stip wrote:Eddie is one of my favorite lyricists, in every era of his writing. A few global comments:
1. Eddie is a lyricist, not a poet. He writes for his voice and delivery, not the page. Lyrics that are constructed to be sung. So even though I've spent hundreds of thousands of words dissecting his lyrics over the years, they've never been independent of their delivery
2. Eddie's two primary strengths as a lyricist are a humanistic empathy that enables him to enfold broad swaths of people and experiences into his writing, and his ability to come up with aphoristic/punctuation statements that really effectively capture truths about human experience. Not necessarily in overly ornate language - often the phrasing is fairly straightforward, but in ways that emotionally resonate in hugely impactful ways.
3. Eddie's writing has always had some imperfect phrasings that could be tighter on the page but still work incredibly well because they are lyrics and he knows how to deliver them (or they happen quick enough you just move past them).
Two great examples (for me)
I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love
I wish I was the verb to trust and never let you down
These are both really powerful moments (one as a capstone, and one as a transition sentiment) that work because of the magic Eddie knows how to bring to the delivery of the writing. less effective as words on a page, but that's fine because they aren't written to be read.
Since I'm the local Brother the Cloud cheerleader, there's a lyric of this sort in the outro that I just fucking love even though it doesn't "read" well. But it's central to maybe my favorite sixty seconds of Ed in...decades.
"I would not wish upon you
But should you ever leave this earth
Before me, I doubt this highly"
tree_ wrote:But I'm also not writing lyrics for a legendary Rock and Roll HOF rock band. It's lazy.
Yeah, being in the RNR HOF should definitely raise the lyric quality. Take for example this brilliance by one of my favourite legendary bands, the Stooges:
No fun my babe
No fun
No fun my babe
No fun
No fun to hang around
Feelin' that same old way
No fun to hang around
Freaked out for another day
Point taken, and it's valid, but Ed is a different kind of artist. You know what he's trying to say, and he could say it better.
When the "written and recorded in three weeks" info came out, I wondered how that might manifest in some lyrics that could've used a bit more time to refine. Not lodging a major complaint here, but it's something to consider for the album as a whole.
If he had more time, he might have added more words.
tree_ wrote:But I'm also not writing lyrics for a legendary Rock and Roll HOF rock band. It's lazy.
Yeah, being in the RNR HOF should definitely raise the lyric quality. Take for example this brilliance by one of my favourite legendary bands, the Stooges:
No fun my babe
No fun
No fun my babe
No fun
No fun to hang around
Feelin' that same old way
No fun to hang around
Freaked out for another day
Point taken, and it's valid, but Ed is a different kind of artist. You know what he's trying to say, and he could say it better.
When the "written and recorded in three weeks" info came out, I wondered how that might manifest in some lyrics that could've used a bit more time to refine. Not lodging a major complaint here, but it's something to consider for the album as a whole.
If he had more time, he might have added more words.
like they felt they needed a bridge and grabbed one off the shelf
but
at least it doesn't ruin the song
with some overly-weird shit
often times for modern PJ the bridge is where Ed goes full ladyboy
here he at least remains closeted conservative enough for us to keep rocking
and quietly staring at the guys' asses fist pumping in front of us
pulsating
shimmying
sweating
condemning them to hell for their tempting ways
All posts by this account, even those referencing real things, are entirely fictional and are for entertainment purposes only; i.e. very low-quality entertainment. These may contain coarse language and due to their content should not be viewed by anyone
stip wrote:Eddie is one of my favorite lyricists, in every era of his writing. A few global comments:
1. Eddie is a lyricist, not a poet. He writes for his voice and delivery, not the page. Lyrics that are constructed to be sung. So even though I've spent hundreds of thousands of words dissecting his lyrics over the years, they've never been independent of their delivery
2. Eddie's two primary strengths as a lyricist are a humanistic empathy that enables him to enfold broad swaths of people and experiences into his writing, and his ability to come up with aphoristic/punctuation statements that really effectively capture truths about human experience. Not necessarily in overly ornate language - often the phrasing is fairly straightforward, but in ways that emotionally resonate in hugely impactful ways.
3. Eddie's writing has always had some imperfect phrasings that could be tighter on the page but still work incredibly well because they are lyrics and he knows how to deliver them (or they happen quick enough you just move past them).
Two great examples (for me)
I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love
I wish I was the verb to trust and never let you down
These are both really powerful moments (one as a capstone, and one as a transition sentiment) that work because of the magic Eddie knows how to bring to the delivery of the writing. less effective as words on a page, but that's fine because they aren't written to be read.
Since I'm the local Brother the Cloud cheerleader, there's a lyric of this sort in the outro that I just fucking love even though it doesn't "read" well. But it's central to maybe my favorite sixty seconds of Ed in...decades.
