are much like the stations of the cross and the Major Arcana of the Tarot represent the 22 pathways on the tree (the Fool, for example walks the path between Kether and Hokmah or wisdom). A magical movement from Kether to Malkuth is the alchemical movement from spirit to flesh, from the potential to the realized.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_life_%28Kabbalah%29 |
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| The Beatles – I Am the Walrus Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Lewis Carroll's Looking Glass characters show up in James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. The Walrus is from The Walrus & The Carpenter which concerns a walrus who befriends/comforts some young oysters and then disingenuously eats them. The Eggman is a reference to Humpty Dumpty. In FW he represents (among other things) the Cosmic Egg and when he falls off the wall an his yolk is running out of him his last words are, "Goo goo g'joob"
Many people have commented that Lennon was purposefully trying to confound those who would over analyze Beatles' lyrics, but that is more specifically 'Glass Onion'. 'Walrus' like both FW & Looking Glass, is deceptively nonsensical; there's much actual depth to it for those who search. |
submissions
| The Beatles – I Am the Walrus Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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It does indeed have literary references. Most specifically it is Lewis Carroll's Through The Looking Glass by way of James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. In Joyce the Walrus from the Walrus and the Carpenter is very sinister. Humpty Dumpty (the Egg Man) represents the cosmic egg and when he falls and the yolk is running out of him, his last words are 'goo goo g'joob'.
Like both Carroll and Joyce, Lennon was fascinated with sounds of words and the idea of creating new words. Carroll invented the word 'chortle' for example by mashing up a chuckle and snort.
And then of course there's the untimely death lines from a BBC production of King Lear that just happened be going on while they were in the studio. |
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