Boys February 27, 2009

Over my years as a Ryan Adams fan, I’ve heard several different things about this song.  Probably the most popular “rumor” about it is that it’s a response to the Britney Spears song of the same title.  I had read that he felt the lyrics in her song were sexist, and felt like it was unfair.  I was skeptical when I first heard it, because I thought he was above starting a back-and-forth with someone like Britney.  But he went ahead and proved me wrong, because when I did a search online to find out if he had addressed this theory anywhere, I found this in a Rolling Stone interview:

I just recently started writing songs in reaction to other songs. One song I was working on last week was called “Boys,” which is a reaction to “Boys” by Britney Spears. I wanted to write a song in defense of men, because we’re not all players. There are romantics who don’t think about panty lines and don’t talk shit about women. And just because Britney can’t find one doesn’t mean that I’m supposed to be chastised for it. The song doesn’t attack Britney or anything, it attacks this preconceived notion that men cannot be romantic intellectuals.

Ironically enough, the next question they asked him was what music he listens to when making out…

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)

Do Miss America February 6, 2009

I mentioned this in the post about “Wish You Were Here”, but I feel the need to say it again.  For some reason, I think Ryan Adams is brilliant when he’s writing rude songs.  While “Do Miss America” doesn’t feature lyrics that are gloriously vulgar like “Wish You Were Here”, there’s a really cool arrogance and attitude that can’t be found on many of his other songs.  It’s like Billy Idol…  You know, if Billy Idol was cooler and had constant bedhead instead of those bleached spikes…

I think the song’s lyrics are about how everyone loves to watch a trainwreck.  Look at how the media goes wild about Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse, Courtney Love, and, to a lesser extent, Ryan Adams whenever they make a big scene at a gas station, awards show, or Ryman Auditorium.  People love to watch freakouts, and it’s almost like they’re egging them on.  These lyrics have a fierce sarcasm, like they’re laughing at the person’s problems. (“So, tell me how you feel without your medicine?/Hold your head, feeling paranoid/Sweet sixteen for a schizoid”) 

Then comes the chorus, where he encourages everyone to get their shots in while the person is at their all-time low.  (“Hey!/C’mon! Everybody do Miss America/Hey!/You know that when she goes down, it’s hysterical”)  The end result of this constant harassment isn’t a good one, as the closing line of the last verse is changed to “sweet black smoke from a crooked gun.” 

A really cool song that gets overlooked far too often…

Note To Self: Don’t Die January 20, 2009

I was so excited when I learned that Ryan was busting this one out for the Cardinology tour a few months ago. Unfortunately, he didn’t do either it at either of the shows I attended. (However, I’m going to one of the Nashville shows, so there’s another chance!) Really, I feel like it might be the strongest song on the album. Sure, it’s almost musically identical to “1974″ (which is one I don’t like very much), but it sounds like such a different song.

While the other tracks are in the vein of bands whose names start with “The” (we had a lot of them at the time), this one sounds like something that could have fit on Nirvana’s Nevermind. I think the drums could have been a little bigger sounding, but I really like everything else about it. (Especially the “Nobody, baby” part, which is totally fucking bad ass!)

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.

Rock n Roll January 15, 2009

This is song that has, unfortunately, only been played once.  I feel like it would make for one of the greatest opening songs, much like Wilco used “Sunken Treasure” to open some of their shows.  Listening to it almost makes you a little uncomfortable, like you’re getting a confession you aren’t quite ready to hear yet.  The narrator is admitting that while the whole rock star thing gives a lot of people a major ego boost, he just isn’t feeling it.  It’s like he doesn’t even want to do it anymore, saying he won’t go to his own show.  Oddly, he says “Send all of my best out to the band”, like he’s encouraging them to go on without him. 

This song is pretty appropriate right now, and I really feel it more than I had before.  The feelings that rock n roll can’t fix your problems…  Save the world…  Make you happy or cool…  I guess if it isn’t doing anything for you, there isn’t much of a reason to keep doing it.  And then there’s that woman’s voice on the telephone saying “I miss my best friend.”  I don’t completely understand it, but I GET IT.  This song is blowing my mind right now…  Give it a listen…

Funeral Marching January 5, 2009

When I first got the Halloween EP, I was impressed by how good the songs were.  The first thing I thought was: “Why weren’t these put on an album?”  Well, I turned to our friend Google and found out that “Halloween” had been featured on Love Is Hell Pt.1 in the United Kingdom and “Closer When She Goes” was a b-side to the This Is It single.  But it was then I realized these are on an EP because they didn’t fit on the albums.  After the release of Halloween, his next solo album is 29, which wouldn’t work with any of these tracks.  The fact that “Halloween” was released with Love Is Hell is puzzling enough, considering it’s way too folksy and happy sounding to work.  “Closer When She Goes” has a very garage rock sound, but also has a country vibe that would be out of place on Rock n Roll.  So, to sum up this little wall of text: it was right for these songs to appear on an EP rather than albums. 

In my opinion, the strongest song out of the three is “Funeral Marching.”  The lyrics are, for the most part, just OK.  There are a lot of hooks, which makes me wonder why it wasn’t released as a single.  There’s a really nice, big chorus that sounds like an alt-country U2.  Every time he sings “Oh, you used to be beautiful” I imagine this could have been an rock radio hit.  Of course, Ryan Adams has never really been about singles, so it’s no surprise it wasn’t promoted this way.

What really makes the song, for me, is the music.  There are several electric guitar tracks that give it a very live feel.  There’s the rhythm section that just chugs along, the little bursts he’s grown to be so fond of, and the fills coming at the end of each verse.  However, those kick-ass chimes in the intro are what really do it for me.  It’s classy, it’s rocky, it’s brilliant…

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…

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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