Sleater-Kinney-the band which not many people outside of the North-West or indie group circles are aware of has taken a leave of absence-aka are on hiatus. This band is one of my favorite groups and their music is not only creative and stirring but the lyrics are insightful and purposeful as well. Many of the group’s songs have meaning beyond the music-such as Combat Rock from their cd One Beat. This song in particular is an example of artists using their talent to highlight problems in our country. The song asks whether dissent is indeed treason. And of course it is not. Our country’s founders spoke their minds and if they disagreed then they spoke out. The USA is a country that should not require complacency from its citizens. It is not a country that must require the people toting the party line-that sounds rather like the former Soviet Union. If you’re not with us you’re against us-that too is something that is not true in the US-but has been
made popular by many a politician in the last several years. This country felt civil liberties to be so important that it’s written down in law! The 1st Amendment allows for freedom of speech-of the press-of assembly and religion. How can dissent of another’s opinion be anything other than American?
Overall their vocals have an in-your-face style. The lyrics are poignant and the music flows with the lyrics to the point where I wonder which flows from which-the music–lyrics or the lyrics-music.
Their last cd-The Woods-was released in May of 2005 and it may very well be their last. This is a definite disappointment to me as they are one of the few bands that I not only enjoy listening to but admire as well. They have used their talent not only to entertain others but to question as well. Art is here not simply to please us, but to question and push us. Art must ask the difficult questions and force others to confront those questions.
I do not have the talent for composing music, but I’ve always been able to write, to journal and now blog. S-K has been a positive influence on my writing-it’s not a musical composition but a composition of words-and while I have the opportunity to do so I will continue to write and publish here. Perhaps others will read and find questions that they had not considered before.
SLEATER-KINNEY.NET
http://www.sleater-kinney.net/
The Official Website of Sleater-Kinney
http://sleater-kinney.com/
The Bill of Rights
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html
Wednesday October 10th, 2007
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, November 2, 2009
Romeo Void-Warm in Your Coat [1992]
Romeo Void-Never Say Never [1992]
Back in the early 90’s I was in college and listening to music that seemed to represent my mood, thoughts and feelings! The Goth-new wave era had arrived in full force and Romeo Void was one of many groups that I heard on cd’s, in concert and over the air. They seemed to have only two widely popular and well played songs-Never Say Never and A Girl in Trouble-but despite this lack of superficial popularity they became quite popular in the groups that I was around.
I loved the music and the lyrics-both seemed to convey my dark feelings and I was attracted to the way the music flowed than the lyrics themselves for many of the songs I enjoyed. It wasn’t until years later when I was in grad school that I really began to look at the song’s lyrics and analyze what they meant or what they might be trying to say to the larger world and maybe even to us who listened to the music every day.
My thoughts recently have returned to Romeo Void’s cd “Warm in Ur Coat” which has strong lyrics in the songs “Never Say Never” and “A Girl in Trouble”. Both present what appears to be a very strong willed feminist who is living her life on her terms, but on further examination I’ve noticed what appears to be the subtle undertones of women being used and abused by society and they then are required to become self-sufficient and emotionally hard to survive.
In “Never Say Never” I wonder if this song makes reference to incest. We hear in the opening verse that “sun suit girls must be discreet” and I wonder if this is not a reference to a young women, a pre-teen, who is sunning herself outside in the back where her father could be watching. And the verse ends with the words-“Nursing their fathers locked inside. They masqueraded as his bride.” Is this a reference to a father having sex with his daughter? As the obvious metaphor of the father being locked inside-inside her? And only with your spouse are you to have sex so is the last line a reference to the daughter playing the wife? The next verse makes reference to an old man, who sounds homeless and sleeps outside covered in newspapers, but would be “warm in your coat”, and I’ll ask what coat that might be? When I first heard these lyrics I always thought of it literally-being sheltered in someone’s winter coat to stay warm. As I’ve gotten older I wonder if it doesn’t mean a woman’s personal coat that is made of hair and at times called furry. I’ll leave it at that so that this blog can remain PG-13 for the moment! Then there is the chorus that repeats the title-“I might like you better if we slept together…never say never!” And does this make reference of what the father says to his daughter or daughter to father? I suppose it’s open to interpretation.
