#Them Crooked Vultures lyrics meanings

[s0livagant]

for the album lyric ask game for when u wake up 🌞💞 i would LOVE to know your favorite lines from save rock and roll and american beauty/american psycho! since we both agree that those are some of the best albums of all time and i love that for us hehe 🥰🤭 (also good morning hope u have a nice day❣️)

Trish!!! hello, my love!! truly two of the greats, I love those albums with my whole heart :') also, this post is looooooog so I'm slapping the 'read more' option on there

SRAR:

The Phoenix - Bring home the boys and scrap scrap metal the tanks Get hitched, make a career out of robbing banks Because the world is just a teller and we are wearing black masks "You broke our spirit, " says the note we pass

My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark - Be careful making wishes in the dark Can't be sure when they've hit their mark And besides in the meantime I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart OR My childhood spat back the monster that you see

Alone Together - I don't know where I'm going, But I don't think I'm coming home And I said, I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead This is the road to ruin and we're starting at the end

Where Did The Party Go -I'm here to collect your hearts, It's the only reason that I sing I don't believe a word you say, But I can't stop listening

Just One Yesterday - Oh, I want to teach you a lesson in the worst kind of way, Still I'd trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday

The Mighty Fall - Your crooked love is just a pyramid scheme And I'm dizzy on dreams But if you ask me two's a whole lot lonelier than one Baby, we should have left our love in the gutter where we found it

Miss Missing You - Sometimes before it gets better The darkness gets bigger The person that you'd take a bullet for is behind the trigger Oh, we're fading fast (but also "baby, you were my picket fence" makes me feel lots of emotions)

Death Valley - I'm either gone in an instant Or here 'til the bitter end

Young Volcanos - C'mon, make it easy, say I never mattered Run it up the flagpoles

Rat A Tat - Are you ready for another bad poem? One more off-key anthem, Let your teeth sink in Remember me as I was not as I am

Save Rock And Roll - Well, how'd it get to be only me? Like I'm the last damn kid still kicking that still believes

AB/AP:

Irresistible - You're second hand smoke You're second hand smoke I breath you in, but honey I don't know What you're doing to me

American Beauty/American Psycho - I think I fell in love again Maybe I just took too much cough medicine I'm the best worst thing that hasn't happened to you yet The best worst thing

Centuries - Mummified my teenage dreams No, it's nothing wrong with me The kids are all wrong The stories are off Heavy metal broke my heart

The Kids Aren't Alright (ONE OF MY FAVE SONGS OF ALL TIME AHHH) - And I still feel that rush in my veins It twists my head just a bit to think All the people in those old photographs I've seen are dead

Uma Thurman - I slept in last night's clothes and tomorrow's dreams But they're not quite what they seem

Jet Pack Blues - She's in a long black coat tonight Waiting for me in the downpour outside She's singing "Baby come home" in a melody of tears While the rhythm of the rain keeps time

Novocaine - If you knew, knew what the bluebirds sing at you, you would never sing along Cast them out 'cause this is our culture These new flocks are nothing but vultures

Fourth Of July - I'll be as honest as you let me I miss your early morning company, If you get me You are my favorite "what if" You are my best "I'll never know" OR Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of it I just got too lonely, lonely, whoa In between being young and being right, You were my Versailles at night

Favorite Record - Play it again and again and again And you can get what you want but it's never enough

Immortals - Sometimes the only payoff for having any faith Is when it's tested again and again every day

Twin Skeletons (Hotel In NYC) - I just need enough of you to dull the pain Just to get me through the night 'til we're twins again 'Til we're stripped down to our skeletons again 'Til we're saints just swimming in our sins again OR A birth and a death on the same day And honey I only appeared so I can fade away I wanna throw my hands in the air and scream And I could just die laughing on your spiral of shame

[jonesyjonesyjonesy]

what songs would you recommend listening to first from Them Crooked Vultures and The Sporting Life?

oh man have I got some recs for you!!!

My annoying recommendation is that both albums are phenomenal top to bottom and each deserve a listen through. But! Here are my highlights --

Them Crooked Vultures

First of all, ^^^ um, hottest dad band ever.

I like every track on this record, no joke. And I'm not going to recommend New Fang since you've probably heard it (it was on an Apple commercial and won a Grammy).

No One Loves Me and Neither Do I - Um...they really just opened this album with one of the dirtiest, sexiest tracks I've ever heard. A "riff bomb" top to bottom. It absolutely fucks. Jonesy plays lap steel on this one (and in concert, played it standing up, the absolute fiend) x.

Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up - This was their 'jam' track for concerts ala Dazed and Confused (x). And it's just 7 minutes of juicy goodness (along with John Paul Jones singing falsetto backup with Alain Johannes, bless his heart). It's vaguely soundscape-y, thick bass, I adore.

Spinning in the Daffodils - Some say this is some of Josh Homme's best work as a songwriter. It's not one of my personal favorites, but it's a favorite amongst TCV fans. He did an amazing acoustic at Lolla in 2020 (x). It also features Jonesy on keyboard and he would often do improvisations at the concerts during this part (he cheekily quotes Carouselambra in this version x).

Elephants - This song is really a testament to the onomatopoeic element to their music (I would also put Reptiles and Gunman in this category) where the music really just SOUNDS like the titles allude. It also to me gives an amazing feeling of the band's synergy with the timing elements and changes.

