Passenger Side

SONG: Passenger Side
ALBUM: A.M.
TRACK: 10

Fresh off the breakup of Uncle Tupelo, Tweedy's country roots are evident in this song's twang, but his wry humor and ear for melodies are already evident. I think this tune is utterly hilarious, largely due to Tweedy's laconic backcountry delivery and deadpan tone. The lyrics are simple and unpretentious, expressing Tweedy's anger at not being able to drive his own car around town. You can't get much more direct than "I don't like ridin' / on the passenger side". His voice sounds so young here. Funny how it would take him five albums to return to this straightforward lyrical approach.

Simple couplets like "you're gonna make me spill my beer/if you don't learn how to steer" drip with frustration and sarcasm. Tweedy sipping a brew in his seat while cursing whoever's at the wheel makes me chuckle, but the real punchline isn't until the very end: "I got a court date comin' this June/I'll be driving soon". All his anger at his designated driver is a projection of his anger at himself for losing his license (probably due to a DUI).

The bridge seems half-finished at first glance, but it provides a huge layer of depth to the song:

I coulda been the driver
I shoulda been the one
I coulda been your lover
But I hadn't
Seen...

While Jeff appears to trail off, you slowly realize that the person in the driver's seat is romantically linked...possibly an ex-girlfriend, or "the one that got away". This makes his acid-tongued tone seem like a front for how he really feels - powerless, regretful, ashamed. But the character in the song would never admit that; he would just let the conversation die out, or change the topic (the next line is "can you take me to the store/and then the bank"). Even in a simple song like this, Tweedy tells us a story with some lyrical depth.