I know this is neither the time nor place but 'asked me what the time was that was on my watch' is my underrated nominee for most tortured English language construction in pop music.
― You Can't Have the Woogie Without a Little Boogie (Old Lunch), Friday, 9 April 2021 20:05 (three years ago) link
In the Beefheart song, though, there's no indication that the subject is trying to evade the singer. It always brings to mind someone looking for a lost animal to me.
― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 9 April 2021 20:06 (three years ago) link
Or for that matter, an animal looking for a person (although the singer does mention having "arms").
― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 9 April 2021 20:16 (three years ago) link
Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, JackI went out for a ride and I never went back
How quickly we forget about them, with that happy singalong chorus!
― henry s, Friday, 6 August 2021 22:00 (two years ago) link
But she comes back in the next verse (at least, I’ve always assumed that was her in the Kingston bar—
though how did they get from Kingston to Baltimore?
and was the Kingston in question the “ unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) along the border of South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County and Franklin Township in Somerset County, in New Jersey, United States”?
― Swag Heathen (theStalePrince), Friday, 6 August 2021 23:59 (two years ago) link
It’s “Kingstown,” as in the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, duh
― Josefa, Saturday, 7 August 2021 00:11 (two years ago) link
You’re right—what about Kingstown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, then? Google maps tells me no bars remain, though the place features a defunct mill (now a garden center)….
― Swag Heathen (theStalePrince), Saturday, 7 August 2021 00:37 (two years ago) link
Sorry I just don’t see Springsteen hanging out around a defunct mill
― Josefa, Saturday, 7 August 2021 00:40 (two years ago) link
lol
― Swag Heathen (theStalePrince), Saturday, 7 August 2021 00:54 (two years ago) link
Survivor, "The Search Is Over": just what did he put this poor woman through?
You followed me through changesAnd patiently you'd wait'Til I came to my sensesThrough some miracle of fateI was living for a dreamLoving for a momentTaking on the worldThat was just my styleNow I look into your eyesI can see foreverThe search is overYou were with me all the while
I was living for a dreamLoving for a momentTaking on the worldThat was just my styleNow I look into your eyesI can see foreverThe search is overYou were with me all the while
― enochroot, Thursday, 30 September 2021 16:17 (two years ago) link
needs a response song
"The search is overI found a better man named Lyle"
― Gardyloominati (Neanderthal), Thursday, 30 September 2021 16:19 (two years ago) link
The Monkees - "I Wanna Be Free". Davy Jones sounds like an insincere douche on a number of Monkees songs, but this one take the douchecake.
― Gimme Gimme Pop Secret (Old Lunch), Friday, March 27, 2015 5:20 PM (six years ago) bookmarkflaglink
Heard it again this morning, and the lyrics really need to be beheld:
I wanna be freeLike the bluebirds flying by meLike the waves out on the blue seaIf your love has to tie meDon't try me, say good-bye
I wanna be freeDon't say you love me, say you like meBut when I need you beside meStay close enough to guide meConfide in me, whoa-oh-oh
I wanna hold your handWalk along the sandLaughing in the sunAlways having funDoing all those thingsWithout any strings to tie me down
I wanna be freeLike the warm September wind, babeSay you'll always be my friend, babeWe can make it to the end, babeAgain, babe, I've gotta sayI wanna be free
― Gimme some skin! Because I don't have any skin. (Old Lunch), Friday, 15 October 2021 18:14 (two years ago) link
I wanna be fwb
― St. Twel'mo, or the Cuneiform Cyclopedist of Chattanooga (President Keyes), Friday, 15 October 2021 18:18 (two years ago) link
Except you have to be there for me when I need you. And willing to go the eff away when I don't. I'll keep you posted, babe. I wanna be free.
― Gimme some skin! Because I don't have any skin. (Old Lunch), Friday, 15 October 2021 18:20 (two years ago) link
The Byrds - Triad― kornrulez6969, Monday, March 30, 2015 6:55 PM (six years ago)
― kornrulez6969, Monday, March 30, 2015 6:55 PM (six years ago)
Came here to see if this one was ever mentioned (it super qualifies). I've actually never heard the Byrds version - I do love the song when Grace sings it, it's so ridiculous.
― punching the clock on a tambo (morrisp), Thursday, 17 February 2022 00:55 (two years ago) link
I guess Come Up the Years (another JA fave) also belongs here - though I don't think Balin & Kantner's "narrator" really cares how he comes off. He needs help!! 'Fore he falls apart!
― punching the clock on a tambo (morrisp), Thursday, 17 February 2022 01:06 (two years ago) link
"Triad" by the Byrds is gorgeous, despite the lyrics.
― visiting, Thursday, 17 February 2022 01:20 (two years ago) link
Thx - just checked it out, and I agree (though it's maybe a little static-feeling). The Crosby demo is actually really nice...! Neither of these have the sleazy, transparently manipulative vibe that I love about the Airplane's take, though. (Crosby's demo is so "sensitive," he almost has me going... like yeah, let's try it, Dave! I'm all in!)
