Red Mosquito

Why Go vs. Yellow Ledbetter

Yellow Ledbetter remains arguably Eddie's best vocal performance (and maybe the best sounding song from that era). And as great as why go is, it's not better

Why Go is fine.

Yellow Ledbetter is all time.

"Yellow Ledbetter" really took on a renewed meaning in my life when Burt posted that video matching the lyrics of the song to names on Linkedin profiles.

Why Go takes this by a hair. It’s one of the real quintessential songs on Ten that taps into the fueled resistance to what others have decided is best for you. That’s the heart of Ten thematically with Alive, and even Black, where one’s agency is stripped but the trapped soul hasn’t found the vehicle for escape (that theoretical escape hatch may have finally been found in the album closing Release).

Yellow Ledbetter is properly not on Ten as it doesn’t quite fit. It’s a great song that possibly fits on Vs. if you can find a spot for it (Indifference is frankly a better closer for an album). It’s a great song and all, but it is admittedly not a fully finished product - and while there’s some charm in that, and that it became massive nevertheless, I see a song like Why Go existential to the arc of an album and Yellow Ledbetter as a great song.

liebzz wrote:where one’s agency is stripped

Uh oh, now you've gone and done it

Kevin Davis wrote:

liebzz wrote:where one’s agency is stripped

Uh oh, now you've gone and done it

If stip isn’t gonna stip this up, someone has to.

YL

I've never been a huge fan of YL, it's always seemed overly derivative and dorky.

Easy vote for Why Go with its massive 12-string bass riff.