First of all, I just saw the Violent Femmes last Saturday and I was so happy to hear them play this for their encore song, as it’s my favorite Femmes song (it’s in a close tie with “Kiss Off,” but overall I just LOVE the vibe, the video, and the overall composition of this song! I feel like this is a lighthearted social commentary on America, from an insiders perspective that is sensitive to how an outsider (someone that’s not American born and bred,) may feel about America, as it’s symbolized by it’s music.
I feel like by the songwriter describing the moon and the lake as “ugly,” they are subverting the typical belief of what a moon and lake are usually perceived as. Most of the time, I’ll look at a moon and a lake because they’re beautiful and they make me feel calm. I feel that by describing them as “ugly,” and saying that they remind me of you, and then me; they are trying to flip the concept of what America can be viewed as, especially if we can imagine the listener is not an American, but an observer looking in; and getting a glimpse of what we’re all about. (If you watch the video, you’ll get the Easter eggs and really see the context.)
So many want to come to America because they’re drawn in by its beauty, diversity of landscapes and people, and it being the land of visionaries and unlimited opportunities. So I feel like the subversion in this song is very intentional, because even things that are often viewed as beautiful can also seem ugly by an individual observer. After all, beauty is subjective. What’s beautiful to me, may not seem beautiful to YOU.
I also feel they’re trying to impart that while they appreciate America and all that it has to offer (the offering here being music,) they are also aware of all the problems within America and it’s institutions, thus the self reflectiveness of saying “it reminds me of me” juxtaposed against the shuffle of “do YOU like American music” to it’s climactic ending. Subversion is a beautiful thing, really. 😍
First of all, I just saw the Violent Femmes last Saturday and I was so happy to hear them play this for their encore song, as it’s my favorite Femmes song (it’s in a close tie with “Kiss Off,” but overall I just LOVE the vibe, the video, and the overall composition of this song! I feel like this is a lighthearted social commentary on America, from an insiders perspective that is sensitive to how an outsider (someone that’s not American born and bred,) may feel about America, as it’s symbolized by it’s music.
I feel like by the songwriter describing the moon and the lake as “ugly,” they are subverting the typical belief of what a moon and lake are usually perceived as. Most of the time, I’ll look at a moon and a lake because they’re beautiful and they make me feel calm. I feel that by describing them as “ugly,” and saying that they remind me of you, and then me; they are trying to flip the concept of what America can be viewed as, especially if we can imagine the listener is not an American, but an observer looking in; and getting a glimpse of what we’re all about. (If you watch the video, you’ll get the Easter eggs and really see the context.)
So many want to come to America because they’re drawn in by its beauty, diversity of landscapes and people, and it being the land of visionaries and unlimited opportunities. So I feel like the subversion in this song is very intentional, because even things that are often viewed as beautiful can also seem ugly by an individual observer. After all, beauty is subjective. What’s beautiful to me, may not seem beautiful to YOU.
I also feel they’re trying to impart that while they appreciate America and all that it has to offer (the offering here being music,) they are also aware of all the problems within America and it’s institutions, thus the self reflectiveness of saying “it reminds me of me” juxtaposed against the shuffle of “do YOU like American music” to it’s climactic ending. Subversion is a beautiful thing, really. 😍