Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Is Wilco the song really a tribute to fans or a condescending look at who their fans our? The album assumes a parental role/influence of their followers. It's totally big headed.... Follow that with "you never know" which literally calls their audience "children" and basically says..oh don't worry, every generation thinks its the end of the world. everything is just fine..maybe for Wilco or Jeff, but 2008/2009 was a really difficult time for a lot of people due to the start of the ongoing recession, record unemployment, etc. The album just rubbed me the wrong way. I prefer to forget it. Sorry for the rant. Well...how do you feel about "Misunderstood" or "Let's not get carried away"? I view Jeff as an unreliable narrator with respect to the persona assumed in these songs. Link to post Share on other sites
-seven Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Is Wilco the song really a tribute to fans or a condescending look at who their fans our? The album assumes a parental role/influence of their followers. It's totally big headed.... Follow that with "you never know" which literally calls their audience "children" and basically says..oh don't worry, every generation thinks its the end of the world. everything is just fine..maybe for Wilco or Jeff, but 2008/2009 was a really difficult time for a lot of people due to the start of the ongoing recession, record unemployment, etc. The album just rubbed me the wrong way. I prefer to forget it. Sorry for the rant. I interpreted those songs differently. Wilco (The Song) to me, is about music being there for you when nothing else is. I didn't take it as condescending at all. Actually quite the opposite. I think Wilco has always shown a tremendous amount of respect for their fans, which is one of the reasons (for me) that it is so satisfying being one. You Never Know, while not a song I really like, conveys a sentiment I can totally agree with. I tend to keep meeting all of these people living in fear of the Mayan Calendar / End of the World, so maybe that has something to do with it too. Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I think I like just how much rhino4evr dislikes Wilco the Album more than I dislike Wilco the Album. Link to post Share on other sites
hazel Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Aren't we (fans) masses enough? I sort of hate the idea of a Wilco juggernaut after all these years... I don't want "the masses" to come to Solid Sound! Small is beautiful. Link to post Share on other sites
rhino4evr Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Misunderstood is like the complete opposite of Wilco the Album. It's a song about being a new artist and not getting respect, it's also about how being a "rock star" isn't as glamourous as it seems. Wilco the song is like the band coddling their audience....it's all done tongue and cheek, but it's still condescending to me. I'm glad Wilco loves me "baby" but they aren't my only salvation in life. And that being said there is nothing on Wilco the album that is emotional in the first place. So good luck trying to "relate" with any of these songs to help get over some stress in your life...Oh and by the way, by Track 6..we won't care anymore. So stop taking us and life so seriously. Part of what I like about Jeff and Wilco is how humble they appear to be. Sky Blue Sky is the pinnacle of humble Wilco. So going from that album too "you'll like this song, it's for you" attitude is frustrating. I enjoy music that is an extension of the artist itself, and they just come off super cocky. BUT...I see maybe that was the point of the album. Which is fine, it's just not the Wilco I want or need. Not the Wilco I have fallen in love with when I needed a sonic shoulder to cry on. I can't be the only one that feels this way when they hear this album...right? Link to post Share on other sites
Shakespeare In The Alley Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Always thought WTA's biggest flaw was its inoffensiveness. It's not awful, but it's not great. It just kinda exists. In other words, I rarely see strong opinions about it either way. Link to post Share on other sites
rhino4evr Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 yeah, you are exactly right. It's just completely average, which is difficult to swallow when the band has released nothing but above average material in the past. That's why those two songs annoy me so much. Let me sum up what I feel Wilco is "saying" to me when I hear them.... Wilco (The Song) - "You love us, here is more music you'll love because you love us, because we are the only important thing in your life, we are here to help you with your problems. You can always count on us!" You Never Know - "Your problems don't really mean anything to us. In fact your problems are probably meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Is this album any good? We don't care anymore, so you shouldnt either, stop acting like a child" SO in retrospect, I skip those tracks when I choose to listen to the album... LOL... Link to post Share on other sites
rhino4evr Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 and if you think I'm nuts, you are probably right. If you think I have too many thoughts about the songs I don't like, you don't want me to get started on the songs that I love I mean I could probably write a Thesis on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, if not on "Jesus, Etc" alone. Link to post Share on other sites
