I always thought of this an yet another one of Westerberg's "struggling with success" songs. "Tim" was the Replacements first album with a major label. While it wasn't a done deal, mainstream commercial success was a real possibility. The only problem was the The Replacements were the product of a culture which regarded mainstream commercial success as a sellout; an abandonment of their punk roots. So it was "time for decisions to be made". Go mainstream "crack up in the sun" or wither away in obscurity "lose it in the shade"?
I always thought of this an yet another one of Westerberg's "struggling with success" songs. "Tim" was the Replacements first album with a major label. While it wasn't a done deal, mainstream commercial success was a real possibility. The only problem was the The Replacements were the product of a culture which regarded mainstream commercial success as a sellout; an abandonment of their punk roots. So it was "time for decisions to be made". Go mainstream "crack up in the sun" or wither away in obscurity "lose it in the shade"?