Honorable mentions include Scumbag Blues (enter Jonesy on the weirdly erotic clavinet; live would be a bass solo) Dead End Friends, and Caligulove (they originally wanted to call the band "Caligula" but there was already a band of that name) . This is 110% my comfort album, period.

The Sporting Life

A comment on a music video from this album pretty much sums up my feelings: "I like it because it is insane."

A much more acquired taste, but considered Diamanda Galas' most approachable work, The Sporting Life is absolutely full of fantastic tracks. "And album of really intense love songs," Galas says. I think it has fantastic storytelling from top to bottom and features not Jonesy, but Galas on the Hammond organ and piano. Jonesy's bass is absolutely STUNNING to hear against the raw vocals.

Be warned, this is a hard album to listen to on a first go. It's out there. But Jones and Galas together are too powerful for this world.

I supply this album with a content warning for graphic discussion of violence and sexual acts. General depravity.

Do You Take This Man - One of the most popular tracks off the album. I think it's a great, palatable introduction to her spoken word elements and DAMN does that bass do things to me. "Husband with this knife/I do you adore/I take you out of this world/With a lot of feeling" -- and that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Galas' lyrical fixation with murdering men which I *personally* vibe with. Here's a hilarious 90s music video where Galas does her thing and Jonesy sits in a chair and plays bass because duh (x).

The Dark End of the Street - This is a cover of a soul song from the 60s and I think it really showcases Galas' softer vocal range while still exploring her general eclecticism. This track highlights just what geniuses these two are: even in its relative simplicity, it snaps, bends, bows, and breaks.

Skotoseme - The first track of the album and, to me, it's Kashmir of avant-garde proportions (the B section is...very reminiscent). It fucks from beginning to end. It's such a powerful track. "Skotoseme" means "kill me" in Greek. So. There's that. They performed it on the John Stewart Show and it's fascinating to watch Galas work. Also, Jonesy is having SO much fun, you can just tell (x).

Tony - Another softer track that highlights Jonesy's work as a producer - elegant, understated, cheeky. From this track, it wouldn't surprise me that artists such as Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga would have been inspired by her Galas' technique and experimentation even within what would be considered a more approachable framework. Her voice is haunting in this one.

An honorable mention to...The Sporting Life - I hesitate to include this as one of the main recommendations due to the brutality of the lyrics. Galas plays several characters all discussing how they're going to torture a man to death. The eponymous track feels like it's ripped from a play. I think it's marvelous, but I think the content could be disturbing for some without warning.

Each song is rife and trembling musically. Something that doesn't seem like it should have worked and not only works, but absolutely was off to the races from jump. The fact these two came together and ~did that is such a testament to each of their virtuosity, curiosity, and spirit. Also, they're like such pals it hurts (here's a fantastic interview they did for Bomb).

In Conclusion...

I think I might have...overdid it.

Thanks for getting this far if you did. Thank you @tophats-n-lespauls, this was really so fun for me to do and I'm really grateful I got to share my recommendations. As much as I thirst for Jonesy, I admire his talent and musicianship to that degree as well and credit him with a lot of my love for music. I'm grateful for any opportunity to celebrate the old man 🥺🥰

Anyway, all are welcome for any John Paul Jones related queries. I'm still working through his immense catalog, but TCV and DG x JPJ I could wax poetic on all day if you let me (but I won't subject you to such ramblings).

Be well xx

[cogentranting]

Favorite Lyrics From Every Taylor Swift Song

I went through and picked one lyric from each song (except for a few songs where I cheated and picked two) that stood out as my favorite. It doesn’t necessarily reflect all my favorite lyrics because some songs are chock full of great lines and it was hard to narrow down, while other songs it was hard to single out anything (either because the songs aren’t really aiming for lyrical excellence or because the strength of the song is in overall narrative or concept more than any standout lines).  They’re in album order and my overall favorite lyrics are marked with a star*. 

Self Titled

Tim McGraw- When you think Tim McGraw I hope you think my favorite song The one we danced to all night long

Picture to Burn- So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time As far as I'm concerned, you're just another picture to burn

Teardrops on My Guitar- He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do...

A Place in this World- I'll be strong, I'll be wrong, oh but life goes on

Cold as You*- You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray And I stood there loving you and wished them all away

The Outside- I tried to take the road less traveled by But nothing seems to work the first few times

Tied Together with a Smile- And you're tied together with a smile But you're coming undone

Stay Beautiful- I'm taking pictures in my mind so I can save them for a rainy day

Should’ve Said No- And I should've been there, in the back of your mind I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?

Mary’s Song- Take me back when our world was one block wide I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried

Our Song- Our song is the way you laugh

I’m Only Me when I’m with You- I'm only up when you're not down Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground

Invisible- Like shadows in a faded light Oh, we're invisible

A Perfectly Good Heart- Maybe I should've seen the signs, should've read the writing on the wall And realized by the distance in your eyes that I would be the one to fall

Fearless

Jump Then Fall- And every time you shine, I'll shine for you

Untouchable- Untouchable like a distant diamond sky

Forever and Always- So here's to everything coming down to nothing Here's to silence that cuts me to the core

Come in with the Rain- And I, I’ve got you down, I know you by heart And you don’t even know where I start

SuperStar- When my world wakes up today You'll be in another town

The Other Side of the Door- And don't you leave 'cause I know All I need is on the other side of the door

Fearless- And I don't know why but with you I'd dance In a storm in my best dress, fearless

Fifteen- This is life before you know who you're gonna be

Love Story- I close my eyes, and the flashback starts I'm standing there On a balcony in summer air See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns

