Sometimes you meet songs that just grab you by the neck and shake you silly. Dancing Nancies by Dave Matthews Band is one of those for me. This song is a perfect mix of triteness and profundity. I play it loud, loud, loud as I drive along in my car.
Could I have been anyone other than me?
Dancing Nancies Dave Matthews Band
Could I have been a parking lot attendant? Could I have been a millionaire in Bel Air? Could I have been lost somewhere in Paris? Could I have been your little brother? Could I have been anyone other than me? Could I have been anyone other than me? Could I have been anyone . . . ?
He stands touch his hair his shoes untied Tongue gaping stare Could I have been a magnet for money? Could have been anyone other than me? Twenty-three and so tired of life Such a shame to throw it all away The images grow darker still Could I have been anyone other than me?
Then I look up at the sky My mouth is open wide lick and taste What's the use in worrying, what's the use in hurrying Turn, turn, we almost become dizzy
I am who I am who I am, well, who am I? Requesting some enlightenment Could I have been anyone other than me? And then I'll
Sing and dance I'll play for you tonight The thrill of it all Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes But I'll work it out And then I Look up at the sky My mouth is open wide lick and taste What's the use in worrying, what's the use in hurrying Turn, turn, we almost become dizzy
Falling out of a world of lies Could I have been a dancing nancy, a dancing nancy Could I have been anyone other than me?
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
What am I listening to?
David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed. Photo by Mick Rock.
Tuesday, August 21, 2001
And I feel so much depends on the weather, So is it raining in your bedroom?
Stone Temple Pilots, Plush
Listening to:Red Vines, a visit mix from my trip to Tampa last weekend. We're still working on the cover, but the mix is done and I brought it home with me. Playing it on the way from the airport last night made me feel like the visit wasn't over yet.
Red Vines August 20, 2001
Baby Got Going / Liz Phair Party Generation / Dar Williams Velvet Goldmine / David Bowie Sparkling Diamonds / Nicole Kidman (from Moulin Rouge) Satellite of Love / Lou Reed Interstate Love Song / Stone Temple Pilots Bang and Blame / R.E.M. Jackie’s Strength / Tori Amos When You’re Falling / Peter Gabriel & Afro Celt Sound System Honky Cat / Elton John Your Song / Ewan McGregor (from Moulin Rouge) Leave / R.E.M. She’s Your Cocaine / Tori Amos Red Vines / Aimee Mann Plush (acoustic) / Stone Temple Pilots Come What May / Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor (from Moulin Rouge) Come In, Sweet Assassin / Marc Almond Someone to Pull the Trigger / Matthew Sweet Johnny Feelgood / Liz Phair
Friday, August 17, 2001
Divorce Song Liz Phair
And when I asked for a separate room It was late at night And we'd been driving since noon But if I'd known How that would sound to you I would have stayed in your bed For the rest of my life Just to prove I was right That it's harder to be friends than lovers And you shouldn't try to mix the two Cause if you do it and you're still unhappy Then you know that the problem is you
And it's true that I stole your lighter And it's also true that I lost the map But when you said that I wasn't worth talking to I had to take your word on that But if you'd known How that would sound to me You would have taken it back And boxed it up and buried it in the ground Boxed it up and buried it in the ground Boxed it up and buried it in the ground Burned it up and thrown it away
You put in my hands a loaded gun And then told me not to fire it When you did the things you said were up to me And then accused me of trying to fuck it up But you've never been a waste of my time It's never been a drag So take a deep breath and count back from ten And maybe you'll be alright
And the license said You had to stick around until I was dead But if you're tired of looking at my face I guess I already am But you've never been a waste of my time It's never been a drag So take a deep breath and count back from ten And maybe you'll be alright
Thursday, August 16, 2001
Today I'm listening to On the Run, a mix I made about 2 years ago. This was almost the last mix I made that was intended to be a cassette -- after this, I got a CD burner and never looked back (with the exception of "Black Monday," a valentine's mix on cassette that I made in 2000).
Anyway, On the Run is cool. It's a Krycek road music mix. I'm making some copies of it now for a few friends who didn't get in on the (extremely) limited initial run.
Tuesday, August 14, 2001
So you're running 'round the parking lot Til every lightning bug is caught Punching some pinholes in the lid of a jar While we wait in the car With cigarettes and Red Vines Just close your eyes, cause baby, You never do know And I'll be on the sidelines, With my hands tied, Watching the show...
Aimee Mann, "Red Vines"
Monday, August 06, 2001
Separated At Birth?
Last week I noticed a strange kinship between kd lang's Invincible Summer (2000) and R.E.M.'s Reveal (2001). The similar golden covers are just the beginning.
The themes of the albums are somewhat similar; the lyrics of both are rife with references to summer and both albums feature songs with a kind of "retro" feel. They both sing about beaches and the sun, and there's just a sense of looking backwards, either lyrically or melodically, on both CDs. That's not to say they're exactly the same, of course. Reveal, being an R.E.M. album, does have that darkness in the lyrics that I don't find in many of kd lang's songs, and kd's songs examine the existence of love in much greater detail than R.E.M.'s.
But if you want to hear what really made me do an aural double take, check out the opening bars of kd's "Extraordinary Thing" and then compare them with the beginning of R.E.M.'s "Summer Turns to High." Whoa. There are some other musical similarities on the two albums, but that is certainly enough of a foundation to build a convincing argument upon. What do you think?
I got a couple of mixes done this weekend. Golden Days, I think, is complete. (Did you guess that I used songs from both the above albums on it? After all, it is a CD about summer with a golden cover!) I like it very much, and I think Sonal will too. My third World in My Head CD is done as well, I think. The track list was finished over a week ago, but I still needed to edit a few song files. But I think they're all finished now and I can maybe send this one out in the next few days. Marel will be getting it right away, of course, and I think it will also go into my package for Hal. I still owe him mixes from our trade last month... but I think he'll like the ones he's getting, so maybe they'll be worth the wait.
Friday, August 03, 2001
Music for a summertime Friday...
Liz Phair's White Chocolate Space Egg always reminds me of the summer of 1999. I played it into the ground that summer, through visits, vacations, and the process of buying our house and moving in. It reminds me of sweating through hot summer days, driving up into the Berkshires, seeing New Orleans for the first time, and driving back and forth between Manchester and Hamden with my car stuffed to the roof and matresses tied to the top. All the way, there and back, it was "Johnny Feelgood," "Baby Got Going," and "Polyester Bride."
So White Chocolate Space Egg is my pick for Friday going-to-work music in this first week of August.
The themes of the albums are somewhat similar; the lyrics of both are rife with references to summer and both albums feature songs with a kind of "retro" feel. They both sing about beaches and the sun, and there's just a sense of looking backwards, either lyrically or melodically, on both CDs. That's not to say they're exactly the same, of course. Reveal, being an R.E.M. album, does have that darkness in the lyrics that I don't find in many of kd lang's songs, and kd's songs examine the existence of love in much greater detail than R.E.M.'s.
But if you want to hear what really made me do an aural double take, check out the opening bars of kd's "Extraordinary Thing" and then compare them with the beginning of R.E.M.'s "Summer Turns to High." Whoa. There are some other musical similarities on the two albums, but that is certainly enough of a foundation to build a convincing argument upon. 
