Red Mosquito

It’s takes its time to build and get there but I really like the last minute of this more than the rest of it. It’s a little perfunctory / by the numbers acoustic tune up to that.
3/5

evenslow wrote:this is easily one of the best songs on the album.

Correct. I have it as one of at least three 5-star selections on this album. (DotC and QE).

Forgive me for not reading all 17 pages... I read the first page then skipped to 17, then back to 16.

Have we covered the meaning of this verse?

"High or low, try again
She fell off the altar
A vision you caught her but then
A woodcut in red
I wish it was not you that she had led
Selfish navigation with no end."

I'm guessing there's some evidence of why Ed/Band have stayed close to Susan and Lilly and not so much with VC, etc.. and I don't want to start digging up dirt. I'm just trying to figure out what this part of my 2nd or 3rd favorite song on the album actually means.

This is a solid song. I'm not normally into the Ed solo stuff but I like this one.

this is a special 5 star song, the standout on the album. The lyrics, the delivery, the production , all top tier and like earlier posted takes cues back from early to mid 90's acoustic PJ numbers.

Like stated earlier, the song is 100% an ode to Chris Cornell from Ed. What I think happened is Ed brought the song in , the band were absolutely floored by it, said it has to be on the album, but they left it almost as is (save for some background guitar noise) to not ruin it or take anything away from the actual song (unlike for example Speed of Sound).

The guitar is 100% Ed playing, and sounds absolutely amazing. He's playing more of a blues tinged chordal progression with full chords rather than his finger pick style. Chordal progression I think is E A E D A E D A E, with the hard hitting chordal progression lick being G A D E. All normal open chords.

A special song that will always be remembered and cherished by the band and also the fans who know the meaning behind it. Will be interesting to see what Ed says about the song before playing it live

Why are we so sure that this is all about Chris Cornell? Do you guys realize he lost his BROTHER in between albums too? It could be about both of them.....

Just listened to this song for the 1st time.

I love it for personal reasons. It made me cry.

It reminds me of "without you"

Tuolumne wrote:Why are we so sure that this is all about Chris Cornell? Do you guys realize he lost his BROTHER in between albums too? It could be about both of them.....

Realized, noted. Sad...
At the same time the band that was preparing to record another record with CC and just came off an amazing tour... And one bandmate that was on tour with CC at the end... This is mostly about CC, if not entirely. AND it completely fits Ed's MO for handling this without profiting from tragedy and calling people directly out. It's handled as delicately and beautifully (while giving us SOME insight) as possible.

there are multiple clues that point to Chris, especially this one:

'Evidence in the echoes of your mind
Leads me to believe we missed the signs'

pappas wrote:there are multiple clues that point to Chris, especially this one:

'Evidence in the echoes of your mind
Leads me to believe we missed the signs'

what evidence? what echoes?

And if by "signs" you mean impending suicide, they weren't exactly hidden, so weren't exactly missed

It's not about Chris.

knee tunes wrote:

pappas wrote:there are multiple clues that point to Chris, especially this one:

'Evidence in the echoes of your mind
Leads me to believe we missed the signs'

what evidence? what echoes?

And if by "signs" you mean impending suicide, they weren't exactly hidden, so weren't exactly missed

It's not about Chris.

I think it's more than obvious it is. We all know there's tension there, has been for quite some time. Things said on social media by parties involved point to that. Ed could have made the funeral even with having to leave for the tour, there was time. It was more than just being emotional. It was not being comfortable. Just reading half the stuff CC's mother in law said makes it all so clear. They've alienated specific people, even CC's own Brother. They're nuts. Truth.

Lyrics such as "I wish it wasn't you she had led" "The Queen of collections took your time, sadness comes cause some of it was mine" and others make it pretty clear.

warming to this song in the ‘Off He Goes’ slot

I'm hearing the lyrics in more of a Blood on the Tracks style. Each verse may paint a different scenario, but, the overarching themes tie the whole thing together. There are allusions to Cornell sprinkled throughout a wistful song about whatcouldabeen once were/never weres that just slip though our fingers and escape our grasp on our frustratingly impermanent journeys.

This is the type of song that only a mature, older songwriter could create. It is most likely about several different people and situations.

Monkey_Driven wrote:This is the type of song that only a mature, older songwriter could create. It is most likely about several different people and situations.

That's exactly what I mean above. It's 1973-74 Dylan processing going through a divorce.

Oversize wrote:

evenslow wrote:this is easily one of the best songs on the album.

Correct. I have it as one of at least three 5-star selections on this album. (DotC and QE).

Forgive me for not reading all 17 pages... I read the first page then skipped to 17, then back to 16.

Have we covered the meaning of this verse?

"High or low, try again
She fell off the altar
A vision you caught her but then
A woodcut in red
I wish it was not you that she had led
Selfish navigation with no end."

I'm guessing there's some evidence of why Ed/Band have stayed close to Susan and Lilly and not so much with VC, etc.. and I don't want to start digging up dirt. I'm just trying to figure out what this part of my 2nd or 3rd favorite song on the album actually means.

yeah, we talked about it in here somewhere. it's about VC.

I generally love the Ed & a guitar songs so this one has quickly become a favorite off the disc. A little long but if that's the biggest complaint I have I'm good.
Really good guitar work too.

Hey Joey, are you getting Colin Meloy vibes from this one at all?

Whoa I can totally hear him singing it

But it would be about pirates or chimney sweeps or some shit

Kevin Davis wrote:Hey Joey, are you getting Colin Meloy vibes from this one at all?

Totally! Good call.