― punching the clock on a tambo (morrisp), Thursday, 17 February 2022 22:02 (two years ago) link
The line I most love in this song is: "...and in time, maybe others." The protagonist can't help but telegraph the full extent of his horndog master plan!
― punching the clock on a tambo (morrisp), Thursday, 17 February 2022 22:05 (two years ago) link
Wind Beneath My Wings
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Thursday, 17 February 2022 22:24 (two years ago) link
Butterfly in the sky? Pssh.I can go twice as high! (smirks)
― When the Pain That You Feel is the Bite of an Eel, That's a Moray (Old Lunch), Thursday, 17 March 2022 11:23 (two years ago) link
lol I did the exact same thing Le Bateau Ivre did 5 years ago, searching for and marveling at the lack of Weezer
― castanuts (DJP), Thursday, 17 March 2022 13:42 (two years ago) link
Rod Stewart's 2018 opioid crisis cash-in 'Didn't I' deserves some kind of award for pulling this stunt. it seems like he's trying to set a tone of tough love wrt to a father's inability to steer his child away from self-destructive choices, but he comes across as if he's waiting for her to wake up from her coma so that he can be certain his taunting and guilt tripping are actually getting through to her
There are times to rememberAnd times that I wish to forgetOur time together was tinged with love and regretOh, my girlMy sweet, sweet little girlDidn't I try to tell ya that life was for living?Oh, didn't I?And wasn't I the guy who said 'stay away from that tribe'?Oh, wasn't I?
Didn't I try to tell ya that life was for living?Oh, didn't I?And wasn't I the guy who said 'stay away from that tribe'?Oh, wasn't I?
Is this anti-semitism?
And didn't I try to tell you 'that's stuffs gonna kill ya'?Oh, didn't I?But you thought it was cool and I was just an old foolOh, look at yaYou left home for the city with Hollywood stars in your eyesNow your mother, God bless her, cries herself to sleep every nightOh my girl, my sweet innocent girlDidn't I search the streets for the beggars, pimps and cheats?Oh, didn't I?
You left home for the city with Hollywood stars in your eyesNow your mother, God bless her, cries herself to sleep every nightOh my girl, my sweet innocent girl
Didn't I search the streets for the beggars, pimps and cheats?Oh, didn't I?
"goddamnit, Fiona, I took cocaine up the ass in 1978, so I'm pretty sure I know a thing or two about drug culture"
And didn't I try to guide you to a baptism of fire?
"baptism by fire" = abusive parenting style
And didn't I try to warn ya 'bout that folk in California?Oh, didn't I?But you said 'daddy, please don't worry, I got friends out there who love me'Now look at ya
can't stand the way he repeats her words back to her in a mocking tone as if he's a 7-year-old playground bully
(Bridge: Bridget Cady)Oh baby, come back home, we can work this outThere is no blameI wanna hold you close and stroke your hair and share your pain
at this point mommy swoops in to do a little damage control. "there is no blame" despite the fact that daddy has already blamed his daughter, her friends, and an entire state for her predicament
Didn't I do the best for you, try to make you stay in school?Didn't I?Once I was your hero but I went from ten to zeroOh, didn't I?
accurate summation of Rod's career trajectory
Now listenFor a roll on the dice you nearly paid the ultimate priceOh, didn't ya?Now I stand by your bedside, watching you fight for you lifeWhere's the innocence? (Where's the innocence?)Where's the future? (Where is the future?)Where the beauty? (Ooo)Where's the promise? (Where is the promise?)
Where's the innocence? (Where's the innocence?)Where's the future? (Where is the future?)Where the beauty? (Ooo)Where's the promise? (Where is the promise?)
bleah
― in walked airbud (unregistered), Sunday, 10 April 2022 01:18 (two years ago) link
Where's the innocence? (Where's the innocence?)Where's the future? (Where is the future?)Where the beauty? (Ooo)Where's the promise? (Where is the promise?) Where's the innocence? (Where's the innocence?)Where's the future? (Where is the future?)Where the beauty? (Ooo)Where's the promise? (Where is the promise?) Where's the innocence? (Where's the innocence?)Where's the future? (Where is the future?)Where the beauty? (Ooo)Where's the promise? (Where is the promise?) Where's the innocence? (Where's the innocence?)Where's the future? (Where is the future?)Where the beauty? (Ooo)Where's the promise? (Where is the promise?)
― calstars, Sunday, 10 April 2022 01:28 (two years ago) link
Wonder if this song is (with a gender switch) directed at his son who appeared on Celebrity Rehab.
― Halfway there but for you, Sunday, 10 April 2022 04:17 (two years ago) link
Sounds like he’s singing to a member of the Manson family
― Chappies banging dustbin lids together (President Keyes), Sunday, 10 April 2022 13:06 (two years ago) link
I've not heard that Rod Stewart song before
Is it actually called "I don't mean to come on as a serious dick, but"
― Mark G, Sunday, 10 April 2022 13:18 (two years ago) link
…you broke my heart”
― middot • is • my • middle • name (breastcrawl), Sunday, 10 April 2022 13:32 (two years ago) link
“Have I Told You Lately that You Disappoint Me?”
