Lyrics are kind of a Rorschach Test.
How you interpret the lyrics is often an insight to what is on your mind.
This Collective Soul song was out at about the same time my radio station was playing another alterna-hit, Poe's "Trigger Happy Jack."
To my roommate, I pointed out what I thought was a thematic similarity between the two songs and remarked that it was surprising that two mainstream tunes would so casually mention this subject.
The roommate remarked that my interpretation might only be symptomatic of what was on my young mind.
You tell me.
Do the 2nd and 4th lines of the chorus of "December" and the third stanza of "Trigger Happy Jack" suggest anything to you?
Or do I just have a dirty mind?
Showing posts with label a long december. Show all posts
Showing posts with label a long december. Show all posts
Monday, January 17, 2011
Monday, October 25, 2010
Counting Crows “A Long December”
Some people dismiss Counting Crows, saying Adam Duritz takes himself too seriously. But if you were at The Orpheum in Boston, in 1999, you know differently.
At the time, I was still living in the South, but was coming up to New England for my sister’s wedding. As usual, I perused Pollstar.com to see if there were any good shows in Boston, on the dates I was in town.
The day after the wedding, Counting Crows were schedule to play at The Orpheum, with another favorite band, Gigolo Aunts. So I got tickets.
As it happened, the show was October 31st. Halloween. We joked about going to the show in costume.
The Counting Crows did not joke.
I’ll never forget the band taking the stage. Backlit and silhouetted, I could make out a shape.
“Is he dressed in a bunny suit?!?!?”
Yes, Adam Duritz was dressed in a giant, white, fluffy bunny suit, complete with ears.
Other band members where dress up too. The bass player performed the full show in a robe and Yoda mask. One guitarist had a red devil suit and the other was a Russian soldier. It was pretty cute.
But better than cute, it added a really interesting element to the show.
Duritz would sing these heart-wrenching, very personal lyrics, the sincerity of which was completely undercut by the fact that he was standing there dressed as a bunny. It was hard to take him seriously, and it made the whole thing totally charming.
The giant bunny sat at the piano, for a stripped down version of “A Long December.” But he had to stop and start a couple of times, because he kept cracking up, knowing how silly it all was.
I remember walking out of The Orpheum thinking, Every concert should be that good.
The interpretations of familiar songs were adventurous, the playing was impeccable, and while the music had majesty, the show was completely devoid of rock or singer-songwriter pomposity.
Like all singers, every show, should be made to dress as a bunny.
At the time, I was still living in the South, but was coming up to New England for my sister’s wedding. As usual, I perused Pollstar.com to see if there were any good shows in Boston, on the dates I was in town.
The day after the wedding, Counting Crows were schedule to play at The Orpheum, with another favorite band, Gigolo Aunts. So I got tickets.
As it happened, the show was October 31st. Halloween. We joked about going to the show in costume.
The Counting Crows did not joke.
I’ll never forget the band taking the stage. Backlit and silhouetted, I could make out a shape.
“Is he dressed in a bunny suit?!?!?”
Yes, Adam Duritz was dressed in a giant, white, fluffy bunny suit, complete with ears.
Other band members where dress up too. The bass player performed the full show in a robe and Yoda mask. One guitarist had a red devil suit and the other was a Russian soldier. It was pretty cute.
But better than cute, it added a really interesting element to the show.
Duritz would sing these heart-wrenching, very personal lyrics, the sincerity of which was completely undercut by the fact that he was standing there dressed as a bunny. It was hard to take him seriously, and it made the whole thing totally charming.
The giant bunny sat at the piano, for a stripped down version of “A Long December.” But he had to stop and start a couple of times, because he kept cracking up, knowing how silly it all was.
I remember walking out of The Orpheum thinking, Every concert should be that good.
The interpretations of familiar songs were adventurous, the playing was impeccable, and while the music had majesty, the show was completely devoid of rock or singer-songwriter pomposity.
Like all singers, every show, should be made to dress as a bunny.
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