The persistent rumour is that it’s about someone famous that Carly Simon knew.
And she sold the name for $50,000! :eek:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2003-08-05-simon-vain_x.htm
It’s a great song. 
The video is also vaguely anti-Semitic as well. Even as a kid in the 80s that video always skeeved me out.
I remember a song from an old Kingston Trio album – the guy says his beloved is “packed like a seed in a grape.” Not a phrase I would use as an erotic compliment, but the intent is clearer than the semantics.
What’s this one about that’s getting a lot of airplay right now?
It goes -
I’m paralyzed, I’m paralyzed
Stuck in the middle and I’m paralyzed
The only way to cope is to realize
I can’t tell if
- It’s a metaphor (for what?)
- It is literal, or
- They just like the way the words sounded when lumped together
I always assumed that Rock the Casbah was anti-fundamentalism, not anti-Islam or anti-semitic.
Blinded By The Light. WTF are they going on about?
They’re clearly talking about the coast of Lake Michigan, of course!
The Dave Clark Five?
“The mama pajama rolled out of bed, and she ran to the po-lice station. When people found out, they began to shout, and that started the investigation. It was against the law.” - Paul Simon, Me and Julio, Down by the Schoolyard
As I make it, insider references to the music industry. Anyhow, it sounds cool.
To me, it seems that the singer is in love with a woman who is dating another guy, and he gets upset at what he sees them doing together, whether or not they are (hence, the ‘it’s all in my head’ line.)
OK… I’ve heard from several (baby-boomer English) sources that this song is autobiographically about Richards and Jagger, or at least about their class and generation.
I was born in a cross-fire hurricane = the London Blitz or WWII in general.
I was schooled with a strap right across my back, = references a working-class childhood.
I was drowned, I was washed up and left for dead. I fell down to my feet and I saw they bled. Yeah, yeah, I frowned at the crumbs of a crust of bread. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was crowned with a spike right through my head = references to legal problems, drug use, etc.
Or you could go with the fact that “Jack Flash” is an old slang term for heroin.
Whatever, it’s still a great song.
What does “fronting” mean in the pussycat dolls song “buttons”, and why would anybody do it instead of loosening up her buttons?
Fronting means posturing or posing, roughly. See, for instance Pharrell Williams song, “Frontin’”:
In this song, both Pharrell and his lover are putting on a front to hide their true feelings. In the Pussycat Dolls song, the Dolls sing:
In this song the girls are complaining that their lover is all talk and no action. He’s willing to talk about all the dirty things he wants to do, but when it comes down to it, he’s just messing around and unprepared to give them the satisfaction they want.
I really dislike John Mayer, but I find the theme of this song surprisingly resonant. I’m not sure whether it’s a generational thing or not, but I find that the song’s message is less apathetic and more resigned. Us pinko commie libruls held big protests against the Iraq war, and the Republicans invaded anyway. We kept up our criticism at the bloodshed and corruption surrounding the occupation, and the Republicans just kept doing what they were doing, even as the justification for their actions collapsed beneath their feet. We railed against the administration’s incompetency and the public re-elected that administration. The majority’s opinion turned against the war effort, but, still, there is no exit route, because to leave now is just as difficult as to stay. The Democrats take Congress, but it doesn’t mean the fighting in Iraq will end or the troops will be able to come home. In these times, the only hope seems to wait for the world to change, and then, next time round, give it a better shot. The song is a rejection of idealism and a lament of powerlessness. What more can a protest song be when the only options being presented are “cut and run” or “stay the course,” with both just as likely to end up in more bodybags coming home and greater violence breaking out abroad? It doesn’t
I can’t hear that without thinking of SCTV’s Dave Thomas doing Richard Harris singing McA Park & then swim-dancing during the musical interlude.
This is a little weak, but I’ve always think WTF??? when I hear “Ventura Highway” with the line “… alligator lizards in the air …”
With my limited knowledge of Spanish, this translates as “… the lizard lizards in the air …” from the department of redundancy department.
Now I’ll be playing that crap in my head all day.
Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Flashing lights against the sky
Giving up I close my eyes
[ Lyrics deleted – CKDH ]
Musta been some good weed…
No need to go all bilingual. The alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) is a common reptile in Ventura County, as well as much of the rest of California. The weird bit is “in the air.” I’ve handled many an alligator lizard in my day, and can assure you that they neither fly nor leap. The little fuckers sure do bite, though.
IIRC, the song is about the difficulty of writing a song. The singer is trying to meet a deadline for writing a song and is making one out of the experience of writer’s block. He has stayed up until after 330 in the morning and this is the best he could come up with.
The title refers to the time. (It is 25 or 26 minutes until 400am.)
Now could somebody explain the story of Duke by Genesis. I’ve listened to that album many times with many different chemical enhancements, and I still can’t see the story.
Sgt Schwartz
Happy Wanderer, we do not permit quoting full lyrics here, that’s potentially a copyright violation. Please see:Forum Rules: PLEASE READ and note Post #2. You may quote a line or two from a song, and then provide a link to a website that has the rights to publish the entire song lyrics.
Sgt, since you quoted Happy in full, I deleted the lyrics from your post as well.
Y’all might also check our Archives: What does the Chicago lyric “25 or 6 to 4” mean?