Hey Stephen- Of all the girls tossing rocks at your window I'll be the one waiting there even when it's cold

White Horse- Now it's too late for you and your white horse To catch me now

You Belong with Me- And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down

Breathe- Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve But people are people and sometimes it doesn't work out Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fall out

Tell Me Why- Here's to you and your temper Yes, I remember what you said last night And I know that you see what you're doing to me

You’re Not Sorry- You're looking so innocent, I might believe you if I didn't know Could've loved you all my life if you hadn't left me waiting in the cold

The Way I loved You- Breaking down and coming undone It's a roller coaster kind of rush And I never knew I could feel that much

The Best Day- And now I know why all the trees change in the fall I know you were on my side even when I was wrong

Change- And the battle was long, it's the fight of our lives But we'll stand up champions tonight

Speak Now

Mine- You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter

Speak Now- The way you move is like a full on rainstorm And I'm a house of cards

Back to December- It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine

Speak Now- There's the silence, there's my last chance I stand up with shaking hands, all eyes on me Horrified looks from everyone in the room But I'm only looking at you

Dear John*- All the girls that you've run dry have tired lifeless eyes 'Cause you burned them out But I took your matches Before fire could catch me So don't look now I'm shining like fireworks Over your sad empty town

Mean- You, with your switching sides And your wildfire lies and your humiliation You have pointed out my flaws again As if I don't already see them

The Story of Us*- But you held your pride like you should've held me

Never Grow Up- Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home Remember the footsteps, remember the words said And all your little brother's favorite songs

Enchanted*- Forcing laughter, faking smiles Same old tired, lonely place Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy

Better Than Revenge- She came along, got him alone, and let's hear the applause She took him faster than you can say sabotage

Innocent- Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catching days? When everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you

Haunted- You and I walk a fragile line I have known it all this time Never ever thought I'd see it break

Last Kiss*- So I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep And I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe

Long Live*- I was screaming, long live all the magic we made And bring on all the pretenders I'm not afraid Long live all the mountains we moved I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you I was screaming, long live that look on your face

Ours- Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles

If This was a Movie- Last night, I heard my own heart beating Sounded like footsteps on my stairs Six months gone and I'm still reaching Even though I know you're not there

Superman- He's got his mother's eyes, his father's ambition

Red

State of Grace*- So you were never a saint And I've loved in shades of wrong We learn to live with the pain Mosaic broken hearts

Red- But loving him was red

Treacherous- Forever going with the flow But you're friction

I Knew You Were Trouble- Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago

All Too Well**- And you call me up again just to break me like a promise So casually cruel in the name of being honest

22- We're happy, free, confused, and lonely in the best way It's miserable and magical, oh, yeah

I Almost Do- And I hope you know that Every time I don’t I almost do

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together- We hadn't seen each other in a month When you said you needed "space" (what?)

Stay Stay Stay- All those times that you didn't leave, it's been occurring to me I'd like to hang out with you, for my whole life

The Last Time- This is the last time I let you in my door This is the last time, I won't hurt you anymore

Holy Ground- We had this big wide city all to ourselves We blocked the noise with the sound of, "I need you"

Sad Beautiful Tragic- Long handwritten note, deep in your pocket Words, how little they mean, when you're a little too late

The Lucky One- And they tell you that you’re lucky, but you’re so confused 'Cause you don’t feel pretty, you just feel used

Everything Has Changed- And your eyes look like coming home All I know is a simple name Everything has changed

Starlight- And we were dancing, dancing Like we're made of starlight

Begin Again- 'Cause you throw your head back laughing like a little kid I think it's strange that you think I'm funny 'cause he never did

The Moment I Knew- And it was like slow motion Standing there in my party dress In red lipstick With no one to impress

Come Back... Be Here- I guess you're in New York today I don't wanna need you this way

Girl At Home- I see you turn off your phone And now you've got me alone, and I say/  ... Want to see you pick up your phone And tell her you're coming home

1989

Welcome To New York- Walking through a crowd, the village is aglow Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats

Blank Space- But you'll come back each time you leave 'Cause, darling, I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream

Style- And when we go crashing down, we come back every time ‘Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style

Out of the Woods*- The rest of the world was black and white But we were in screaming color

All You Had To Do Was Stay- Had me in the palm of your hand Then, why'd you have to go and lock me out when I let you in?

Shake It Off- Just think while you've been getting down and out about the liars And the dirty, dirty cheats of the world You could've been getting down To this sick beat

I Wish You Would- We're a crooked love in a straight line down Makes you want to run and hide But it makes you turn right back around

Bad Blood- If you live like that, you live with ghosts

Wildest Dreams- Say you'll see me again Even if it's just pretend

How You Get the Girl- I want you for worse or for better I would wait forever and ever Broke your heart, I'll put it back together

This Love- In silent screams and wildest dreams I never dreamed of this

I Know Places- See the vultures circling, dark clouds Love's a fragile little flame, it could burn out

Clean- Rain came pouring down When I was drowning, that's when I could finally breathe

Wonderland- Didn't they tell us don't rush into things? Didn't you flash your green eyes at me? Didn't you calm my fears with a Cheshire cat smile?

