Classic Or Dud: Laurie Anderson's "O Superman"

Laurie Anderson is such a legend.

nabisco deserves a medal or something for that post

dud

^^^ Crazy talk

Quite possibly my #1 track (single or otherwise) from 1981.

Think outside the box, Rev.

Fascinating facts: This track was first aired on UK radio on John Peel producer John Walters' Saturday afternoon arts show Walters' Weekly. Apparently a big favorite with UK serial killer Dennis Nilsen.

Being called 'musically poor' by Momus is like...being called irritating by a barber shop quartet featuring Damon Albarn, Brett Anderson, Liam Gallagher and Robbie Williams.

LOLOLOL

momus is great

i love momus, im mainly loling at the barbershop quartet here

this song's been in my head a lot lately.

I'm surprised at sund4r's skepticism about the lyrics! People here have already rooted out some of the great stuff about them, so I won't go too far into it. But the bit of them that seems to have the most resonance in the current decade isn't the planes, so far as I can tell -- it's that asking to fall into the loving embrace of the big strong American automatic/electronic/petrochemical mom, and of course the stuff that leads up to it: "When love is gone, there's always justice; and when justice is gone, there's always force; and when force is gone, there's always mom."
Having just watched the video again, though, I think the amazing thing about this isn't really in lyrics or meaning or symbols, or anything. We can kind of hint around the "atmosphere" or the "sound" of the thing, bu it's hard to describe exactly what's going on with it: I think its stillness and repetition -- and the odd way it feels soothing where you'd think it'd feel incredibly tense and irritating -- have this strange effect of sensitizing you. You very quickly stop experiencing it with the attention span of a normal pop song, and instead slow things down, focusing on each little gesture in turn, concentrating on a whole different level -- hence, in the video, she can use this language of really minimal gestures, where watching her (say) make a fist seems like all you need for the moment. It's a really enjoyable mindset to get into.

― nabisco (nabisco), Saturday, 23 September 2006 19:26 (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Completely OTM. This is one of the first songs I can remember ever hearing, but obviously as a tiny infant I didn't realise how remarkable a record it was until I was much older. The whole piece sounds strangely soothing and womblike to me, but in the same way one might feel if placed inside a hermetically sealed bubble and wrapped in white towels by, well, assembly-line robotic arms. The double-entendres of "military arm/petrochemical arm" only struck me the other day while listening back.

It's strange to return to it with critical adult ears, having grown up listening to it in a totally decontextualised, unprejudiced way. But there are certain images that I'm not sure I imagined as a kid or if they're definitely there. The bit wear she says "Smoking or non-smoking" sounds so perfectly syncopated that it phases in exactly the same way as the effect you hear when on a passenger flight.

this song is so gorgeous. heard it for the first time in like a decade yesterday and was suitably blown away.

I related some years ago how I played it to Amber and Alice on a school run one time, I mention it here because Nabisco's description is exactly how they listened to it.

Started crying on the street thinking about this song today

Literally saw her perform this here the night of 9/11/01.

flappy <3

I can't even begin to imagine what that was like xp

yeah Josh that is absolutely nuts, what was that like??

It was mostly weird. I don't know how old/young any of you are, but that was just a weird day all around. I had a friend interview her the day of, and she told him (iirc) that she had just gotten off the phone with Lou, who was watching the towers burn from their roof. That night at the Park West - and it wasn't late yet - no one really had any idea what was going on, and of course no one had any real idea what was to come. But we all seemed to recognize the prescience of this song, and wondered whether she would even play it. Which she did, with no commentary. So: creepy. But it's only gotten more so in the months and years later. And of course it was pretty creepy to begin with.

I want to say that week I also saw PJ Harvey, who was touring "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea," which is also infused with all sorts of eerily coincidental 9/11 stuff.

thanks for sharing that, Josh

^ and yeah stories definitely had that vibe. also mercury rev's all is dream came out on 9/11. lincoln's eyes really creeped me out at that time.

'Stories from the City' won the Mercury Prize which was announced on 9/11. She was in Washington and phoned in to receive the award in a ceremony which was as bizarre and downbeat as you'd expect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFGqR4b_YG4

I saw an insane and devastating German Richard III where Richard's descent into madness was soundtracked to O Superman. Here it is below in German with French Subs (I saw it in English). Shamefully, at the most intense moment in the show (you could hear a pin drop) just after the point where O superman starts properly my phone rang! The whole theatre looked in my direction as I fumbled into my pocket. Richard III stopped acting and looked at me and said "did you set your alarm to wake you up after two hours so you could see the end of the show?". As soon as I managed to switch my phone off he continued the show without missing a beat.

The Breaths from the track start around the jumping off point here and the song proper starts just around 2:04:50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsOtCIpi-M0&t=113m10s

imago, i suspect you will love that^^^

I'll try again: The breaths start at 1:53:00 The main part of the track starts at around 2:05:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsOtCIpi-M0

i killed the thread with radical german theatre!

I only heard this song for the first time recently. I've had Mister Heartbreak for years and love it so I have no idea why I never looked further. The refrain popped into my head this morning and it just hit me like a sledgehammer. Such an immense, haunting, beautiful piece. The video had me spellbound. Had no idea about the 9/11 connection until I read this thread.

One of those songs I wouldn't normally choose to listen to because so well known (and long) but it came on my spotify discover playlist a few weeks ago and yeah, I had a something in my eye moment.

Lmao

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJBZifZ4TIc

Ah, Zoo-era totp. See also TVC-15.

The whole theatre looked in my direction as I fumbled into my pocket. Richard III stopped acting and looked at me and said "did you set your alarm to wake you up after two hours so you could see the end of the show?".

new ilm posts which will continue to haunt your thoughts.

i really wanted to see that production at the barbican, but I was away

This is kinda amazing, I had no idea -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQBlvyE460A

wow, thanks!

Wow

Oh my!

lots of elements of 'Walk The Dog' in the first bit too

This is really something. Part II in particular. Chills. Wow and flutter adding to the queasiness of the strings.

Also...May 17 1980. I remember that weekend (and not just because England got thrashed by Wales) :/

this is crazy

For dessert - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXfMpZeiKtk

this is all great, thanks!

Sooooo good. Damn

yes, incredible. thank you. i'd like to know more about the making of it. the youtube description - "Shortly before beginning work on what would become her magnum opus 'United States Parts I-IV', Laurie Anderson began receiving commissions for new music from several American orchestras. Unfortunately, she had no previous experience writing for orchestras, having preferring to work with small ensembles and electronics in her performance art. The result was an uncomfortable mix of prerecorded tape, electronic instrumentation, and unorthodox orchestral writing" - is kind of pejorative, but the results are stunning. i love work like this that doesn't have an obvious "home" for performance

also the part 7 minutes in is unexpectedly gnarly and heavy

it sounds like work product, which it is - fascinating for fans, by no means something for people who have never heard LA before

AH AH AH AH MA MA MA MA DILL DILL DILL DILL OH OH OH OH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgU5Cztx490