| Bauhaus – A God in an Alcove Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| An excellent song from the equally excellent 1980 album In the Flat Field. It seems the words are on a par with poetry, since they stand alone beautifully. For some reason it always makes me think of the last official Roman god (not counting the deified Emperors and Empresses) Antinous...I dunno, probably just me though. | |
| Nick Drake – River Man Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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Nick Drake tunes are something akin to a delicate flower. Such rare and ethereal melodic grace is hard to come by these days. It's a pity he only recorded three full albums during his short life. Every time I listen to River Man I'm reminded of the approach of autumn. Full of mysterious melancholy, this is one of Drake's best in my opinion. Who is this Betty speaking of fallen leaves? A spectral haunting of beguiling beauty? A wayfaring soul, lost to the world? What of "the plan for lilac time"? What do you think the river man has to say? That's the beauty of it I suppose; it can be many different things to many people..."Oh, how they come and go..." PS: Guffle's Schubert connection makes sense; relating well to the ripening Eros, and the autumnal feel of the song. In the end though, as Leroyskagnetti points out, it seems that the overpowering sense of Thanatos wins out. |
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| Bread – Everything I Own Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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The songs of David Gates and Bread were an important element to the mellow vibes of the 1970s soundtrack. Yes, these tunes could be very sentimental and perhaps sometimes a bit syrupy sweet. But I think they were sincere, and Gates as a lead vocalist was quite appealing. I often wonder at the possibility of a David Gates and Karen Carpenter duet. A match made in heaven?--maybe not. Regarding this selection, I've heard that Gates wrote Everything I Own after the death of his father. In general it's not too hard to figure out that it's about losing someone who is special. I think of my brother Scott when I hear the lines: Is there someone you know, you're loving them so, but taking them all for granted? You may lose them one day. Someone takes them away, and they don't hear the words you long to say. |
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| Eels – Ant Farm Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| This song (and several more by Eels) is great background noise for some of my more misanthropic moods. Sometimes you just have to say F#%$ it! | |
| Glen Campbell – Rhinestone Cowboy Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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This song takes me back to when I was all of seven years old. In the summer of 1975 I was gleefully on the road with my parents off to another horse show. This one happened to be in Minneapolis where my Grandma lived. Dad usually had the radio tuned to a country western station, which was OK, since back then there were actually some pretty good C/W tunes. Some of the ones that stick out in my memory are Roger Miller's King of the Road (covered admirably by Rufus Wainwright and Teddy Thompson on the Brokeback Mountain CD) and Tanya Tucker's Delta Dawn. But none captured my imagination quite like Glen Campbell's Rhinestone Cowboy. This tune was country glam, if there is such a thing--a bright and shiny ditty with all the bells and whistles, not to mention a string section. To my ears it had a BIG and monumental sound that was only bolstered by Campbell's emotive vocal stylings. At that age I really didn't pay very much attention to the lyrics or their meaning. All's I knew was that it was about some horse riding rodeo star who liked wearing rhinestone encrusted outfits. Only very recently did I come to realize what the song was really about. This probably explains why here on www.songmeanings.net there is only one short analysis of the song: "lol, what a gay song..." I nearly laughed out loud when I read it. But, it's kind of true. This also probably explains why when I did a Gooogle image search using the keywords "rhinestone" and "cowboy", I encountered a few pictures of Liberace in all his glittering glory. OK, here's my take on it: It's about this young stage actor who is relating how he wants to make it big on Broadway ("I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway...But I'm gonna be where the lights are shinin' on me."). It seems that the rhinestone cowboy is actually a metaphor for his success, and it also alludes to him sticking it out until he gets what he wants. Oh well, that probably sounds a bit too deep, but considering the words it seems fairly believable. This song will always have a special place in my heart...sweet cherished memories of childhood. While Mom and Dad were at the horse show (it was a banner year for Dad and his stallion Auric) I stayed with Grandma. She would drag me from one second-hand store to the next, and later we'd head for the closest cafeteria for lunch. When we got back to her home after a long day of shopping she would put on some of her favorite records, which included Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra if I remember correctly. She'd always try and get me to dance with her, and usually I'd give in (though my hyper-active nature was trying on her at times). That summer Dad and Auric took home best in show Western Pleasure, I think it was. It was so obvious that Mom and Dad were having the time of their lives, relishing the success merited by all of their hard work. The trophy was the biggest one I had ever seen, with four large columns supporting a pedestal bearing a shiny metalic golden Arabian horse on top. On the way home when Rhinestone Cowboy played on the radio, it seemed to have acquired a new meaning. It's funny to think, years later, it has actually come to signify many things for me. |
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