Now when I listed to “A Girl in Trouble [is a temporary thing]” back when it came out I thought it was a bit of a pop-like song with lyrics that were a bit more upbeat but still quirky. I had thought that it made reference to any pretty girl who could just flash her smile and toss her hair and some guy with money would could bye and help her out. I think the lyrics paint quite a different picture which I’d not noticed until recently. The lyrics say that “she’s heard every line” and she has to save her tears for later when she can afford to cry, but for the moment she has to take care of business. She has to be strong and hard and go get it done. Further reflection on these lyrics indicates she’s a pretty girl and she’s been hit on by plenty of guys. But at least one of these guys may have had his way with her as she has something that is tearing her up inside and is making her want to cry, but she can’t allow herself to cry. I knew of two girls when I was in college who described events like this to me. They had boyfriends or a guy they were dating and they were physically intimate with the guy. During the relationship they became pregnant and the guy left her. They spoke of how they were in trouble, but were going to take care of it, or made reference to how they had business to take care of-before they could collapse and cry. I’m sure this scenario must have occurred many times on college campuses in the 80’s, 90’s and today as well. Pretty girls get in to trouble because they fall for a guy and his lines and then they become pregnant.
The lyrics to some of my favorite songs haven’t changed, but like life itself your perspective of things does change as you get older. Some things have more meaning, some less and others no meaning at all. A girlfriend who dumped me two years ago broke my heart at the time and made me wonder how I’d pick myself up. Two years later I sit and write about song lyrics and wonder why I ever dated her in the first place-and why I’d want to bother dating anyone again. Returning to the songs of my youth reminds me of how dark and jaded my outlook on life was and that I never thought I’d live as long as I have at this moment. I tried to live as much as I could and experience as much as possible thinking that life would be short. Now that I’m older and am old by my own definition during my youth I have a dark outlook on life but not so much that it will end soon, but more so that life doesn’t change. Those that were beautiful and had it all when I was young still do, and the beautiful still have a different life in the USA. Those who were not born with money or looks must work hard to make a living and try and find what happiness they can in the time that they are given. Perhaps the music of my youth can help me to find a smile-even if it is dark music!
Romeo Void-Never Say Never
http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/dodgeball/neversaynever.htm
Never Say Never-listen online
http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684693663463194
rhapsody-never say never
http://www.rhapsody.com/romeo-void/warm-in-your-coat/never-say-never/lyrics.html
rhapsody-a girl in trouble
http://www.rhapsody.com/romeo-void/warm-in-your-coat/a-girl-in-trouble-is-a-temporary-thing/lyrics.html
Monday, November 02, 2009
Back in the early 90’s I was in college and listening to music that seemed to represent my mood, thoughts and feelings! The Goth-new wave era had arrived in full force and Romeo Void was one of many groups that I heard on cd’s, in concert and over the air. They seemed to have only two widely popular and well played songs-Never Say Never and A Girl in Trouble-but despite this lack of superficial popularity they became quite popular in the groups that I was around.
I loved the music and the lyrics-both seemed to convey my dark feelings and I was attracted to the way the music flowed than the lyrics themselves for many of the songs I enjoyed. It wasn’t until years later when I was in grad school that I really began to look at the song’s lyrics and analyze what they meant or what they might be trying to say to the larger world and maybe even to us who listened to the music every day.
My thoughts recently have returned to Romeo Void’s cd “Warm in Ur Coat” which has strong lyrics in the songs “Never Say Never” and “A Girl in Trouble”. Both present what appears to be a very strong willed feminist who is living her life on her terms, but on further examination I’ve noticed what appears to be the subtle undertones of women being used and abused by society and they then are required to become self-sufficient and emotionally hard to survive.
