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"A Shot in the Arm" on Singles list


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Wilco - "A Shot In the Arm" (Reprise, 1999)

 

There's something painfully tear-jerky about a sad lyric set to a particularly beautiful arrangement; this is something Jeff Tweedy knows all too well. Wilco's third album summerteeth contained 14 such emotional maelstroms, its single "A Shot in the Arm" being one of the heaviest. Its tune is graceful and elaborate, yet upbeat, simultaneously borrowing the best of The Beatles, Big Star and The Beach Boys to be reconfigured into an awe-inspiring original. Tweedy's lyrics are somewhat cryptic. As he sings "the ashtray said you were up all night" he could be speaking to a friend or a lover, or even himself, and creates a clever musical metaphor with the lines "we fell in love/ in the key of C" and "you followed me down/ the neck to D." Some speculate the song is about drug use, its imagery of needles and "something in my veins bloodier than blood" used as central themes. Only Tweedy knows for sure. Yet two simple words, the quiet resignation in his remark "you've changed," are by far the most devastating. Long before he admitted as such, Jeff Tweedy was trying to break our hearts.

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ugh no it doesnt

 

I'm pretty sure 1/10th of that list was Radiohead.

 

And I've yet to hear a single thing by Radiohead that makes me say "wow." I may be in the minority on that, but they're not that great. I can understand a few songs by them on there because I know they have a fairly sizable fan base but please...

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Lists are ridiculous anway(ask half of a yearly subscrption to Rolling Stone) but it was nice to the boys so high. And Pavement. And Neutral. Air? Who actually bought that album?

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I'm pretty sure 1/10th of that list was Radiohead.

 

And I've yet to hear a single thing by Radiohead that makes me say "wow." I may be in the minority on that, but they're not that great. I can understand a few songs by them on there because I know they have a fairly sizable fan base but please...

 

yay! finally! someone who wouldnt go gay for radiohead!

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That was a pretty good pop list, I think.

 

They might be giants should have been in the top 10, "Birdhouse in your Soul" is such an achievement in songwriting.

 

The list was overwhelmingly white too.

 

annnnnd. I bought that Air album :)

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Not a bad list there (Diamond Sea, Carry the Zero, Black Hole Sun to name a few), but way too much Radiohead fluffing imo.

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Am I the only one who is not aware of this trebel 'zine? The blurb on "Shot in the Arm" was good, though.

 

The only Radio Head song I believe I would know if I heard them on the radio is "Creep." I did see them on a late night talk show about 5 years ago and thought the tune they did was decent, but as much as I've tried I can not get into their music.

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That was a pretty good pop list, I think.

 

They might be giants should have been in the top 10, "Birdhouse in your Soul" is such an achievement in songwriting.

 

The list was overwhelmingly white too.

 

annnnnd. I bought that Air album :)

 

You gave it to your little sister though, right? :cheekkiss

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The list was overwhelmingly white too.

 

You'd think that the decade where hip hop broke out big time would have more than the Beastie Boys and Snoop.* Both deserved it, but even if rap isn't your thing, it deserves more of a nod than that. Was Lauren Hill on there?

 

Also, I was pleasantly shocked to see Wilco not only on the list, but so high up. Actually surprised that Uncle Tupelo didn't make the cut.

 

* There may have been more, but I'm too lazy to go back and check.

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Wilco - "A Shot In the Arm" (Reprise, 1999)

 

...As he sings "the ashtray said you were up all night" he could be speaking to a friend or a lover, or even himself, and creates a clever musical metaphor with the lines "we fell in love/ in the key of C" and "you followed me down/ the neck to D." Some speculate the song is about drug use, its imagery of needles and "something in my veins bloodier than blood" used as central themes. Only Tweedy knows for sure...

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I just can't see Jeff using needles.

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