Musical Notes

[sincere]

I don't like Something Corporate. My sister listens to them in the car poundingly loud. The singer's voice grates on my every nerve and some of the lyrics are gaggingly overpoetic. Every time I get in the car with her I ask "Who is this?" and she's like "Goddamnit, I told you eight times already today, it's Something Corporate," and I try to make myself remember to put it on the list of things I don't like.

I guess the lead singer at some point broke off and started doing his own thing, Jack's Mannquin. angrybabble posted a song recently called "The Mixed Tape" that he did. ...it's a really nice song. I'm not going out to buy his CD and I don't dislike Something Corporate any less, if that makes sense, but it's a really nice song. Another one on the list for lyric_plot, phinnia!

Then there's Ben Folds. He has this song on his new CD which is called "Late". I wasn't quite sure what the song was about per se, but I got the feeling it was about a friend or an idol who dies.

Elliott, man, you played a mean guitar
And some dirty basketball
The songs you wrote
got me through a lot,
Just want to tell you that
But it's too late

This weekend I went to Song Meanings.Net, which I find both insightful and hilarious in alternate doses. (Who would like to dissect the profound underlying meanings of Christina Aguileira's Genie in a Bottle? Anyone?) It was finally back online, so I trolled around and finally found the entry for "Late." Everyone in the comments insisted that this song was about Elliott Smith, a musician who evidently killed himself a little while ago, and he was someone that Ben Folds had known, they toured together or something. The commenters spoke of the man in reverent tones such as is possible only in the mysterious bowels of the dark underworld beyond radio songs and snapped at people being "disrespectful" for only spelling his name with one "t", hence why I am so careful to use both of them now.

I'd never heard of him before and was like, whatever.

Yesterday on the bus I was listening to my iPod and a song that I really love came on, from the Lost in Translation soundtrack. It's titled "I'm Gonna Love You Anyhow" on my iPod but it's really called "Waltz #2", and it's by Elliott Smith.

In the place where I make no mistakes
In the place where I have what it takes
I'm never gonna know you now,
but I'm gonna love you anyhow

Comments

[sakusha.livejournal.com]

The lead singer of Something Corporate did the Jack's Mannequin CD as a side project that he had wanted to get done. He was diagnosed with leukemia so he did the CD - it was something he really needed to do and if you're not sure if you're going to die or not, I'm guessing you'd do it too. He's getting better now, I think, which is good (yay successful bone marrow transplants!).

Personally, I like Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin. I like Andrew's voice because it's different from all of the stereotypical rock/punk/emo singers out there - I think his voice has more musicality than most others'. This does not change the fact that most of his lyrics are so Emo and Artistic, but that's what makes them fun. My brother stands up on the couch and dances emotionally to "I Woke Up in a Car". It's just the little bit of camp that makes it fun (even though he's trying to be serious). Sometimes lyrics that try to be "deep" can be entertaining in their strangeness. I recommend "Dark Blue" on the Jack's Mannequin CD - I can send it to you through YouSendIt if you'd like me to.

[kay-willow.livejournal.com]

I think half the reason I don't like Something Corporate is because his voice makes it sound like he's whining no matter WHAT he's actually saying. *dies* It can be beautiful in the right moments, but on these monster like eight minute ballads my sister listens to, it makes my ears bleed.

"Mixed Tape" is really good though. Upload "Dark Blue" if you like. :3