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Carl

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Posts posted by Carl

  1. Just posted a Songfacts entry for "Miserable" by Lit, a '90s angst-comedy track that begins:

    "You make me come."

    We later learn that the complete thought is "You make me completely miserable."

    What are some other songs that do this? The only one that comes right to mind is "American Girl" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, which goes, "If she had to die... trying."

    And here's the video for "Miserable," where the band performs the song on a giant Pam Anderson.

     

  2. Found out that Holly Dunn has died of cancer at age 59. Amanda interviewed her back in March, and then a few months later she revealed the diagnosis. Holly was a also a painter, and her songwriting was very visual, perhaps best heard in her hit song "Daddy's Hands," about her preacher father.

    We were intrigued by a song she wrote called "Maybe I Mean Yes," which goes:

    When I say no I mean maybe
    Baby don't you know me yet?
    Nothin's worth havin' if it ain't a little hard to get
    So let me clarify so you won't have to try to guess
    When I say no I mean maybe, or maybe I mean yes

    Shortly before the song was released, this happened:

    time_cover.jpg

    Suddenly her clever little song was seen as promoting date rape. Here's what she told us about the song:

    We were just coming from a totally lighthearted, flirty thought. Almost an old-school relationship between men and women with that old-fashioned, flirty game-playing kind of thing that happens sometimes.

    Holly seemed to be in a good place when Amanda spoke with her. She was living in New Mexico and channeling her creative energy into her art.

    We've lost some great music makers over the last week or so.

  3. It appears that Leonard Cohen has passed away. One of the truly great songwriters of his time, he made the kind of music that merits discussion, which made him a Songfacts favorite. His most famous song, by far, is "Hallelujah," which has consistently been one of the most-discussed and analyzed.

    Details aren't out yet, but he just released and album called You Want It Darker. It's hard to tell if the album is informed by his parting, as he's always written about mortality and religion.

  4. The big news isn't that Eddie Vedder sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field last night, it's that he did it during the World Series. At Pearl Jam shows, he often makes a big deal about the crew (many members have been with the band for decades) and other folks who do their dirty work. Fitting then that he took the opportunity to thank David Ross, the scrappy catcher who was likely playing his last game in the park.

    The Cubs pulled it out but it's not looking good: They're still down 3-2 as the series moves to Cleveland.

     

  5. It was big news when Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize For Literature. But since the announcement on October 13, there has been no word from Dylan.

    One of the most laconic men in entertainment, it's no surprise that Dylan didn't gush over this. His silence is making a statement and stirring discussion in the same way his songs have done for decades. He doesn't need yet another award to secure his legacy, so there's no onus on him to accept or even acknowledge it, which becomes a fine bit of performance art and a great sociological experiment: Can you blame a guy for snubbing an award he didn't ask for? Does he have a stack of emails to get through before he gets to that one?

    After this plays out, maybe he'll write a song about it.

  6. Otherwise known as "kinda Yes".

    John Anderson gave us a great interview a few years ago where it became clear that the songs still hold deep connections for him, and performing them is a way for him to relive the journey with the audience. That's what he did when I saw ARW on Friday night. It was like re-reading a really good book and remembering those lessons learned.

    Rabin was a driving force in '80s Yes, so "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" got an extended play. That's one of the songs Jon doesn't have much affinity for, but musically, it served its purpose.

    Now that James Brown is no longer with us, Rick Wakeman is probably the only guy who can earnestly wear a cape even before Halloween (he is after all, a keyboard wizard). Not a great photo, but what he's wearing in this shot stayed on for the whole show.
     IMG_0297.JPG

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