lamradio Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Coming from a songwriter, this is why lyrics have always been my least favorite part of song writing.. In fact, many times I see them as an inconvenience. If I could get away with just humming melodies through all of my songs, I would do it in a heart beat. Why? Because lyrics are so apparent, so unconcealed, when the music part of the song effects the mind/soul in ways that cannot be put into words... I don't want the listener to be told what the song is about with lyrics.. I want them to determine that for themselves. Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 So, maybe instrumental music is more enjoyable to you? Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 So, maybe instrumental music is more enjoyable to you? Well yes probably. But I also like songs that could and do mean several things. Like "She's A Jar"... There can be many different interpretations of what that song means.. Also, "Jesus Etc." is another one. Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 What happened???? I'm trying to avoid political threads! Link to post Share on other sites
embiggen Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Tweedy says it like it was SO painful to live through and our country is SO messed up because of Bush. Gimme a freakin' break. Obama's here now Jeff. Everything's gonna be alright, OK? we're going to find out more and more over the years how Bush screwed this country and basically threw the constitution out the window. it isn't over yet. Jeff Tweedy has a right to express his opinion just like anyone else. no one says you have to agree. What happened???? I'm trying to avoid political threads! sorry Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I guess my point is that the song is out there; at least a live version from October. And people have heard it and their reactions seemed to be quite positive around here. So I was just wondering if this news was changing the opinions of people who have actually heard the song. No, it changes nothing for me and it's still my favorite of the new songs! I kind of like the political tone to it and can't wait to hear the studio take! Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Well yes probably. But I also like songs that could and do mean several things. Like "She's A Jar"... There can be many different interpretations of what that song means.. Also, "Jesus Etc." is another one.In case you haven't heard the song it is not overtly political at all. Would you want to hear Tweedy's takes on Jesus Etc. or She's A Jar? I haven't heard him talk about them, but who knows where he is coming from. Like you stated, there are many different interpretations. What if you had never heard this paraphrasing of a quote? I hope my Rolling Stone finally came today so that I can read this for myself because I seriously doubt it's that political. I think whatever side of the political discussion you're on, the feeling that certain American values have been lost over the past 8 years is pretty much a fact. Someone said 9/11 changed everything. Yes it did. Just for instance, whether you believe warrantless wiretapping or torture is justified or not after 9/11, it's still something no one is (should be?) proud of. Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Okay. Got the Rolling Stone, and the quote I was referring to was Tweedy talking about how he wrote "My Counry Disappeared" before the election when he was "trying to embrace hope, but feeling beaten down after 8 years of feeling awful." I just don't understand that feeling. He's got a lovely wife, 2 healthy kids, a great job, enough money to be very comfortable, he reaches out often to help others with benefits and such. Did Tweedy REALLY feel awful all of those 8 years?! C'mon. That's just crap. Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I think a lot of this meaning is what has enriched Wilco's music for a long time. It is part of the tunes. It's a lot of what makes them tick. Accessing those ideas and images aids in the enjoyment of them. If you choose not to dwell on a certain lyrical trope, you're at your liberty as a patron of the arts- but to suggest that rock and roll is obliged to be disinterested in the changing times is anti-intellectual and inconsistent with the history of the culture. well said Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Well yes probably. But I also like songs that could and do mean several things. Like "She's A Jar"... There can be many different interpretations of what that song means.. Also, "Jesus Etc." is another one. Those are the best kind of lyrics to me too. Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Okay. Got the Rolling Stone, and the quote I was referring to was Tweedy talking about how he wrote "My Counry Disappeared" before the election when he was "trying to embrace hope, but feeling beaten down after 8 years of feeling awful." I just don't understand that feeling. He's got a lovely wife, 2 healthy kids, a great job, enough money to be very comfortable, he reaches out often to help others with benefits and such. Did Tweedy REALLY feel awful all of those 8 years?! C'mon. That's just crap. You can be "just fine" yourself and feel badly for your fellow man/creatures and the earth. It's called compassion. Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Okay. Got the Rolling Stone, and the quote I was referring to was Tweedy talking about how he wrote "My Counry Disappeared" before the election when he was "trying to embrace hope, but feeling beaten down after 8 years of feeling awful." I just don't understand that feeling. He's got a lovely wife, 2 healthy kids, a great job, enough money to be very comfortable, he reaches out often to help others with benefits and such. Did Tweedy REALLY feel awful all of those 8 years?! C'mon. That's just crap. I agree. But then again, if those feelings helped him write a great song, I don't really give a shit what he was feeling or how legitimate I think those feelings are. The only thing that matters is the quality of the music. Hell, he could write an album celebrating McDonald's and Wal-Mart, and as long as the music and the songs were great, it wouldn't bother me at all. Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 You can be "just fine" yourself and feel badly for your fellow man/creatures and the earth. It's called compassion. And if you're a person who struggles with anxiety, you can feel really helpless about the things that are beyond your immediate control, even if you're fine with the things going on in your everyday life. Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Okay. Got the Rolling Stone, and the quote I was referring to was Tweedy talking about how he wrote "My Counry Disappeared" before the election when he was "trying to embrace hope, but feeling beaten down after 8 years of feeling awful." I just don't understand that feeling. He's got a lovely wife, 2 healthy kids, a great job, enough money to be very comfortable, he reaches out often to help others with benefits and such. Did Tweedy REALLY feel awful all of those 8 years?! C'mon. That's just crap.A lot of us who really, profoundly disapproved of the Bush administration's policies felt rotten over the last eight years. Iraq, Katrina, the whole ignorance of the climate change crisis - it just seemed to us that we were witnessing stupidity of enormous, maybe even apocalyptic proportions and many of us who care about our country and the role it should play in the world were upset by this to varying degrees. Link to post Share on other sites
mpolak21 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 You can be "just fine" yourself and feel badly for your fellow man/creatures and the earth. It's called compassion. You are using logic when posting on the internet, it makes your posts pleasurable to read and they don't seem like aimless rants. --Mike Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I'll look forward to the 2016 Wilco tune, "My 401K Is In The Shitter, But My Country Is A Paradise". Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I'll look forward to the 2016 Wilco tune, "My 401K Is In The Shitter, But My Country Is A Paradise".Heh. Maybe there'll be a picture disk you will need three wheelbarrelfuls of money to buy! Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Maybe this is an album we'd all enjoy? Link to post Share on other sites
nodep5 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 A lot of us who really, profoundly disapproved of the Bush administration's policies felt rotten over the last eight years. Iraq, Katrina, the whole ignorance of the climate change crisis - it just seemed to us that we were witnessing stupidity of enormous, maybe even apocalyptic proportions and many of us who care about our country and the role it should play in the world were upset by this to varying degrees. That is cool, just keep in mind or be open minded to the fact that some people don't see it your way and didn't view the past 8 years as awful and may be feeling equally the way you felt then now about the current administration and policies. Compasssion works both ways and not just when you agree with it. I'm cool with the fact that people hated the bush administration (i don't want to hear a song about it), I don't think it is cool when someone gets jumped on for having an opposing opinion. The post that started this basically said, "this is not the world I've been living in and I don't believe this" and everyone starting piling on. Link to post Share on other sites
nodep5 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Maybe this is an album we'd all enjoy? That I can get behind. Sweet album cover. Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 "this is not the world I've been living in and I don't believe this" i.e. I don't live in Iraq. edit: sorry a bit much. but you get the idea. Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Just to be straight, I don't mind the political tone on Wilco songs. As I've said, the version I've heard of "My Country Disappeared" is great. Tweedy's a great songwriter, and he seems to have written it in a way that someone might relate to 50 years from now. It was just his "8 years" quote that I thought was lame. Like, "now that Bush is gone, everything will be OK". We all know that's total B.S. Obama and all the Democrats, like the Republicans, are politicians. History says they'll figure out something to screw up. Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 That statement makes a lot of sense. I can relate to you there. I think where these ideas intersect with art is where things get fragmented and confusing for all of us. I suppose we can agree that some of us find those areas interesting, and others find it tedious. Maybe passionately so, since we all love rock and roll and (hopefully) the country we live in. Link to post Share on other sites
nodep5 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 i.e. I don't live in Iraq. edit: sorry a bit much. but you get the idea. Ok, I made the mistake of even commenting on something that will never resolve itself, and I am now going to only post about music, because of this type of mindset. I thought I said in a nice way that it is cool to have an opinion just be respectful to the idea that not everyone shares it. I guess that is too much and I guess from your perch you are always going to know the right way to think. So can I have permisson to post about wilco or am I too ignorant and lost on that subject as well. Hell I love politics, I love all of us ranting and arguing about things that the big wigs in Washington could give two craps about unless it gets them more of what they have. But, no, you all are right, we have some people truly looking out for us and the world now. Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 It was just his "8 years" quote that I thought was lame. Like, "now that Bush is gone, everything will be OK". We all know that's total B.S. Obama and all the Democrats, like the Republicans, are politicians. History says they'll figure out something to screw up. Do you suppose that the editors of RS might have edited his comments? Link to post Share on other sites
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