You Are In Love- And you understand now Why they lost their minds and fought the wars And why I've spent my whole life trying to put it into words

New Romantics*- 'Cause baby, I could build a castle Out of all the bricks they threw at me And every day is like a battle But every night with us is like a dream

reputation

... Ready for it?- Wondered how many girls he had loved and left haunted But if he's a ghost, then I can be a phantom Holdin' him for ransom

End Game- And I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put 'em Reputation precedes me, they told you I'm crazy I swear I don't love the drama, it loves me

I Did Something Bad- I never trust a narcissist, but they love me So I play 'em like a violin And I make it look oh-so-easy

Don’t Blame Me- Echoes of your name inside my mind

Delicate- Is it cool that I said all that? Is it chill that you're in my head?

Look What You Made Me Do- I don't like your perfect crime How you laugh when you lie You said the gun was mine 

So It Goes... All eyes on you, my magician All eyes on us You make everyone disappear, and Cut me into pieces 

Gorgeous- You should think about the consequence Of your magnetic field being a little too strong 

Getaway Car*- The ties were black, the lies were white In shades of gray in candlelight 

  King of My Heart- Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep 

Dancing With Our Hands Tied- Swaying as the room burned down I'd hold you as the water rushes in If I could dance with you again 

Dress- All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation My hands are shaking from holding back from you 

This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things- And so I took an axe to a mended fence 

Call It What You Want*- All my flowers grew back as thorns Windows boarded up after the storm He built a fire just to keep me warm Starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest night 

New Years Day*- Please don't ever become a stranger Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere

Lover

I Forgot that you existed- Lived in the shade you were throwin til all of my sunshine was gone

Cruel Summer- So cut the headlights, summer's a knife I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes And if I bleed, you'll be the last to know

Lover- There's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear

The Man-  When everyone believes ya What's that like?

The Archer*- I wake in the night I pace like a ghost The room is on fire Invisible smoke And all of my heroes Die all alone

I Think He Knows- He got my heartbeat Skipping down 16th Avenue Got that, oh, I mean Wanna see what's under that attitude

 Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince*- Now I'm feeling hopeless, ripped up my prom dress Running through rose thorns, I saw the scoreboard And ran for my life

Paper Rings- I want to drive away with you I want your complications too I want your dreary Mondays Wrap your arms around me, baby boy

Cornelia Street*- We were a fresh page on the desk Filling in the blanks as we go I get mystified by how this city screams your name

Death By a Thousand Cuts*- I look through the windows of this love Even though we boarded them up Chandelier's still flickering here Quiet my fears with the touch of your hand Paper cut stings from our paper-thin plans

London Boy-  He likes my American smile, like a child when our eyes meet Darling, I fancy you

Soon You’ll Get Better-  I know delusion when I see it in the mirror

False God- And I can't talk to you when you're like this Staring out the window like I’m not your favorite town

You Need to Calm Down- And snakes and stones never broke my bones

Afterglow- This ultraviolet morning light below Tells me this love is worth the fight

Me!- Living in winter, I am your summer

It’s Nice to Have a Friend- Light pink sky up on the roof Sun sinks down, no curfew

Daylight*- I've been sleepin' so long in a twenty-year dark night And now I see daylight, I only see daylight I once believed love would be (burnin' red) But it's golden Like daylight

[imissyoubutimisssparkling]

Favourite Song Lyrics From Every Taylor Swift Song, Part 6/6:

1989 Album:

Welcome To New York:

“Walking through a crowd, the village is aglow, kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats.”

“Searching for a sound we hadn’t heard before.”

“The lights are so bright but they never blind me.”

“When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors, took our broken hearts put them in a drawer.”

Blank Space:

“Nice to meet you, where you’ve been, I could show you incredible things.”

“Loves a game wanna play, hey.”

“So its gonna be forever, or its gonna go down in flames.”

“Cause we’re young and we’re reckless.”

“It’ll leave you breathless, or with a nasty scar.”

“You’re the king baby, I’m your queen.”

“Cause darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.”

“Boys only want love if its torture, don’t say I didn’t, I didn’t warn ya.”

Style:

“Could end in burning or paradise.”

“You got that James Dean daydream look in your eyes, and I got that red lip classic thing that you like.”

“He can’t keep his wild eyes on the road.”

Out Of The Woods:

“Looking at it now it all seems so simple.”

“The rest of the world was black and white, but we were in screaming colour.”

“We were built to fall apart, then fall back together.”

“But when the sun came up I was looking at you, remember when we couldn’t take the heat, I walked out and said I’m setting you free, but the monsters turned out to be just trees, when the sun came up, you were looking at me.”

All You Had To Do Was Stay:

“People like you always want back the love they gave away.”

“Then why’d you have to go and lock me out while I let you in.”

“I’ve been picking up the pieces of the mess you made.”

“People like you always want back the love they pushed aside.”

“But people like me are gone forever, when you say goodbye.”

“Let me remind you this was all you wanted, you ended it.”

Shake It Off:

“Its like I got this music in my mind saying its gonna be alright.”

“I never miss a beat I’m lightning on my feet and that’s what they don’t see, that’s what they don’t see.”

“I’m dancing on my own, i make the moves up as I go, and that’s what they don’t know, that’s what they don’t know.”

“Just think while you’re been getting down and out about the liars and  dirty dirty cheats of the world, you could’ve been getting down to this sick beat.”

I Wish You Would:

“Windows down, you pass my street, the memories start.”

“I’ll never forget you as long as I live.”

“What a crooked love in a straight line down.”

“I miss you to much to be mad anymore.”

“You always knew how to push my buttons.”

Bad Blood:

“You know it used to be mad love.”

“Did you have to run what was shiny, now its all rusted.”

“Salt to the wound like you’re laughing right at me.”

