This Is It February 14, 2009

I have a friend whose favorite Ryan Adams songs are the ones where his voice sounds really strained.  There are several on Demolition, a few on Love Is Hell, and a few more found on Rock n Roll.  One of those songs is the one I’m writing about today: “This Is It.”  It’s very reflective of the early 2000s back-to-the-garage movement that saw a surge of bands like The White Stripes, The Strokes, and every other band with “The” in front of their names.  However, most of their lyrics are somewhat charming, while the same can’t be said for “This Is It.” 

I mean, seriously, how can you kiss someone on the teeth?  I guess you could if you tried, but I don’t know that you’d really want to.  For the most part, though, the rest of the lyrics make sense.  It has a really nice, big chorus: “Don’t waste my time/This is it/This is really happening.”  But it sticks to its punk rock guns throughout the whole song, only straying when the synths kick in before the second chorus. (which sounds really cool)

Shakedown On 9th Street January 26, 2009

If I’ve ever felt an “Oh shit…” moment at a concert, it would have to be the first time I saw Ryan Adams (and the Cardinals) live.  It was at Foellinger Auditorium in Champaign, Illinois.  I was impressed with the set, but when they started doing “Shakedown On 9th Street”, I knew that we were in for something.  I wasn’t really sure what, but I had a feeling I was going to like it…  The song was an amazing mess of punk, classic country and jam rock all smashed into each other.  It was probably the most brutal live performance I’ve ever seen…

The album version is pretty great, too.  Really, I don’t see how you could go wrong with this song.  It has one of the most bad-ass lines I’ve ever heard: “I was just gonna hit him/But I’m gonna kill him now.”  He says it with this snarl that almost reminds me of a young Elvis.  (You know, if Elvis sang about real fights…)

Also, does anyone know what a “kickin’ machine” is?

Ah, Life January 16, 2009

I really dig Moroccan Role for taking that garage rock sound and attitude that was found on Rock n Roll and adding a country vibe to it.  “Ah, Life” is like some love child of “This Is It” and “To Be Young.”  I don’t know if anyone else will understand what I’m talking about, but the delivery of his vocals reminds me of “Lady Madonna” by the Beatles, for some odd reason.  I can’t really explain it, so I won’t. 

Really, the song is just a look at people living weird lives.  There’s nothing exciting about them, really. They’re just odd.  Principal Victoria just sits around on the computer all day, Michael lives with her in Central Park using money they supposedly got from “an uncle eaten by a shark.”  They like coffee and tea, respectively.  That’s all you need to know about them, I guess.  Then there’s the mysterious Gloria, whose verse includes references to divorce lawyers and leaving her number by the bed.  You don’t get the real scoop on her, but you can make up your own juicy details or whatever.

1974 December 28, 2008

Let me start by saying I enjoy most of Rock n Roll.  It’s not the kind of album I can listen to every day, but I think it’s totally decent.  Still, 1974 is easily one of my least favorite Ryan Adams songs.  The music is incredibly similar to “Note To Self: Don’t Die”, but the lyrics just aren’t nearly as good.  Some of the lines sound like something out a bad 1980’s pop-metal song.  Let’s be honest, a line like “the city is an animal ready to eat” would fit perfectly in a Guns ‘n’ Roses song.

The lyrics don’t seem to have much to with each other, really.  It’s just a lot of statements that come at you one after another.  I wonder if some of them mean anything at all.  For example: “It’s raining like the bombs in my room when I’m alone.” 

I will say that the “Do you wanna?/Do you wanna?/Do you wanna?” part is kinda cool…

Wish You Were Here December 16, 2008

Ryan Adams has done a lot of songs that could be categorized as “love songs”, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be “Wish You Were Here.”  With lyrics like “It’s totally fucked up/I’m totally fucked up/Wish you were here”, what girl could resist?  The lyrics are dirty, filthy, and sometimes kind of stupid, but they manage to be embarrassingly charming…

The lyrics, at least to me, seem to be a criticism of himself and the girl he’s singing to.  “Cotton candy and a rotten mouth/You know you’re so fucked up” targets her, but he quickly adds “You know I couldn’t help but have it for you.”  So while he knows she’s pretty awful, he’s a part of the problem, too.  He follows that by explaining that “Everybody knows the way I walk/And knows the way I talk/And knows the way I feel about you.”  Everyone understands that he’s trouble, so it’s no surprise that he would be attracted to her.  Right about now he’s running the risk of saying too much, so he dismisses it as “all a bunch of shit.”  But he hints back at wanting her by saying “There’s nothing to do around here…” and then coming out and admitting that he wishes she was there with him. 

The second verse is about how lonely he feels in the city without her.  Suddenly, he goes right back into his explanation about how he feels about her (and how everyone knows about it.)  But after that verse, he launches into a new section: “If I could have my way/We’d take some drugs/And we’d smile/But not tonight/My dear.”  This gives me the impression that the narrator, while he still wishes the girl was there to go wild with him, knows that it’s a bad idea and doesn’t act on his impulses.

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