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Third Eye Blind - self titled


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Here's my review for the first album I ever owned

Third Eye Blind

(self titled debut)

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1997

1 Losing a Whole Year

2 Narcolepsy

3 Semi-Charmed Life

4 Jumper

5 Graduate

6 How's It Going to Be

7 Thanks a Lot

8 Burning Man

9 Good for You

10 London

11 I Want You

12 The Background

13 Motorcycle Drive By

14 God of Wine

In the late 90's, popular music was in a state of confusion. Post-grunge was the most popular form of alternative music. Created in the aftermath of grunge, bands like Bush, Candlebox, and Three Doors Down made bittersweet and mostly forgettable music. A lot of post-grunge bands had one or two hit songs, and dissapeared. Third Eye Blind was one of these bands. You couldn't turn on the radio in 1997 without hearing that catchy "doo doo doo, doo doodoo doodoo" chorus of "Semi Charmed Life." They also had "Hows it Going to Be" and "Jumper," which were moderate successes.

Musically, Third Eye Blind is not very different from the other post grunge bands. They weren't very unique, and usually relied on hooks to get through songs. They followed the post-grunge formula of having some upbeat catchy pop tunes, with a few bittersweet songs interspersed, and they ended with the "serious" songs. They weren't innovators of any sort of sound. Third Eye Blind, in the grand scheme of 90's alternative, are of no importance. So why am I reviewing this album? Why could we not stop listening to "Semi Charmed Life?" Why am I going to eventually tell you to listen to this album? Well, the thing that separates this album from the other post-grunge albums is that this album is good. Really good. There's really no better way to put it.

There are two types of songs on "Third Eye Blind." There are the fun songs, and the serious songs. The fun songs have hooks that are catchy as hell, and will have you singing along by the second chorus. They've got a summertime vibe to them that is hard to resist. There's not a whole lot of artistic value to these fun songs, but who cares? In the words of this t-shirt I saw one time, "******* art, let's dance." When listening to these songs, don't think "hmm, this song never really evolves past the hook" (which is true), but just feel the good vibes. Then, there are the serious songs. The serious songs are kind of hit or miss. Some of them, like "How's It Going To Be" are actually able to create an emotional impact. Some of them seem to just kind of drudge along.

So I say, don't buy this album. Find it. If you followed pop-rock in the late 90's, chances are you own this album. You probably listened to "Jumper," "Semi Charmed Life," and "Hows It Going to Be" as much as you possibly could, and then threw it in your closet once you were sick of it. Rediscovering this CD has been great fun to me. Now that I've been jaded to Third Eye Blind's biggest hits, I'm able to listen to the whole album, and realize that the rest of "Third Eye Blind" isn't just "the songs that aren't the 'doo doo doo' song" as I once thought. This album is very consistent for the most part, and there is much more to enjoy in this album than you think there is.

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Here are the lyrics

I'm packed and I'm holding,

I'm smiling, she's living, she's golden and

she lives for me, She says she lives for me,

Ovation, She's got her own motivation,

she comes round and she goes down on me,

And I make her smile, It's like a drug for you,

Do ever what you want to do,

Coming over you,

Keep on smiling,

what we go through.

One stop to the rhythm that divides you,

And I speak to you like the chorus to the verse,

Chop another line like a coda with a curse,

And I come on like a freak show takes the stage.

We give them the games we play, she said,

I want something else, to get me through this,

Semi-charmed kind of life,

I want something else,

I'm not listening when you say, Good-bye.

The sky it was gold, it was rose,

I was taking sips of it through my nose,

And I wish I could get back there,

Some place back there,

Smiling in the pictures you would take,

Doing crystal myth,

Will lift you up until you break,

It won't stop,

I won't come down, I keep stock,

With a tick tock rhythm and a bump for the drop,

And then I bumped up. I took the hit I was given,

Then I bumped again,

And then I bumped again.

How do I get back there to,

The place where I fell asleep inside you?

How do I get myself back to,

The place where you said,

I want something else to get me through this,

semi-charmed kind of life,

I want something else,

I'm not listening when you say, good-bye,

I believe in the sand beneath my toes,

The beach gives a feeling,

An earthy feeling,

I believe in the faith that grows,

And the four right chords can make me cry,

When I'm with you I feel like I could die.

And that would be all right,

All right, When the plane came in,

She said she was crashing,

The velvet it rips,

In the city we tripped,

On the urge to feel alive,

But now I'm struggling to survive,

The days you were wearing,

That velvet dress,

You're the priestess,

must confess,

Those little red panties,

They pass the test,

Slide up around the belly,

Face down on the mattress,

One,

Now you hold me,

And we're broken.

Still it's all that I want to do.

Feel myself with a head made of the ground,

I'm scared but I'm not coming down.

And I won't run for my life,

She's got her jaws just locked now in smile

but nothing is all right,

All right, I want something else,

To get me through this,

Semi-charmed kind of life,

I want something else,

I'm not listening when you say,

good-bye.

Actually, there are more drug references than sex references.

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  • 1 year later...

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