| Kansas – How My Soul Cries Out for You Lyrics | 3 years ago |
| According to Kevin Cummings' book in the On Track series, this song is actually about a man who breaks up with a woman, thinks better of it, tries to call her, then finds her in a bar with another man and murders him. It's funny, for all the years I've known this song, I never made that connection. It's not reflected in the lyrics at all, but you could interpret the parody-like sound clip toward the end of the song-- people in a bar, glass breaking, Robby Steinhardt screaming, and a crowd gasping in shock-- to indicate this. Makes sense, but I wonder where Mr. Cummings got the information to support this interpretation. There's no reference to where he got it in the book. But it does fit.... Just kind of vague, because without that clip which isn't really part of the song proper, you would have no way of knowing this. | |
| Extreme – Waiting For The Punchline Lyrics | 4 years ago |
| I’ll take a stab at this one: the song seems clearer when you consider the band’s own mood at the time they were creating the album this hidden track is from. They were riding high on the success of Extreme II: Pornagraffitti. But when their third album, III Sides to Every Story came out, it was the height of the grunge era, and suddenly Extreme was part of a musical movement that was in rapid decline. The third album tanked and ticket sales wained. All these fans they had turned out to be not very devoted, their seemingly fickle tastes turning to the next big trend. Extreme felt disillusioned and angry, wondering what all the hard work was for. The result was the Waiting for the Punchline album, full of stripped down, angry music that ironically sounded like the grunge music that stole pop metal’s crown. This song seems to me to exemplify that disillusionment: the protagonist answers the question as to why he finds nothing funny by saying “why waste your breath with anything less” (less than sincere humor and laughter), “then talk so trivial as a man who ran out of material” (any attempt to sound happy or humorous would just be empty and pointless- so why say anything at all if it can’t be nice?) Then that chorus: “why did the chicken cross the road to get to the other side? I’m still waiting for the punchline. Whoever said the grass grows greener on the other lied.” We crossed the road for what seemed the obvious, big career that should have made life better, only to find out it wasn’t. Feels like there should be some kind of joke, here, but we’re missing it. The rest of the song pretty much restates this feeling; “the latter (tragedy) plus time equals comedy”— a cynical statement of ‘maybe we’ll all be laughing about it later’ that the singer doesn’t really believe. He ends with “why can’t I get to the other side”— why can’t I get to that elusive greener grass that seems to be there, but just hasn’t been? It feels to the protagonist as if they’ve been the subject of some cosmic joke that they do not at all find funny. Anyway, that’s how I always took the song. It’s an obscure one, granted, so I’m not expecting any further input, but I would love to hear if anyone, perhaps from Extreme’s small but devoted fan base that I know is out there, might have something interesting to throw in. This is actually my favorite Extreme album overall, so any discussion about it is very welcome! | |
| Brad – 20th Century Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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No one wants to take a shot? OK, then. For grins... Actually, songs like this are pretty typical for Brad. Vague lyrics that express more feelings than concrete thoughts. It’s this kind of thing that leads many to feel much of Brad’s work is incomplete or rushed. But remember, Brad was always supposed to be an informal collective for members of Satchel and Pearl Jam to just let loose and jam a bit. So, the listener needs to just go with it to enjoy them. That said, I feel like this song is expressing both anticipation of changes on the world scene for the better as well as the need for people to take action to make those changes reality (“Raise the roof, let’s get out of this”) or else things continue to break down. Thus, references to nervousness, impatience, eagerness and encouragement/reassurance (“Just a little bit farther...” repeated into fade-out) to both the singer and the listener (“My friends...”). He calls on people to pay attention to the signs of a devolving society, but also to the questions raised about the sustainability of current values and practices, while recognizing the latent energy in us all that, if tapped into, the singer feels could make the potential for change into reality. The 20th Century was about to close in the 90s when this was written, so the title and repeating of that phrase is expressing urgency that this happen NOW. What specific problem is being addressed? Who knows? Take your pick. What doesn’t need fixed in the world? So, this lack of specifics may be on purpose, which also allows each listener to make the song personal in regards to whatever bothers them the most. But, I feel it’s more likely that the band was just jamming on a basic idea, so it was left open-ended because they were just having fun. Whatever the case, what a great, funky, driving tune it is. A real under-appreciated gem from an equally under-appreciated group. |
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| Toto – St. George And The Dragon Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| Wrong lyrics, Skippy. This is “Mushanga”, not “St. George and the Dragon.” | |
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