Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Music Lounge
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Interpreting songs
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedInterpreting songs

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12
Author
Message
Peter View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: January 31 2004
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 9669
Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 02 2007 at 17:20
Originally posted by Harold Demure Harold Demure wrote:

Originally posted by rileydog22 rileydog22 wrote:

In response to the question about Tubular Bells, the grunting on the "Caveman" section was a joke.  Virgin asked Oldfield to add prominent vocals to at least one section of the album, so it could be released as a single.  The rest, as they say, is history.  




Thanks for your answers, I had even thought that no one would reply to his topic.
It's very possible that Atavachron and soundspectrum are right. Maybe often artist compose certain strange, complex songs to let us interpret them in our own way, especially the instrumental ones, but they didn't mean anyhing particular when composing it.
Please, give your interpretation to songs with lyrics if you've come up to one .
Has anybody an idea about "I talk to the wind", already mentioned before? Or "Lucky Man" by ELP - what is the moral of this song?
And one more thing, I don't want you to think that I'm concerned only on lyrics and message of songs. Of course, music is the most important thing and that's what makes prog so interesing, while words add yet more charm to the music (look at my signature)
Ermm My analysis:
 
I Talk to the Wind is the old hippy ideal: a return to nature. The "straight man" is an amalgam of society and its expectations. (To be a "straight" in those days did not refer to sexual orientation, but to someone who was not "turned on" to grass and psychedelics, etc. You can hear the word used in the same way in Black Sabbath's old ode to marijuana, Sweet Leaf: "Straight people don't know, what you're about...." The "late man" is the hippy-type, the mystic, who finds more "wisdom" in nature, than in the shallow, temporal ways of man. He has rejected modern, materialistic society and the "rat race." ("You don't possess me, don't impress me," etc.) The wind is timeless and immortal in its secret, all-knowing wisdom. The words (and works) of man mean nothing.
 
Very much a late 60s hippy ideal. (Though they weren't the first to long for simpler, natural, "animalistic" ways, by any means.)
 
Lucky Man is very transparent. Its tale of the early death in battle of a man who "had it all" shows that money does not bring happiness ("no money could save him"), and that death is the great "leveller" that awaits for all men, making no distinctions from king to pauper. Very moralistic, and an age-old theme. Death is there to keep us humble.


Edited by Peter Rideout - April 02 2007 at 22:05
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
Back to Top
Vibrationbaby View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: February 13 2004
Status: Offline
Points: 6898
Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 05 2007 at 11:15
I think I read in some music magazine back in the seventies that Lake wrote Lucky Man  when he was a kid and it was only used as filler on the first ELP album. Anyone know if there`s any truth to this? Also he returns to this  money  theme on at least a few other songs he`s penned over the years. Paper Blood off the Black Moon album comes to mind.

Edited by Vibrationbaby - April 05 2007 at 11:19
Back to Top
rileydog22 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: August 24 2005
Location: New Jersey
Status: Offline
Points: 8844
Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 05 2007 at 23:21
Originally posted by Vibrationbaby Vibrationbaby wrote:

I think I read in some music magazine back in the seventies that Lake wrote Lucky Man  when he was a kid and it was only used as filler on the first ELP album. Anyone know if there`s any truth to this?


It said that in the liner notes for the debut, so I'd have to say it's true. 

Back to Top
Mathemagician View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: April 06 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 4
Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 06 2007 at 00:59
ya. after years of listening, i finally "got" dark side of the moon. meh. not that good of a concept. animals was much better. and on the subject of pink floyd. i hate when people say that wish you were here is a concept album. shine on and the title track could have been a concept ep. but have a cigar and welcome to the machine dont have nething to do with syd barret. waters wanted to put dogs and pigs on it, but gilmour wouldn't let him for some odd reason, so they made animals with them. they should have put machine and cigar on animals and made some more syd-centric songs for a tribute album. r.i.p. syd barret. shine on you crazy diamond.
Back to Top
Ghandi 2 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: February 17 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 1494
Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 06 2007 at 01:10

By concept, do you mean coherent story? I wasn't aware that DSOTM really had one, although now that I think about it I can piece one together.

That's a very good analysis, Peter. I still think it's a boring song, though. :P
Back to Top
Atavachron View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: September 30 2006
Location: Pearland
Status: Offline
Points: 65549
Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 06 2007 at 01:10
I don't interpret the theme of Wish to be as much about Syd Barrett as it was the band taking stock and getting a good look at the industry they chose (or that chose them). It is an album of fond memories of simpler times, growing up, and facing the reality of success. Remember, WYWH was the album after the chart-busting monster Dark Side. In this way, most if not all the songs have a connection.




Edited by Atavachron - April 06 2007 at 01:23
Back to Top
Mathemagician View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: April 06 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 4
Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 06 2007 at 01:44
Originally posted by Ghandi 2 Ghandi 2 wrote:

By concept, do you mean coherent story? I wasn't aware that DSOTM really had one, although now that I think about it I can piece one together.





A concept album is an album in which all songs have a central theme. Story or not. The concept of DSOTM is things that drive you crazy. But thats a topic for a different thread.

Originally posted by Atavachron Atavachron wrote:

I don't interpret the theme of Wish to be as much about Syd Barrett as it was the band taking stock and getting a good look at the industry they chose (or that chose them). It is an album of fond memories of simpler times, growing up, and facing the reality of success. Remember, WYWH was the album after the chart-busting monster Dark Side. In this way, most if not all the songs have a connection.




Just think if Welcome to the Machine and Have a Cigar were on Animals. They would go perfectly with the cold, industrial theme. They could be like a pig talking to a dog. And like I said, Waters wanted Pigs and Dogs on WYWH.
Back to Top
Zweck View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: November 20 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 234
Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 13 2007 at 13:28

Originally posted by Mathemagician Mathemagician wrote:

ya. after years of listening, i finally "got" dark side of the moon. meh. not that good of a concept. animals was much better. and on the subject of pink floyd. i hate when people say that wish you were here is a concept album. shine on and the title track could have been a concept ep. but have a cigar and welcome to the machine dont have nething to do with syd barret. waters wanted to put dogs and pigs on it, but gilmour wouldn't let him for some odd reason, so they made animals with them. they should have put machine and cigar on animals and made some more syd-centric songs for a tribute album. r.i.p. syd barret. shine on you crazy diamond.


Waters was, and is, dim, how his lyrics came to be highly regarded in the century that gave us T. S. Eliot is beyond me. Most likely it has to do with their inherent ability to make any t**t feel "deep", gobsh*te.       
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.150 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.