Shakespeare In The Alley Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I think you're way overanalyzing some of this, especially The Song. I don't love or hate it (the curse of the WTA period, really) but I don't think it's meant to be taken anywhere near this seriously. Link to post Share on other sites
rhino4evr Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 No you are right i am over analyzing it...but when I came to the realization that this was the real reason I was disappointed with the album, not just because it was "average" for a Wilco album, I started to really dislike the album even more. Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I thought we were talking about "The Art of Almost" in this thread? Link to post Share on other sites
rhino4evr Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Yeah sorry to derail. Link to post Share on other sites
u2roolz Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 First off, when I listen to Jeff's music I assume that he isn't speaking about me or directly to me. He knows better than that. Link to post Share on other sites
kidsmoke Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I love the way Jeff says/sings the word "almost" in that clip. It's perfect. Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I love the way Jeff says/sings the word "almost" in that clip. It's perfect. I want to hear the rest of the vocals! Haha, what if that was the only line in that entire song? In the video, Jeff's got the mic, looks like he's getting ready for a vocal take, and just utters one word...haha... Link to post Share on other sites
bobfrombob Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I'm off to watch this again now. Link to post Share on other sites
u2roolz Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I just love the way the song sounds sonically. It is nice and clean and sounds pristine enough to hear what is going on. I do wonder too how the song opens and transforms into a Nels' freakout. Do I dare say those expecting everything else to sound like this one song will be completely saddened? The quick equivalent would be if we had heard a 90 second clip of Bull Black Nova a month before Wilco (The Album). The 5 songs that were played at Solid Sound are easily accessible around these parts. It's a great thing that they all sound unique and fresh. Lots of Mikael & Pat doing that 80s keyboard sounds. What we've been hearing is that the other songs (except for Jane Smiley's Boyfriend) all clock in under 4 minutes and are probably not similar in style to Art Of Almost and Jane Smiley's Boyfriend. I wonder if we will eventually get the more "sonically aggressive" tracks book ended by 2 of the "snot nosed" pop tracks in a year or so? How many songs did they say they recorded in these sessions? Link to post Share on other sites
rhino4evr Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I like how the music stops and then picks up again at the end of the teaser. Gets me everytime. Link to post Share on other sites
rhino4evr Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I also think that the album will be bookended by loud progressive jams, with lots of light hearted stuff in between. If it wasn't for I Might, I would be less enthusiastic, but I love the direction of that track so... Link to post Share on other sites
bobfrombob Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Is it only me or when Jeff says "enter the dragon" does it sound like he's in the next cublicle over and not in the clip at all? Link to post Share on other sites
peteboiler Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Regarding Wilco (the song), Jeff has said in a very recent interview that he doesn't understand fans who obsess over Wilco and would prefer fans to open up their minds and listen to music from vastly different genres. I think, personally, this is why he has had numerous side projects. So in his defense, Wilco (the song)'s meaning is quite different than what some are saying in this thread. He is not saying Wilco will always love us - the fans - and they are always going to be the only ones there for us. It was very much tongue-in-cheek, and I think he was having fun. Quite nice, considering the majority of his lyrics can be interpreted as being 'negative'. And on another note, in my personal opinion, Wilco (the album) is their weakest effort to date. I love many of the songs, and can listen to all of them (although You and I and You Never Know make me cringe just a little - and the album closer is 100% filler and a mess) and appreciate them making an album quite unlike anything they have done before. I think - but do NOT expect - The Whole Love will bring them back... Bob Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I think 90 seconds of "The Art of Almost" > 90 seconds of "You and I." Link to post Share on other sites
rhino4evr Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 oh, so I totally forgot another reason I hate You Never Know...that George Harrison guitar riff is SUPER cheesy. Anyway....the "two Nels guitar solo songs per album" thing has been going on since he joined the group. I hope they give him a little more too do this time around..he's such a talented guitarist. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 (A)AMBTST(MAs)YHFAGIBKTSBSW(TA)TWL Anodyne should get at least parenthetical reference as the current lineup has exactly as much in common with ST, BT, and AM as it does with the last UT lineup.1) Anodyne is not a Wilco record.2) Summerteeth was in between the 2 MA records. Link to post Share on other sites
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