SONG: How to Fight Loneliness
ALBUM: Summerteeth
TRACK: 8
Lots of critics like to call Wilco the "American Radiohead". While that's certainly debatable, I do like to imagine the lyrics to this song written out like one of Thom Yorke's little half-poetic rants...
How To Fight LONELINESS:
1. smile all the time
2. shine your teeth til meaningless
3. sharpen with lies
See? Anyways. This haunting minor-key tune evokes a mesmerising melancholy. Tweedy tells us that the best defense against loneliness is to "laugh at every joke" and "smile all the time", but he sings it with such a resigned weariness that you doubt he'll ever crack a genuine grin again in his life. How sad is that? The spooky tone carries on as the song fades through an outro of very Beatlesque backwards-Mellotron and hushed "doo doo doots" in harmony.
While it's full of bad advice, this song is a great, moody piece that sets the stage for the darkest, most twisted song on the record: "Via Chicago".
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
There's also something about that chord progression, and the strumming of said progression, that always reminds me of flamenco music for some reason.
ReplyDeleteThis is in my top 20 of favorite Wilco songs, for sure.
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying this blog, by the way. Anything to feed the obsession...
I do love this song, but I always have one unfortunate thought that goes through my head every time I hear it: "Wow, what a great song. And to think it appeared on the 'Martha Stewart Living: Quiet Times' CD."
ReplyDeleteDamn near ruins it for me, although I like the idea of Ms. Stewart possibly being a fan of such a dark, cynical song.