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Songs we don't understand

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 2:13 pm
by dlbpharmd
This thread is dedicated to the songs that, even years later, leave us scratching our heads.

I'll start: Purple Rain by Prince. Now what the hell is this song about? :?

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 2:16 pm
by High Lord Tolkien
I'd like to add any Elvis Costello from the '80s that I listen to a lot.
I never know what he's talking about but love the songs.

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 3:49 pm
by Fist and Faith
I don't understand all that much of what Steely Dan ever talks about, but they're one of my few favorites.

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 3:59 pm
by wayfriend
Yellow Ledbetter - I cannot make out more than three words of that song. "Mumble mumble see them ... mumble mumble porch ..."

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 4:23 pm
by Worm of Despite
There's this guy named Thom Yorke, in this band called Radiohead…

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 4:59 pm
by Cail
Not many of Def Leppard's songs make much sense.

I've never understood Blinded By The Light.

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 5:31 pm
by Fist and Faith
Cail wrote:I've never understood Blinded By The Light.
Springsteen's songs often tell a clear story, or at least give a clear picture of things. A childhood, a neighborhood, etc. But BbtL is certainly not one of them! :lol:

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:14 pm
by lucimay
poetry, gentlemen...WORD play? metaphor? simile?

come on... :roll: you don't AWAYS wanna be SPOONfed, do you? how boring would THAT be? :lol:

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:23 pm
by Cail
Yeah, I get all that, but the song still doesn't make much sense.

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:37 pm
by lucimay
Cail wrote:Yeah, I get all that, but the song still doesn't make much sense.
it does TOO. :?

i could do a line by line analysis if you really want me to but i just read the lyrics and i can't figure what you're not gettin. on blinded by the light at least...

(we'll leave purple rain out of the discussion for a minute cause if you don't get THAT i can't help ya! :lol: )


of course the "legend" is that Blinded by the Light is about an acid trip...and Manfred Mann's cover made it seem moreso...i don't know if Springsteen's ever commented on that or not...

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:42 pm
by The Laughing Man
:goodpost:

come on people! it's a great story with some of the most brilliant character "snapshots" ever conceived by a human brain! absolutely brief and yet completely descriptive.....break each line down, and you should be able to see a certain snapshot of a certain situation in which being blinded by the light occurs....

www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/BlindedByTheLight.html

the official Bruce lyrics:
Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder feelin' kinda older I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing the calliope crashed to the ground
Some all-hot half-shot was headin' for the hot spot snappin' his fingers clappin' his hands
And some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover's knot with a whatnot in her hand
And now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
And some bloodshot forget-me-not whispers daddy's within earshot save the buckshot turn up the band

And she was blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
She got down but she never got tight, but she'll make it alright

Some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
He says: "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funny bone, that's where they expect it least"
And some new-mown chaperone was standin' in the corner all alone watchin' the young girls dance
And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin' with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance

Yeah he was blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
He got down but she never got tight, but he's gonna make it tonight

Some silicone sister with her manager's mister told me I got what it takes
She said I'll turn you on sonny, to something strong if you play that song with the funky break,
And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe to go outside
And little Early-Pearly came in by her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride,
Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer playin' backyard bombardier
Yes and Scotland Yard was trying hard, they sent a dude with a calling card,
he said, do what you like, but don't do it here
Well I jumped up, turnedaround, spit in the air, fell on the ground
Asked him which was the way back home
He said take a right at the light, keep goin' straight until night, and then boy, you're on your own

And now in Zanzibar a shootin' star was ridin' in a side car hummin' a lunar tune
Yes, and the avatar said blow the bar but first remove the cookie jar we're gonna teach those boys to laugh too soon

And some kidnapped handicap was complainin' that he caught the clap from some mousetrap he bought last night,

Well I unsnapped his skull cap and between his ears I saw
a gap but figured he'd be all right

He was just blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh but mama that's where the fun is

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:48 pm
by lucimay
She said I'll turn you on sonny, to something strong if you play that song with the funky break

:rockband:

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:52 pm
by The Laughing Man
extensive use of internal rhyme
thats part of whats so "poetic" about it... 8)

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:03 pm
by Cail
Still doesn't make a lick of sense......

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:11 pm
by danlo
(I dont' think Cail's done enough drugs...) :calvin: :hobbes:

:haha:

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:24 pm
by lucimay
danlo wrote:(I dont' think Cail's done enough drugs...) :calvin: :hobbes:

:haha:
:haha:

let's wrestle him to the ground and force feed him some mushrooms and see what happens!!! woooohoooo!!! the hard*ss scot on MUSHROOMS!!! i'd pay good money!!! :twisted: :lol:

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:39 pm
by Cail
Stoned or no, it still doesn't make any sense.

And the last thing in the world you want to see is me on hallucinogens.

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:55 pm
by danlo
"Did you guys see the size of that chicken?" 8O

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:59 pm
by Marv
they all seemed pretty big to me.

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 9:03 pm
by dlbpharmd
(we'll leave purple rain out of the discussion for a minute cause if you don't get THAT i can't help ya! )
Bah!