“Still got scars in the back from your knives.”

,“Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes, you say sorry just for show you live like that, you live with ghosts.”

Wildest Dreams:

“I thought “heaven can’t help me now” nothing lasts forever, but this is gonna take me down.”

“I can see the end as it begins.”

“I said no one has to know what we do.”

“And his voice is a familiar sound, nothing lasts forever, but this is gettin good now.”

“You’ll see me in hindsight tangled up with you all night burn it down, someday when you leave me I bet these memories follow you around.”

How You Get The Girl:

“Stand there like a ghost shaking from the rain, she’ll open up the door and say are you insane.”

“And then you say I want you for worse, or for better I would wait forever and ever broke your heart I’ll put it back together I would wait forever and ever.”

“Tell her how you must have lost your mind, when you left her all alone and never told her why.”

“And you know that I don’t want you to go.”

“And say you want me.”

This Love (Just like All Too Well, I had to put the whole song cause choosing a favourite lyrics was just too hard!):

Clear blue water, high tides came and brought you in

And I could go on and on, on and on

And I will

Skies grew darker, currents swept you out again

And you are just gone and gone, gone and gone

In silent screams and wildest dreams

I never dreamed of this

This love is good, this love is bad

This love is alive back from the dead

These hands had to let it go free

And this love came back to me

Tossing, turning, struggle through the night with someone new

And I could go on and on, on and on

Lantern, burning, flickered in my mind for only you

But you were still gone, gone, gone

Been losing grip, sinking ships

You showed up just in time

This love is good, this love is bad

This love is alive back from the dead

These hands had to let it go free

And this love came back to me

This love left a permanent mark

This love is glowing in the dark

These hands had to let it go free

And this love came back to me

Your kiss, my cheek, I watched you leave

Your smile, my ghost, I fell to my knees

When you're young you just run

But you come back to what you need

This love is good, this love is bad

This love is alive back from the dead

These hands had to let it go free

And this love came back to me

This love left a permanent mark

This love is glowing in the dark

These hands had to let it go free

And this love came back to me 

I Know Places:

“I can hear them whisper as we pass by its a bad sign.”

“Something happens when everybody finds out see the vultures circling dark clouds.”

“Loves a fragile little flame it could burn out.”

“Let them say what they want, we won’t heart it.”

“Just grab my hand and don’t ever drop it, my love.”

Clean:

“The drought was the very worst, when the flowers that we’d grown together died of thirst.”

“Hung my head as I lost the war, and the sky turned black like a perfect storm.”

“Rain came pouring down, when I drowning that’s when I could finally breathe and by morning, gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean.”

“The water filled my lungs, I screamed so loud, but no one heard a thing.”

“Just because you’re clean don’t mean you don’t miss it.”

Wonderland:

“You held on tight to me cause nothings as it seems and spinning out of control.”

“I should have slept with one eye open at night.”

“We found wonderland, you and I got lost in it, and we pretended it could last forever.”

“So we went on our way, too in love to think straight all alone or so it seemed.”

“Its all fun and games till somebody loses their mind.”

You Are In Love:

“Time moved too fast, you play it back.”

“No proof, one touch, you felt enough.”

“You can hear it in the silence, silence, you, you can feel it on the way home, way home, you, you can see it with the lights out, lights you, you’re in love, true love.”

“For once you let go of your fears and your ghosts.”

New Romantics:

“We’re all bored, we’re all so tired of everything, we wait for trains that just aren’t coming.”

“We play dumb we know exactly what we’re doing.”

“Cause baby I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me.”

“And every day is like a battle, but every night with us its like a dream.”

“Baby, we’re the new romantics, the best people in life are free.”

“We’re too busy dancing to get knocked off our feet.”

“We need love, but all we want is danger.”

“Please leave me stranded, its so romantic.”

[metalindex-hu]

Friends for the End of the World – Interview with Alain Johannes

Friends for the End of the World – Interview with Alain Johannes - http://metalindex.hu/2019/08/10/friends-for-the-end-of-the-world-interview-with-alain-johannes/ -

Chris Cornell’s first solo record, Euphoria Morning turns twenty this year. The complexity of its sound and exceptional atmosphere has inspired me for a long time to get to know its authors’ work, so I can get closer to the one-off unrepeatable magical process of its creation. Although solitude, vulnerability, melancholy appear directly in these songs, indirectly they are more about consciousness, common musical inventions and healing harmonies.

On the occasion of this anniversary I was talking to Mr. Alain Johannes. He is a late friend of Chris Cornell and also the co-composer, producer, and sound engineer of the album. The Chilean-American multi-instrumentalist musician co-founded multiple brilliant bands: What Is This (with Hillel Slovak, Flea), Walk The Moon, and Eleven (with his common law wife, Natasha Shneider and drummer, Jack Irons). He worked with Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, Arctic Monkeys, and supported musicians like Mark Lanegan, PJ Harvey and even Chris Cornell. 

Mr. Johannes answered my questions in writing. This interview is to introduce Euphoria Morning to more people in Hungary: a lesser-known, unique record made by three friends, three artists who supported each other.

Alain Johannes (Photo: Stephen Linsley)

By the time Euphoria Morning came out in September 1999, a lot of things changed in the world of rock music: most ‘grunge’ bands broke up or withdrawn temporarily. At the same time, as the digital age came in the front, new bands appeared and responded to this new lifestyle (for example nu metal, industrial rock…). During these times Cornell went back to some old songs of his, which he could not work on as a member of Soundgarden. On one hand, because the group did not exist yet, and also because the ex-members were not inspired by these tracks. Even so, he found it important to work on these and publish them as new material. 

