Afraid Not Scared March 4, 2009

This song is one of my favorites to hear live, and I swear that’s not just because it’s off of my favorite album.  There’s an intensity that you can really feel in the room during this one.  It doesn’t have the same effect on the rest of the fans in the room, since some of them came to hear more Heartbreaker and Gold songs than from the rest of the catalog.  But while they’re itching for him to bust out the harmonica, there are those of us who are more than happy to hear this one.  It’s a very different energy than what you get out of a song like “Magick” or “Peaceful Valley”, and it’s something I really appreciate. 

There are some lines in this song that are, to put it simply, terrifying.  The best/worst is “I’m getting really cold and I’m looking at you/And you’re not moving.”  No offense to a certain song off of Cardinology, but this is my favorite Ryan Adams song that features an aquatic disaster.  I’ve always felt that the song deserved a bigger, more powerful ending than it got.  It just fades out, while I’d like to hear it get the same treatment as “Political Scientist.”

This House Is Not For Sale February 19, 2009

I’m excited to finally get around to posting about this one.  It’s one of my favorite songs on my favorite Ryan Adams album, and one I have yet to hear live.  Before I saw the band in Indianapolis and St. Louis this fall, I sent a message to Brad Pemberton’s Facebook, asking if they would play “This House Is Not For Sale” at one of the shows.  Well, while the sets were absolutely awesome, they didn’t play the song.  I figured they get tons of requests online, and completely understood.  Well, after the St. Louis show, Brad was signing my poster and complimenting me on my large marker (which he dubbed “the Sharpie Magnum”) I let him use to sign everyone’s stuff.  Some girl made a comment about how she added him on Facebook, and I said I had, too.  He looked at me and goes, “What’s your name?  You kinda look familiar…”  I replied, “Yeah, I wrote on your wall and requested ‘This House Is Not For Sale’ for tonight…  You guys didn’t…  You know…  Play it…”  We all laughed and he explained that he has to make the setlist with all of the other guys, and they can’t fit EVERYTHING in there (as much as they’d like to). 

I’m going to see them one last time (possibly?) in Nashville next month.  Maybe I’ll get my chance to hear it then…

Political Scientist February 3, 2009

There are about a million reasons why I love this song. (And it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that I’m a Political Science major)  I feel like it’s the perfect opener for Love Is Hell because it doesn’t sound like an opener.  Let me explain…  Most albums start with a track that lifts you up and energizes you for the rest of your listening session.  All of his other releases follow this formula, with the more rocking or energetic tracks leading the tracklisting.  However, “Political Scientist” plays like the music over the opening credits to a movie.  It builds tension, does a great job of foreshadowing, and contains one of Ryan Adams’ strongest vocal deliveries. 

I’m not sure what it is about his delivery that I enjoy so much, but nothing else sounds quite like it.  The lyrics are sung, spoken, and almost (aw snap!) rapped.  And then, after the hushed verses and rumbling choruses comes the cathartic ending, where Ryan calls out “There’s no guarantees…” a few times in a desperate wail.  He hasn’t written anything quite as emotional as the songs on Love Is Hell since the album’s release, and it’s still amazing to look back and realize that one man could have written all of these songs.  There are so many masterpieces on the album, with “Political Scientist” being the first of them…

Wonderwall January 21, 2009

I figured I’d get this one out of the way.  I mean, it’s not a Ryan Adams song, so I was going back and forth about whether or not I should do it.  (As you can see, I decided to) 

I’ve never really been an Oasis fan, but I really enjoyed this cover.  Maybe it’s because there was just more emotion…  Maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for really empty-sounding acoustic songs…  Maybe it’s just because I really like Ryan Adams (and Love Is Hell)…  I’m not sure.  I will say that I could have done without it on the most recent tour, however.  I mean, yeah, it was kinda cool to hear it that first night, but I couldn’t help but think “I wish he was doing “This House Is Not For Sale” or “Anybody Wanna Take Me Home?” 

So, in this rambling post, I guess I feel like this song is just kind of eh.  I feel like Ryan really made the song his own, but I still don’t feel that strongly about it.

World War 24 January 6, 2009

One of the things I’ve always liked about Ryan Adams is how straightforward his lyrics are.  It’s really easy to get what he’s trying to say in most of his songs, but he’s still able to use rich imagery and metaphors.  If there’s one song that’s just about impossible to understand, it’s “World War 24.” 

You can kind of understand what the song is about, but not much more.  It takes place in London and involves a man and a woman who are doing drugs and just bumming around.  Still, some of the lyrics are so abstract, I’m not sure anyone could get to the bottom of them.  Like, what’s “She loves it when it hits her teeth/The river hides the carousel” supposed to mean?  There’s a bit of a Radiohead quality to this song, and not just in the lyrics.  In his vocal delivery and in the music, I could see this song appearing on The Bends without sounding too out of place.  Interestingly enough, I have a friend who’s a die-hard Radiohead fan who absolutely loves this album.  Just a coincidence?  It’s a peculiar world… 

This is one of my least favorites on Love Is Hell, but it’s not a bad song at all.  It’s one I would be interested to hear live, but I guess I could say that for any Ryan Adams song…

Anybody Wanna Take Me Home? January 3, 2009

There’s something that’s really nice about this dysfunctional song.  It stumbles along with a nice right guitar part Peter Buck would be proud of and lyrics that are bratty, desperate and shameful.  “Anybody Wanna Take Me Home?” is the perfect for this point in Ryan Adams’ life.  That’s probably why it was featured on both Rock n Roll and Love Is Hell.  While the albums are pretty different, this song fits remarkably well with each set of songs.