― Chappies banging dustbin lids together (President Keyes), Sunday, 10 April 2022 14:08 (two years ago) link
Ok I am thinking about Wilson Phillips' song "Hold On," which is generally a supportive and caring message.
But then you get the line "You've got no one to blame for your unhappiness (no baby); you got yourself into your own mess."
Seriously? Fuck you, Carnie. You don't know anything about my life. For all you know, I'm unhappy because my parents were tortured and killed on the orders of Bashar Al-Assad. Then my few possessions were stolen by a crooked Turkish border agent. Pretty sure I've got people to blame.
― Nutellanor Roosevelt (Ye Mad Puffin), Monday, 13 June 2022 03:16 (one year ago) link
Though imagine it’s directed at John and Brian.
― Halfway there but for you, Monday, 13 June 2022 03:28 (one year ago) link
Hmm. I would say that in the Wilson Phillips oeuvre, the best zing against their parents comes in "The Dream Is Still Alive," which starts out as "Hippies were cool," but throws this elegant bit of shade:
Not so long ago in a purple hazePeople dreamed out loud they were not afraidThey stopped the war but not the dyingSome got a little bit lost along the way
But not quite right for this thread because that last bit is intentional.
― Nutellanor Roosevelt (Ye Mad Puffin), Monday, 13 June 2022 13:28 (one year ago) link
It's about the only U2 song I can countenance, but "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", I mean, "I went through hell and high water just to be with you, and for what?!"
― henry s, Monday, 13 June 2022 14:43 (one year ago) link
Phil Oakey's bit in "Don't You Want Me," though the duet structure leavens it.
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 June 2022 14:49 (one year ago) link
Maybe the character in Don't You Want Me isn't intentionally a dick, but surely Phil Oakey knew he was writing him that way.
― enochroot, Monday, 13 June 2022 14:53 (one year ago) link
― Antifa Sandwich Artist (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 13 June 2022 15:13 (one year ago) link
A save for "I Still Haven't Found...": The "you" is God? Note that elsewhere, a romantic partner appears in the third person, as "her."
Xpost!
― Doctor Casino, Monday, 13 June 2022 15:14 (one year ago) link
toxic divinity
― Gymnopédie Pablo (Neanderthal), Monday, 13 June 2022 15:17 (one year ago) link
A save for "I Still Haven't Found...": The "you" is God? Note that elsewhere, a romantic partner appears in the _third_ person, as "her."Xpost!
― Antifa Sandwich Artist (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 13 June 2022 19:14 (one year ago) link
_A save for "I Still Haven't Found...": The "you" is God? Note that elsewhere, a romantic partner appears in the _third_ person, as "her."Xpost!_I think the lyric is just about “not finding it” in erotic love.
― Antifa Sandwich Artist (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 13 June 2022 19:15 (one year ago) link
-in-
― Antifa Sandwich Artist (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 13 June 2022 19:16 (one year ago) link
Well, you have to think that Bono is a shitty lay, so that makes sense.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Monday, 13 June 2022 19:16 (one year ago) link
okay thanks for soiling my water
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 June 2022 19:19 (one year ago) link
― butt-mooning is a polysemous word, hoss! (breastcrawl), Monday, 13 June 2022 19:25 (one year ago) link
No serious dicking, for sure.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Monday, 13 June 2022 19:31 (one year ago) link
Hasn't Bono had the same girlfriend/ wife since childhood? So I can imagine his grasp on wooing, romancing, and heartbreak is tenuous.
Perhaps because of that, for Bono, romantic love is a metaphor for religion, and his "love" songs are almost always religious in character. Cf. "She moves in mysterious ways," that's a little too on the nose. Some of the same for Al Green, who has said "You Ought to Be With Me" was never about a woman.
Some have suggested that for Marvin Gaye, sexual freedom and human freedom are metaphors for one another.
― Nutellanor Roosevelt (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 14 June 2022 00:06 (one year ago) link
In actuality, romantic love is a metaphor for the Mexican Revolution. Which was itself a metaphor for pizza.
― Nutellanor Roosevelt (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 14 June 2022 00:08 (one year ago) link
She Looks Like Me,WithPlastic Jewels,On Low Rent Crown,IN TACKY VERSION OF BOB’S (“THE DRESS” ) MACKIE…SINGING”STILL HAVENT FOUND WHAT IM LOOKING FOR” FLAT🤮— Cher (@cher) June 11, 2022
― butt-mooning is a polysemous word, hoss! (breastcrawl), Tuesday, 14 June 2022 09:11 (one year ago) link
https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/624-the-problem-with-ed-sheeran-and-nice-guys-like-him/
― corrs unplugged, Tuesday, 21 June 2022 09:03 (one year ago) link
Definitely. I remember an interview where he mentioned how bemused he is when people tell him it's one of the great love songs: "It's about coercion."
― Vast Halo, Tuesday, 21 June 2022 16:33 (one year ago) link