What was the idea behind this? How long had he been planning on making his first solo album?

I’m not sure how long he’d been planning it or if it was something that rose up in that time, but he stayed with us at our studio home 11AD to decompress and chill after Soundgarden disbanded and in that time we would play around with some ideas he had. A bit later it became clear that’s where it was headed.

When people look at Cornell’s solo records, generally the first thing to do is to compare it with Soundgarden’s output or standard they were together. These comparisons may seem natural but should not be dominant. We tend to ignore something important in Chris’s versatile activity (being a leader of two bands, making solo records, movie soundtracks, collaborating with many musicians etc.): his experimental attitude. This one is crucial if we are thinking of Euphoria Morning. What fueled this experimental attitude: rejuvenation or finding new ways in music?

I think in terms of Euphoria Morning a lot had to do with the chemistry between Chris, Natasha and I as we would explore and play around with ideas. He had a few songs in the works which Natasha helped him arrange harmonically and her and I wrote a few musical beds and riffs for him to write melodies and lyrics to. We’d spend a lot of time just listening to awesome music, watching movies, having conversations about life, creativity, art…

After touring together with Soundgarden and a Christmas song (Ave Maria) the band Eleven begun helping him in creating his first solo record. How did the idea present itself? Who was the initiator that suggested working together? Which song or notes were the first ones that Chris Cornell showed you both?

He originally stayed with us after Soundgarden disbanded not long after the European tour when Eleven was the support band. We just chilled and hung out and we worked on Sunshower and Ave Maria on our small recording setup. He invited Al Cafaro the president of A&M at the time to come to visit and we played him some of Eleven’s new music which lead to a record deal. We convinced Al Cafaro to give us the entire recording budget to buy our own full-on recording studio. So 11AD was born. He came down to stay for a longer period to prepare some demos and that was when we worked on the songs for the album like I mentioned earlier. At the time Daniel Lanois was going to produce the album and at the last minute he cancelled his projects and when Chris asked: “What am I gonna do?” Natasha said “Fuck it! Let’s do it ourselves! We have everything we need…”. He smiled and said “OK!”. He sent for a bunch of his guitars and amps and we had so many instruments and awesome mics, pres and compressors and frankly some of the most amazing and varied acoustic environments in that old 20’s house…we just dug in and worked on the album for several months almost entirely in secret [laughs]. All the instruments were supporting each other but with a clear voice, a personality of its own. Hard to put into words but one can hear it on Euphoria Morning.

So to answer who was the initiator: it was Chris and Natasha combined. He trusted us as collaborators for the writing and arranging and then she convinced him to trust us as co-producers, engineers and mixers.

Euphoria Morning is a unique record. Musicians working on this album were completely in sync  – Chris Cornell stated this in numerous interviews. How do you remember the seven-month-long work process of the album?

The core was Chris, Natasha and I and we’d invite our rad drummer friends, Freese, Cameron, Rieflin, Indrizzo, Upchurch, depending on the song(s). Natasha played all the keys, Chris and I the guitars. On bass Markmann, Falkner and myself. We worked at a chill pace. A lot of sonic exploration for a day or two, take a couple of days off just run around do fun stuff. He’d go back to Seattle for a week or two. We were in no hurry and there was no pressure from the outside. Just our own internal high demand on a achieving a timeless album.

In another interview Cornell said it seemed that making a solo record was easier because you do not have to go over the songs together with the band. On the other hand, it is harder, because you have to make decisions alone. The author is responsible for his art alone. But this may not be the situation with Euphoria Morning, because it is not a solo record in a classical meaning. Also, as its instrumentation shows, that the band Eleven, beyond the members’ main instruments, were playing many other instruments (theremin, mandolin, clarinet, tabla etc), wrote songs (Follow My Way, Pillow of Your Bones, Disappearing One) and were also producers of the album. How did the trio share these roles?

Add Mission to that list…Chris played a lot of guitars and so did I as well as horns and “exotic” instruments. We had a few hundred instruments at 11AD from all over the world. Loving the sound of textures I started collecting a long time ago and since I’ve played guitar since I was roughly 4 years old I became interested in other instruments. Not to any kind of technically high level but enough to get a good sound and to know how to play it to create an atmosphere in an arrangement. Natasha had the most amazing musical mind. Perfect pitch, which she hated having [laughs], and a deep intuitive genius-level understanding of harmony, of counterpoint, how to create tension and release against a melody. The beauty of that. So with my kinda fearless jump head first improvisational approach and Chris’ genius as a songwriter and lyricist and as an amazing composer, not to mention his creativity on the guitar well…it was a really special combination that flowed so well. The three of us together. Just the most amazing, fun experience.

In a Rolling Stone-interview, Cornell was talking about a personal and professional crisis during the last years of the ’90s, which – he reckons – led him to make several bad decisions. According to him, one of those was the ’Euphoria Morning’ title which had been changed to ’Euphoria Mourning’ when the record was reissued in 2015. Though the first title had an obviously positive feeling, the new-old one included some complexity which Cornell’s lyrics usually did: some kind of antagonism. What is the meaning of the title: mourning for something good which is over, or a “euphoric mourning” that is a relief you feel when you realize the cause of your suffering?