The first line sets up the story perfectly: “I am in the twilight of my youth/Not that I’m going to remember.”  The narrator is at that age where he anything in the world is possible.  While this should be a good time, he’s just wasting it by drinking himself into a stupor (or a coma, as the lyrics say).  Besides the fact that he’s just wasting opportunities, he sees everyone else around him having a great time.  (“They seem happy/But I am sad/I’m still dancing in the coma of the drinks I just had”) 

Life just isn’t doing it for him anymore.  That’s why he asks for someone to “recommend an education or drugs/Because I’m bored with you already.”  He needs something to fill that open time so he can’t be self-destructive.  Maybe if he’s with someone, he won’t be dangerous to himself while he’s alone?  That’s why he’s desperately calling out: “Does anybody wanna take me home?/Take me to your house and I’ll leave you alone”

Now, if that line looks a little familiar (besides this song), it’s because a very similar lyric is featured in the song “Two” on 2007’s Easy Tiger.  “If you take me back/Back to your place/I’ll try not to bother you”  Just an interesting observation…

My Blue Manhattan December 25, 2008

It’s pretty easy to realize that Ryan Adams likes to use cities instead of names in his songs.  Two of his most well-known songs feature this technique of his: “Dear Chicago” and “New York, New York.”  I’ve always imagined that “My Blue Manhattan” was another song about the subject of “New York, New York.” 

The girl is the same as she was in “New York, New York.”  She’s got her problems, but there are still a lot of endearing qualities.  This song tends to focus on some of her more negative characteristics.  Here are some examples:

“She’s angry like a child”
“It’s you against me most days”
“She cusses like a sailor”

While she has her flaws, he still finds her to be pleasant.  The romantic winter imagery from the third verse in “New York, New York” makes a return in this song, which furthers my belief that it’s about the same person.  I particularly like the line “Making snow angels in the gravel and the dirt.”  It manages to be beautiful and gritty, much like New York City…  (Much like the girl in the song!) 

I think this song is about the other side of the girl.  There are times when she’s a little rude and crude, but she’s still the same person he loves.  Really, there isn’t anything about her that we can’t relate to.  We can all be standoffish sometimes…  We can all cuss like sailors…  But we’re still just as good as everyone else in this world.  This girl may have a bit of an attitude sometimes, but even when she’s in a bad mood, it’s nice to have her around.

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

Love Is Hell December 8, 2008

I figured I’d kick off the project with a song off of my favorite Ryan Adams album.  It goes back and forth between jangly garage rockers and dark, brooding acoustic numbers.  I couldn’t make up my mind as to which song to start with, so that’s when it clicked: why not the title track?

I’ve been lucky enough to hear this one live a few times, and it’s great.  Especially to hear him change up the lyrics and let out a nice, loud “I could be serious/but I’m just fucking around” for everyone in the theater to hear.  Really, this is one song that hasn’t changed since being ”cardinalized.”  A lot of songs get a jammier or more folksy feel live, but this is one that seems to remain untouched.  There really isn’t much room for the band to expand on this song, so it isn’t much of a surprise. 

The lyrics in the verses don’t mention love, oddly enough.  There’s a feeling of confusion that carries throughout the whole song, which is something a lot of people feel when they’re in a relationship.  The first line could mean one of many things.  “There’s strange weather in the back of the room” leaves it up to listener to decide whether the “strange weather” is good or bad.  It’ represents a chemistry between people though, which may or may not involve the narrator.  The topic is a girl at a party/bar/similar setting who the narrator feels attracted to.  There’s so much going on, it’s almost hard to concentrate.  Someone is spinning the tunes, he’s drunk, and this all contributes to that “strange weather.” 

The “I could be serious/But I’m just kidding around” line could also apply to several things.  Maybe it means he isn’t looking for a serious relationship, but something quick and fun.  (Possibly sex, but not necessarily)  That’s when the wailing “Love is hell” chorus takes off, like he’s giving up on the other person.

The second verse deals, once again, with weather.  The opening lines are “It’s raining/I can see it outside/Funny/I’m still in it.”  Really, when you read it, the second verse is a rewritten version of the first.  After mentioning the weather, he goes on to talk about hanging out “until the room starts spinning.”  (due to being drunk)  The apathetic pre-chorus kicks in, with my favorite line in the whole song:  “I could be anything/Nothing/Whatever/Oh well.”  I feel like it’s almost a precursor to titling a song “Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.”  (even when the songs aren’t that similar at all)

“Love Is Hell” represents, to me, times when you just want to have fun.  You aren’t looking for anything serious, because you know that’s just going to lead to a lot of work, trouble, and heartbreak.  So why would you want to be serious when you could just be kidding around? 

bwr