First off for those who only have one version ...
Go to Ani's Website. Her second release of her Bootleg series has an amazing version of this song. She plays the guitar and sings it so beautiful, in perfect cordination, that it will leave you amazed.
I have the studio version but never really "heard" the song. I have issues were I just can't get into studio music so it often takes live music to get a real feel for a song. Anyway, when i heard the version on her bootleg series i instantly fell in love with it. her site: www.righteousbabe.com
Now for my analysis. This song reminds me a lot of "Both Hands" were she is watching a relationship come crashing to an end. However this one has a far more bitter outlook in that she almost could care less.
Ani is an expert in metaphors, few if any can match her, and this song is loaded with them. You have the image of Wiley E Coyote in "the roead ahead is painted on the wall". The useless in "Turned up to top volume while you're sitting there in pause", gives me a feel of how she is looking at her relationship, sort of like ..."i've given it my all and now nothing is what i now have.
What I love most is the differences in the chorus. Her manipulation of the two stanzas and how she turns them inside out in front of the reader is outstanding. "Subtract out the impact and the fall is all you get" is an outstanding play on words and actions but it also reflects the "mathmatics" part in the first chorus. Then you get to the beer part, first it is "two beers to remember and five to forget", but she messes with math in the second stanza to get, "two beers to remember and three more to forget" both of which add up to the fifth beer that leads to the forgetfullness.
This song is pure Ani, both from his harsh beauty, and the delicate way she handles the guitar and vocals to the song. I almost get the feel like she is going to drop an F-You bomb in striking comparison to "Untouchable Face".
Make no mistake about it .... Ani is the queen of the written word.
First off for those who only have one version ... Go to Ani's Website. Her second release of her Bootleg series has an amazing version of this song. She plays the guitar and sings it so beautiful, in perfect cordination, that it will leave you amazed.
I have the studio version but never really "heard" the song. I have issues were I just can't get into studio music so it often takes live music to get a real feel for a song. Anyway, when i heard the version on her bootleg series i instantly fell in love with it. her site: www.righteousbabe.com
Now for my analysis. This song reminds me a lot of "Both Hands" were she is watching a relationship come crashing to an end. However this one has a far more bitter outlook in that she almost could care less.
Ani is an expert in metaphors, few if any can match her, and this song is loaded with them. You have the image of Wiley E Coyote in "the roead ahead is painted on the wall". The useless in "Turned up to top volume while you're sitting there in pause", gives me a feel of how she is looking at her relationship, sort of like ..."i've given it my all and now nothing is what i now have.
What I love most is the differences in the chorus. Her manipulation of the two stanzas and how she turns them inside out in front of the reader is outstanding. "Subtract out the impact and the fall is all you get" is an outstanding play on words and actions but it also reflects the "mathmatics" part in the first chorus. Then you get to the beer part, first it is "two beers to remember and five to forget", but she messes with math in the second stanza to get, "two beers to remember and three more to forget" both of which add up to the fifth beer that leads to the forgetfullness.
This song is pure Ani, both from his harsh beauty, and the delicate way she handles the guitar and vocals to the song. I almost get the feel like she is going to drop an F-You bomb in striking comparison to "Untouchable Face".
Make no mistake about it .... Ani is the queen of the written word.