I can’t answer that because I wasn’t aware at the time that he had a different title in mind. I love “Euphoria Mourning” obviously from a poetic standpoint. For me Euphoria Mourning opens up a meditation on grief or deep missing. Either happiness now is gone and never to return or the illusion of perfect happiness perhaps. Even grieving the loss of something that never was or could be. As in the artist idealism that creates that tension between what is and what one wishes.

Taking a closer look at Euphoria Morning’s lyrics it shows that they focus on a small and inward space: they are mostly about ’me’, ’me and you (we)’. In this respect, ’Wave Goodbye’ an exception. Chris Cornell wrote it as an homage for his old friend, Jeff Buckley who passed away in 1997. Did you know him?

We had the pleasure of meeting Jeff when we played a show together opening for Soundgarden. We hung out a few times one memorable one was at the SNL taping and afterwards. Jeff and I shared a love of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and we had some fun vocal jams and exciting discussions about Nusrat. He was so funny and smart. He was a fan of my first band What Is This as well. What an incredible badass and genius.

Beyond this song (‘Wave goodbye’) did Buckley influence either the creation process of Euphoria Morning or Cornell’s late art? For example on his second solo album, ‘Carry on’?

I think yes for sure Jeff had a profound effect on Chris as well I’m sure countless many. I’ve been changed forever upon encountering the artists that opened me up and by inspiration or example guide me on my own path.

Songs like ’Someone to Die for’, ’Heart of honey’ or ’Ave Maria’ were not published on this record.

Someone to Die for Natasha and I wrote. We had recorded a demo to turn in to our publisher and my voice was sounding shitty. Chris was staying with us and I came out of the studio and asked hey guys someone want to sing this I can’t right now. Chris said, “I’ll sing it”. When Al Cafaro heard the demo he loved it and wanted it for the Bond theme. It was just a demo but everyone loved that recording. It was almost used then there was an issue between the Broccoli family and A&M and it fell through. Years later Rick Rubin produced a version for Spiderman 2 I believe with Jimmy Gnecco singing and Brian May guesting on it. Heart Of Honey we wrote for a movie and at the end that didn’t go in. It’s made it’s way to youtube though [laughs]. It’s a great vocal from Chris. And Ave Maria was recorded early on before our fancy studio gear arrived at the request of A&M for A Very Special Christmas compilation. We didn’t have fancy synths but the Natasha arrangement and her voice weaving with Chris’ is amazing. She also composed an intro and an outro! [Laughs] Natasha…

Were you planning on making another album, songs together?

We worked together on The Keeper after many years. We also toured together in 2011. Yes, I believe we would have worked on music again. We often sent each other music and kept in touch.

Alain Johannes (Photo: Stephen Linsley)

Euphoria Morning’s first single was ’Can’t Change Me’. What is your opinion: did creating the album changed Chris Cornell? Did it help him to get through that hard period in his life? Was he satisfied with the album? And you?

I think it helped the three of us evolve and grow. At the time of the recording and the tour after I never noticed it being a hard period for him. He was in a great mood, funny and full of energy. And I believe he was very proud of what we had accomplished as were we.

There aren’t two Chris Cornell-solo records that sound the same: his ideas, talent and mood for experimentation are recognizable on each of them. Still, for me Euphoria Morning is the most important, I find it the most complete. When I got familiar with Howling Book by Eleven, I realized what I missed in each solo album of Cornell: your and Natasha’s work. I mentioned this album because I reckon I see parallelism between this and Euphoria Morning. Were there any conscious links made between these records?

Thank you. Well, we are definitely present in Euphoria Morning as part of the creative fountain. Our connection with Chris and Soundgarden, they were hugely important and inspiring to Natasha and I. One changes when moved so deeply. We met them in ’91 and began our friendship and collaborations. So it’s folded in. When we recorded Howling Book, Jack Irons had come back after being in Pearl Jam a few years and we set out to create the album at 11AD much the same energy existed in those Euphoria Morning sessions. I’ve known Jack since we were kids so it was 3 closest friends creating without egos and for the good of the music.

There is also a musical and „constitutional” similarity that is stated by many artists about Cornell and you. They respect you both not only for your creativity, versatility and friendly personality but also because they can turn to you with confidence as a source of inspiration and motivation. What do you think what did Eleven add to Euphoria Morning, and what inspiration did you draw from it?

I think simply being there together and creating the album serving a higher purpose. It’s different than an Eleven album yet the process was similar. It’s all for the song. Create the world where it lives. Intuit what’s right and good to communicate that fully. It’s very lucky when you have not one, not two but three artists resonating so empathically towards a purpose. In terms of inspiration, it just felt amazing to have achieved such work and have fun doing it. And we learned and grew a lot from the experience of creating with Chris.

On his Higher Truth tour Chris used a simple stage-setting: fixtures emitted inness. The guitars and some things made the stage more homelike: a red phone and a vinyl, which Cornell played for the piano track of ’When I’m Down’. Both of these things were related to people who influenced Euphoria Morning: Jeff Buckley and Natasha Shneider. Natasha’s huge influence could have been the classical-music-like solutions in certain songs (like Follow My Way, Disappearing One) and strong overtones from Eastern-European musical literacy. Is this assumption somewhat correct?

Yes, Natasha definitely had that incredible natural sense of harmony. But both of those started as riffs or chord changes that I came up with and then, of course, we developed together. Pillow Of Your Bones one would think would be more from me originally but that was Natasha. We became blurred into each other’s creative stamp from such a long connection and partnership.

