Ironic that Matthew Sweet--known primarily for writing sweet, pretty love songs--let loose this bilious tirade. Perhaps it's because it runs counter to Sweet's image that this song seems especially misanthropic and self-hating. (I assume "Sweet" is a pen name; if not, it's an odd coincidence).
Much of Altered Beast has this dichotomy between catchy melodies and dark lyrics (the very-explicit suicide note "I Need Someone to Pull the Trigger" for example), but "Knowing People" stands out as one of the most bitter sentiments I've heard, from anyone.
My impression is that--when Sweet vents his disgust, with lines such as, "Your desperate dreams are pathetic"--it's deliberately ambiguous whether he's referring to someone else, or to himself.
Themes of self-hatred and self-disgust are prominent, also, in "The Devil With The Green Eyes". A contemporary Sweet song, "Superdeformed", was left off the album--perhaps because these two songs are so similar, it seemed redundant. ("Superdeformed" appears only on the No Alternative compilation, probably best known for its uncredited Nirvana track)
I have severe problems with anxiety, depression and agoraphobia -- so the chorus hits uncomfortably close to home.
Ironic that Matthew Sweet--known primarily for writing sweet, pretty love songs--let loose this bilious tirade. Perhaps it's because it runs counter to Sweet's image that this song seems especially misanthropic and self-hating. (I assume "Sweet" is a pen name; if not, it's an odd coincidence).
Much of Altered Beast has this dichotomy between catchy melodies and dark lyrics (the very-explicit suicide note "I Need Someone to Pull the Trigger" for example), but "Knowing People" stands out as one of the most bitter sentiments I've heard, from anyone.
My impression is that--when Sweet vents his disgust, with lines such as, "Your desperate dreams are pathetic"--it's deliberately ambiguous whether he's referring to someone else, or to himself.
Themes of self-hatred and self-disgust are prominent, also, in "The Devil With The Green Eyes". A contemporary Sweet song, "Superdeformed", was left off the album--perhaps because these two songs are so similar, it seemed redundant. ("Superdeformed" appears only on the No Alternative compilation, probably best known for its uncredited Nirvana track)
I have severe problems with anxiety, depression and agoraphobia -- so the chorus hits uncomfortably close to home.