In “Never Say Never” I wonder if this song makes reference to incest. We hear in the opening verse that “sun suit girls must be discreet” and I wonder if this is not a reference to a young women, a pre-teen, who is sunning herself outside in the back where her father could be watching. And the verse ends with the words-“Nursing their fathers locked inside. They masqueraded as his bride.” Is this a reference to a father having sex with his daughter? As the obvious metaphor of the father being locked inside-inside her? And only with your spouse are you to have sex so is the last line a reference to the daughter playing the wife? The next verse makes reference to an old man, who sounds homeless and sleeps outside covered in newspapers, but would be “warm in your coat”, and I’ll ask what coat that might be? When I first heard these lyrics I always thought of it literally-being sheltered in someone’s winter coat to stay warm. As I’ve gotten older I wonder if it doesn’t mean a woman’s personal coat that is made of hair and at times called furry. I’ll leave it at that so that this blog can remain PG-13 for the moment! Then there is the chorus that repeats the title-“I might like you better if we slept together…never say never!” And does this make reference of what the father says to his daughter or daughter to father? I suppose it’s open to interpretation.
Now when I listed to “A Girl in Trouble [is a temporary thing]” back when it came out I thought it was a bit of a pop-like song with lyrics that were a bit more upbeat but still quirky. I had thought that it made reference to any pretty girl who could just flash her smile and toss her hair and some guy with money would could bye and help her out. I think the lyrics paint quite a different picture which I’d not noticed until recently. The lyrics say that “she’s heard every line” and she has to save her tears for later when she can afford to cry, but for the moment she has to take care of business. She has to be strong and hard and go get it done. Further reflection on these lyrics indicates she’s a pretty girl and she’s been hit on by plenty of guys. But at least one of these guys may have had his way with her as she has something that is tearing her up inside and is making her want to cry, but she can’t allow herself to cry. I knew of two girls when I was in college who described events like this to me. They had boyfriends or a guy they were dating and they were physically intimate with the guy. During the relationship they became pregnant and the guy left her. They spoke of how they were in trouble, but were going to take care of it, or made reference to how they had business to take care of-before they could collapse and cry. I’m sure this scenario must have occurred many times on college campuses in the 80’s, 90’s and today as well. Pretty girls get in to trouble because they fall for a guy and his lines and then they become pregnant.
The lyrics to some of my favorite songs haven’t changed, but like life itself your perspective of things does change as you get older. Some things have more meaning, some less and others no meaning at all. A girlfriend who dumped me two years ago broke my heart at the time and made me wonder how I’d pick myself up. Two years later I sit and write about song lyrics and wonder why I ever dated her in the first place-and why I’d want to bother dating anyone again. Returning to the songs of my youth reminds me of how dark and jaded my outlook on life was and that I never thought I’d live as long as I have at this moment. I tried to live as much as I could and experience as much as possible thinking that life would be short. Now that I’m older and am old by my own definition during my youth I have a dark outlook on life but not so much that it will end soon, but more so that life doesn’t change. Those that were beautiful and had it all when I was young still do, and the beautiful still have a different life in the USA. Those who were not born with money or looks must work hard to make a living and try and find what happiness they can in the time that they are given. Perhaps the music of my youth can help me to find a smile-even if it is dark music!
Romeo Void-Never Say Never
http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/dodgeball/neversaynever.htm
Never Say Never-listen online
http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684693663463194
rhapsody-never say never
http://www.rhapsody.com/romeo-void/warm-in-your-coat/never-say-never/lyrics.html
rhapsody-a girl in trouble
http://www.rhapsody.com/romeo-void/warm-in-your-coat/a-girl-in-trouble-is-a-temporary-thing/lyrics.html
Monday, November 02, 2009
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