As I wrote above she had perfect pitch. It is often also involving a photographic memory so that the piece of music heard can be repeated or notated by the person who has perfect pitch afterwards. Natasha’s was very rare and strong. She would hear something and immediately imagine and work towards an elegance, a depth.

I read in an interview with you that your mother originates from Transylvania. You may know that the word ’eleven’ appears in Hungarian language as well but with completely other meaning: ’vital’, ’lively’, ’animated’, ’alive’, ’living’, ’cheerful’, ’vivid’, ’peart’, ’beany’, ’brisk’, ’crisp’, ’perky’, ’quick’, ’bobbish’, ’mettled’, ’unfaded’. Knowing your life-work, together with the huge personal loss, we wish you keep your ’eleven’ and versatile activity, and we hope you can visit us once in Hungary.

Haha, thank you so much that’s awesome. It was my grandmother, Zita actually. She was born in Kolozsvár/Cluj.

*

At the end of our correspondence, Alain Johannes wrote about what he is doing these days. After finishing the music for the videogame Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017), he was invited to participate in creating the music for its next part as well. So, his most recent compositions can be heard in Ghost Recon Breakpoint in October. His new solo album will be released late 2019 or early 2020. Although we have to wait for an Alan Johannes concert in Budapest, reckless ones can see and hear him in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom this autumn.

Since 1999 Alain Johannes talked on numerous platforms about the making process of Euphoria Morning in English and Spanish as well: for example in the documentary about his artwork (Unfinished Plan: The Path of Alain Johannes directed by Rodolfo Gárate) and also in Abbey Travis’s podcast (listen to it here).

His shows often contain a song written together with Chris Cornell and Natasha Shneider: Disappearing One. He performed this track with Nikka Costa on the Chris Cornell Tribute Concert in January.

I’m your disappearing one Vanish when the curtain’s drawn But I will come again, and you will let me in And you’ll see I never disappear for long

[geeglefits]

your favorite song ~ brandy (you’re a fine girl), looking glass / rebels, tom petty / voodoo child, jimi jendrix 

the first song you remember loving ~ geeze idk. it was probably a spice girls song honestly. but i can really remember hearing u remind me by usher and being like OH HOT DAMN?

a song that reminds you of summer ~ summer girls, lfo / steal my sunshine, len 

a song you haven’t heard in years ~ lose yourself, eminem 

a song you can relate to ~ tulips (club version), bloc party

a song that reminds you of your favorite book ~ blue sky, the allman brothers band

a song that makes you want to dance ~ get down on it, kool & the gang

the best song from your favorite album ~ that’s hard. right now i would say hey hey, eric clapton unplugged. that entire album is solid gold but it’s hard to pick the best song. 

a song that makes you want to cry ~ moonlight sonata, beethoven 

a song that makes you feel young ~ steve mcqueen, sheryl crow / angels would fall, melissa etheridge 

a song that means a lot to you ~ walkin’ after midnight, patsy cline / animals, baths

the last song you listened to ~ 4th and roebling, the districts 

the last song you heard on the radio ~ when tf is the last time i heard the radio

the last cd/album you bought ~ evil empire, rage against the machine

a song to listen to on rainy days ~ wedding cake, discovery / new genius (brother), gorillaz / and it rained all night, thom yorke

a chill song ~ sound & color, alabama shakes

an upbeat song ~ move on up, lettuce or curtis mayfield

a song that gets stuck in your head ~ who can it be now?, men at work

your favorite song from a movie ~ just around the riverbend duh 

your favorite song from a musical ~ i’m not that refined 

a song that reminds you of the moon ~ clair de lune, debussy

a song by your favorite artist/band ~ give your heart away, the black keys

a song from the year you were born ~ what is love, haddaway 

the number one song on your birthday ~ freak me, silk

your favorite love song ~ right now it’s: the way you used to do, queens of the stone age. umf 

your favorite christmas song ~ grandma got run over by a reindeer. is there really any other that could ever compare 

one song that starts with each letter of your name ~ (e): elephants, them crooked vultures / (m): my doorbell, the white stripes / (i): i wouldn’t want to be like you, the alan parsons project / (l): le disko, shiny toy guns / (y): you got me, generationals

two songs with the same/similar titles that you like ~ uhhhhh

a cover that you like better than the original song ~ i’m on fire, town mountain (bruce springsteen original) 

a song with really good lyrics ~ one headlight, the wallflowers 

a song with an amazing beat ~ warriors, too many zoos / the blues (it began in africa), romare / wake up and smell the millennium, nobody

a song that you associate with the color yellow ~ in chains, alizzz

your favorite song with an action in the title (jump, dance, etc.) ~ walking on a dream, empire of the sun 

your favorite acoustic song ~ hey hey, eric clapton unplugged 

a song that motivates you ~ hold on here it go, sts and rjd2

your favorite song you’ve heard live ~ oh well, tom petty 

a song that reminds you of your best friend ~ well i consider more than one person a best or really good friend SO! i’m just gonna type these as they come to mind! : wagon wheel, old crow medicine show and this must be the place (naive melody), talking heads / africa, toto / try again, aaliyah and sabotage, beastie boys / lmao dance off, macklemore and everybody (backstreet’s back), backstreet boys / feelin’ myself, nicki and bey / diamons on the soles of her shoes, paul simon

your favorite song from childhood ~ walkin’ on the sun, smash mouth

a song you always sing along to ~ anna sun, walk the moon ( i can’t help it! wth is it about that song!) and absolutely (story of a girl) nine days 

your favorite song in a language different from your native one ~ volare (nel blu di pinto di blu), dean martin