Impossible Germany

SONG: Impossible Germany
ALBUM: Sky Blue Sky
TRACK: 3

This one's certainly direct: it's nothing more than a sweet and tender love song from a rock star on a world tour to his faithful wife back at home. Specifically, Tweedy hones in on the way his long-distance expressions of love can only bring so much comfort: "I'll say what this means to me/I'll do what I can". It's difficult to really communicate with his wife when he's out on the road, and that can frustrate both of them and strain the relationship.

But midway through the song, he states that "if this was still new to me/I wouldn't understand". He acknowledges that they've been over this before, and he knows it's hard to feel loved when you're sleeping in an empty bed...yet he concludes,

but this is what love is for
to be out of place
gorgeous and alone
face to face

It's a quiet comfort that even when they're alone and apart, husband and wife are dreaming of each others' faces, and this shared vision gives them both comfort. Knowing this, phone calls from far away are more reassuring because, as Tweedy sings, there's "nothing more important/than to know someone's listening".

As for me, I'm listening to that awesome three-guitar outro. Pat Sansone and Jeff Tweedy hammer out some tasty Steely-Dan-esque harmonies while Nels Cline spazzes out on his Fender Jaguar. It's a nice, satisfying rock-n-roll ending - Tweedy's way of reminding us that even tender-hearted songwriters can crank it up to eleven if they wanna rawk.