I was reading an interview today in 'Uncut' magazine with Kurt Wagner, and he was talking about how in his lyrics he often compares two things with each other that might bear no obvious relation, and in doing so can then come up with a new 'third' thing. And then he might look at an object on the wall, or a photo that's been there for a long time, and that gets added into the song too.
That reminded me of this song. Reading the lyrics on their own, they don't seem to mean a great deal, but sung as they are with the musical accompaniment, I feel the song is about suspicion, maybe paranoia, uncertainty in a relationship.
I love the lines that culminate in "The picture of Michael and Bubbles" in that anguished cry. It is at once ridiculous and poignant. I think almost everyone I know had that picture of Michael Jackson with Bubbles in a little frame; it was a standard piece of merchandising tat from the Eighties.
The idea that something seems slightly amiss with these everyday objects that he's never really noticed before, it's very clever songwriting, although he never actually says what is amiss, or what is going on. I suppose the singer doesn't know exactly, it's just 'this feeling'. One of my fave Lambchop songs.
I was reading an interview today in 'Uncut' magazine with Kurt Wagner, and he was talking about how in his lyrics he often compares two things with each other that might bear no obvious relation, and in doing so can then come up with a new 'third' thing. And then he might look at an object on the wall, or a photo that's been there for a long time, and that gets added into the song too.
That reminded me of this song. Reading the lyrics on their own, they don't seem to mean a great deal, but sung as they are with the musical accompaniment, I feel the song is about suspicion, maybe paranoia, uncertainty in a relationship.
I love the lines that culminate in "The picture of Michael and Bubbles" in that anguished cry. It is at once ridiculous and poignant. I think almost everyone I know had that picture of Michael Jackson with Bubbles in a little frame; it was a standard piece of merchandising tat from the Eighties.
The idea that something seems slightly amiss with these everyday objects that he's never really noticed before, it's very clever songwriting, although he never actually says what is amiss, or what is going on. I suppose the singer doesn't know exactly, it's just 'this feeling'. One of my fave Lambchop songs.