Hotel Arizona

SONG: Hotel Arizona
ALBUM: Being There
TRACK: disc 1, track 10

As best I can decipher, this odd little tune is an abstract expression of the weird feelings that can accompany nascent rock & roll fame. At this point in their career, Wilco was getting a rush of support and attention for their sophomore alum. But Jeff Tweedy - a private person, not an outsized celebrity - feels uncomfortable with the pressures of being a "frontman", and as for "the interview/ that's not something I'm gonna get used to". The hotels that make Tweedy & Co. "wanna feel like stars" are big fun, but the "rental cars/with tinted windows" put a layer of distance between the band and its audience. The song reflects the anxiety Tweedy feels as his audience grows larger - and the fear that as he becomes a "rock star", people won't really listen to him. "Hello," he moans, "can you hear me?"

The last two lines sum it all up:

- "I guess / all this history / is just a mystery to me": his new life is difficult to figure out, and...
-"One more / worried whisper / right in my ear": ...now that he's begun to succeed, he's started to fear failure.

While that might just be one particular interpretation of these rather abstract lyrics, there's no denying how different this song sounds from anyting on their debut record, "A.M." In the context of the whole album, it definitely falls on the "experimental rock" end of the spectrum, the opposite side being their "alt-country" roots. Jay Bennett's influence can be heard in the noisy feedback shrieks and layered keyboards. These aspects would pay a major part in the band's next record, my personal favorite, Summerteeth.