"I would not wish upon you
But should you ever leave this earth
Before me, I doubt this highly"
Personally, i think you cut off the most important part of that lyric and what ed is referring to in "i doubt this highly"
"Do for me, what i'd do for you"
In a kind of Yoda Speak way.... "I doubt you'd do for me what i do for you, if i left this earth before you". i think its an angry and judgmental lyric towards his subject.
stip wrote:Eddie is one of my favorite lyricists, in every era of his writing. A few global comments:
1. Eddie is a lyricist, not a poet. He writes for his voice and delivery, not the page. Lyrics that are constructed to be sung. So even though I've spent hundreds of thousands of words dissecting his lyrics over the years, they've never been independent of their delivery
2. Eddie's two primary strengths as a lyricist are a humanistic empathy that enables him to enfold broad swaths of people and experiences into his writing, and his ability to come up with aphoristic/punctuation statements that really effectively capture truths about human experience. Not necessarily in overly ornate language - often the phrasing is fairly straightforward, but in ways that emotionally resonate in hugely impactful ways.
3. Eddie's writing has always had some imperfect phrasings that could be tighter on the page but still work incredibly well because they are lyrics and he knows how to deliver them (or they happen quick enough you just move past them).
Two great examples (for me)
I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love
I wish I was the verb to trust and never let you down
These are both really powerful moments (one as a capstone, and one as a transition sentiment) that work because of the magic Eddie knows how to bring to the delivery of the writing. less effective as words on a page, but that's fine because they aren't written to be read.
Since I'm the local Brother the Cloud cheerleader, there's a lyric of this sort in the outro that I just fucking love even though it doesn't "read" well. But it's central to maybe my favorite sixty seconds of Ed in...decades.
"I would not wish upon you
But should you ever leave this earth
Before me, I doubt this highly"
Personally, i think you cut off the most important part of that lyric and what ed is referring to in "i doubt this highly"
"Do for me, what i'd do for you"
In a kind of Yoda Speak way.... "I doubt you'd do for me what i do for you, if i left this earth before you". i think its an angry and judgmental lyric towards his subject.
What?
No.
“Should you ever leave this earth before me (I doubt this highly), do for me what I’d do for you”
tree_ wrote:But I'm also not writing lyrics for a legendary Rock and Roll HOF rock band. It's lazy.
Yeah, being in the RNR HOF should definitely raise the lyric quality. Take for example this brilliance by one of my favourite legendary bands, the Stooges:
No fun my babe
No fun
No fun my babe
No fun
No fun to hang around
Feelin' that same old way
No fun to hang around
Freaked out for another day
Point taken, and it's valid, but Ed is a different kind of artist. You know what he's trying to say, and he could say it better.
When the "written and recorded in three weeks" info came out, I wondered how that might manifest in some lyrics that could've used a bit more time to refine. Not lodging a major complaint here, but it's something to consider for the album as a whole.
If he had more time, he might have added more words.
Love notwithstanding we'd be each of us fucked.
Great example! Incredible moment in the song that works because of the alchemy that brings it all together.
There are some lyrics that are somewhat plain that become really powerful in context
"I am lost, I am no guide, but I'm by your side"
and sometimes lines that just work really well both as poetry and lyrics
"all the answers will be found in the mistakes that we have made"
stip wrote:Eddie is one of my favorite lyricists, in every era of his writing. A few global comments:
1. Eddie is a lyricist, not a poet. He writes for his voice and delivery, not the page. Lyrics that are constructed to be sung. So even though I've spent hundreds of thousands of words dissecting his lyrics over the years, they've never been independent of their delivery
2. Eddie's two primary strengths as a lyricist are a humanistic empathy that enables him to enfold broad swaths of people and experiences into his writing, and his ability to come up with aphoristic/punctuation statements that really effectively capture truths about human experience. Not necessarily in overly ornate language - often the phrasing is fairly straightforward, but in ways that emotionally resonate in hugely impactful ways.
3. Eddie's writing has always had some imperfect phrasings that could be tighter on the page but still work incredibly well because they are lyrics and he knows how to deliver them (or they happen quick enough you just move past them).
Two great examples (for me)
I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love
I wish I was the verb to trust and never let you down
These are both really powerful moments (one as a capstone, and one as a transition sentiment) that work because of the magic Eddie knows how to bring to the delivery of the writing. less effective as words on a page, but that's fine because they aren't written to be read.
Since I'm the local Brother the Cloud cheerleader, there's a lyric of this sort in the outro that I just fucking love even though it doesn't "read" well. But it's central to maybe my favorite sixty seconds of Ed in...decades.
"I would not wish upon you
But should you ever leave this earth
Before me, I doubt this highly"
Personally, i think you cut off the most important part of that lyric and what ed is referring to in "i doubt this highly"
"Do for me, what i'd do for you"
In a kind of Yoda Speak way.... "I doubt you'd do for me what i do for you, if i left this earth before you". i think its an angry and judgmental lyric towards his subject.
What?
No.
“Should you ever leave this earth before me (I doubt this highly), do for me what I’d do for you”
like they felt they needed a bridge and grabbed one off the shelf
but
at least it doesn't ruin the song
with some overly-weird shit
often times for modern PJ the bridge is where Ed goes full ladyboy
here he at least remains closeted conservative enough for us to keep rocking
and quietly staring at the guys' asses fist pumping in front of us
pulsating
shimmying
sweating
condemning them to hell for their tempting ways
the album bridge is just a placeholder for a live call and response.
indeed, i can envision him whipping out the cowbell, as stone quietly nods with approval, and resurrecting the climax section of can't deny me
take that CDM haters!
the darkest matter lurks within
All posts by this account, even those referencing real things, are entirely fictional and are for entertainment purposes only; i.e. very low-quality entertainment. These may contain coarse language and due to their content should not be viewed by anyone
tragabigzanda wrote:I don’t even love this song but I think the bridge is great because of how dumb it sounds. I’m not being sarcastic.
would be so much better if they just busted out the djembe and some rain sticks and hacky sacks and just vibed for a while
All posts by this account, even those referencing real things, are entirely fictional and are for entertainment purposes only; i.e. very low-quality entertainment. These may contain coarse language and due to their content should not be viewed by anyone
J Kling definitely aching to break out his rain sticks on tour
All posts by this account, even those referencing real things, are entirely fictional and are for entertainment purposes only; i.e. very low-quality entertainment. These may contain coarse language and due to their content should not be viewed by anyone
stip wrote:Eddie is one of my favorite lyricists, in every era of his writing. A few global comments:
1. Eddie is a lyricist, not a poet. He writes for his voice and delivery, not the page. Lyrics that are constructed to be sung. So even though I've spent hundreds of thousands of words dissecting his lyrics over the years, they've never been independent of their delivery
2. Eddie's two primary strengths as a lyricist are a humanistic empathy that enables him to enfold broad swaths of people and experiences into his writing, and his ability to come up with aphoristic/punctuation statements that really effectively capture truths about human experience. Not necessarily in overly ornate language - often the phrasing is fairly straightforward, but in ways that emotionally resonate in hugely impactful ways.
3. Eddie's writing has always had some imperfect phrasings that could be tighter on the page but still work incredibly well because they are lyrics and he knows how to deliver them (or they happen quick enough you just move past them).
Two great examples (for me)
I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love
I wish I was the verb to trust and never let you down
These are both really powerful moments (one as a capstone, and one as a transition sentiment) that work because of the magic Eddie knows how to bring to the delivery of the writing. less effective as words on a page, but that's fine because they aren't written to be read.
Since I'm the local Brother the Cloud cheerleader, there's a lyric of this sort in the outro that I just fucking love even though it doesn't "read" well. But it's central to maybe my favorite sixty seconds of Ed in...decades.
"I would not wish upon you
But should you ever leave this earth
Before me, I doubt this highly"
Personally, i think you cut off the most important part of that lyric and what ed is referring to in "i doubt this highly"
"Do for me, what i'd do for you"
In a kind of Yoda Speak way.... "I doubt you'd do for me what i do for you, if i left this earth before you". i think its an angry and judgmental lyric towards his subject.
What?
No.
“Should you ever leave this earth before me (I doubt this highly), do for me what I’d do for you”
Disagree only because there are a lot of "fuck yous" at the end of the song
tree_ wrote:I think those two examples are great lyrics by themselves
but to the point that started this, 'to trust' is not a verb. Trust can be a verb. If we want to be nitpicky, as some do, that's something they should probably flag. But it works wonderfully in the moment because it manages to be thought provoking and capture something real and true and unexpected and the precision of the phrasing is less important
tree_ wrote:I think those two examples are great lyrics by themselves
but to the point that started this, 'to trust' is not a verb. Trust can be a verb. If we want to be nitpicky, as some do, that's something they should probably flag. But it works wonderfully in the moment because it manages to be thought provoking and capture something real and true and unexpected and the precision of the phrasing is less important
i always thought he was referring to a verb that were to be trusted... like "love"
tree_ wrote:I think those two examples are great lyrics by themselves
but to the point that started this, 'to trust' is not a verb. Trust can be a verb. If we want to be nitpicky, as some do, that's something they should probably flag. But it works wonderfully in the moment because it manages to be thought provoking and capture something real and true and unexpected and the precision of the phrasing is less important
i always thought he was referring to a verb that were to be trusted... like "love"
Yeah, I took it as he wishes he was relied on like a good verb is relied upon.
tree_ wrote:I think those two examples are great lyrics by themselves
but to the point that started this, 'to trust' is not a verb. Trust can be a verb. If we want to be nitpicky, as some do, that's something they should probably flag. But it works wonderfully in the moment because it manages to be thought provoking and capture something real and true and unexpected and the precision of the phrasing is less important
i always thought he was referring to a verb that were to be trusted... like "love"
Of course...ever-reliable and always within reach
We still make records to be listened to — not that everyone will listen to a record track one to twelve in a row or side A or Side B — but we still make 'em in case somebody does want to listen to it like that, that's how we make em…
tree_ wrote:I think those two examples are great lyrics by themselves
but to the point that started this, 'to trust' is not a verb. Trust can be a verb. If we want to be nitpicky, as some do, that's something they should probably flag. But it works wonderfully in the moment because it manages to be thought provoking and capture something real and true and unexpected and the precision of the phrasing is less important
Well I dunno, when you translate a foreign language verb in its base form, for example 'hablar' in spanish, it translates as 'to talk'. It's an infinitive verb. But I think it's still a verb?
