Red Mosquito
http://archive.theskyiscrape.com/

SOTM: Half his life, a hand me down, wasted away...
http://archive.theskyiscrape.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=49900		 Page 1 of 4
Author:  stip [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:34 pm ]
Post subject:  SOTM: Half his life, a hand me down, wasted away...
Of The Girl

Oh he deals em off
Off the top
Ties em off

Fills it up
With his past
Gets carried away

Oh half his life
A hand me down
Wasted away

Of he fills it up
With the love
Of a girl

Oh he left it alone
Drilled the pain
With money to buy

How he makes his getaway
How he makes his getaway

Oh he chose a path
Heavy the fall
Quarter to four

Fills his night
With the thought
Of a girl

How he makes his getaway
How he makes his getaway
How he makes his getaway...

Previous Songs of the Moment
In My Tree
Red Mosquito
Porch
I Got Id
Release
Do The Evolution
Breath
Corduroy
Elderly Woman...
Leash
Hail Hail
Grievance
Love Boat Captain
Even Flow
Black Red Yellow
In Hiding
Can't Keep
Indifference
Insignificance
Whipping
Black
Smile
Push Me Pull Me
Rats
God's Dice
All or None
Yellow Ledbetter
Last Exit
Who You Are
Rearview Mirror
Hold On
Present Tense
Light Years
Alive
Brain of J
Thumbing My Way
Hard to Imagine
Tremor Christ
Rival
Animal
Lukin
You Are
betterman
Given to Fly
Once
Low Light
Parting Ways
Off He Goes
Go
get right
World Wide Suicide
Angel
MFC
Long Road
Why Go
Nothingman
Save You
Of A Girl
Author:  Junco Partner [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
One of the most intruiging songs from Pearl Jam's more recent releases, Of the Girl is a bluesy number with some nice ambience and a solid production quality that works to its atvantage.

Written by stone, this song tells a very strait forward story of a man who finds personal fullfilment in the love and thought of a woman. he feels his life may have been somewhat of a waste and an easy ride up to this point. "half his life a hand-me-down, wasted away".
It could be assumed with a bit of a stretch, that this song might be about a man who gets tied up in regrets in his past, and uses many escapes (i.e. drugs) when he 'tie's em' off' and 'left it alone, drilled the pain, with money to buy...' and still feels he had done at least something right in a particular relationship. This song doesn't neccisarily have to be about drugs.

Where some people feel the production quality weakens most of Binaural, this song is very strong. Theres a great live in studio sound on this song. The the mixing of the guitars, chimes, and bass creates an illusion of space within the recording. On a good sound system, it sounds as if mcready's guitars may be recorded from a distance or even another room, though it can fade out just barely from time to time. Ultimately, this song is an example of a loose and relaxed feel can sometimes work well for the group.
Author:  pearljamfan80 [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
Kind of slow for my taste. 3 stars studio...but live as an opener...wow...that bumped it up in my books. 4 stars.
Author:  stip [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
nice post Junco.

Of the girl is a three star song to me, but closer to two than four. I like the moody atmosphere but I never feel like it goes anywhere. The song lacks the immediacy that I feel when I listen to can't keep, which I can't help equating with of the girl. As is usual for a stone song, there are some nice lines in here (junco hit my favorite--the half his life... and I like the getaway line as well) but there are some clunkers. They might have been redemed if Eddie had really hit this one out of the park, but there really isn't very much for him to do here. The vocals are a little too relaxed without quite being penetrating. It's not that it is quiet and reflective. They just kind of hover about aimlessly.

I've really tried to get into this one a few times since it is held in pretty high esteem by the larger fan community, but I just can't do it. I would have rather seen a punchy string of insignificance/grievance/rival to lead into the close of Binaural. Of the Girl just dilutes the tension in insignificance before Grievance, and since the two songs are so closely related having Of the girl in the middle really feels out of place. I might like the song more if it was before insignificance (or after rival)
Author:  Junco Partner [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
stip wrote:
nice post Junco.

Of the girl is a three star song to me, but closer to two than four. I like the moody atmosphere but I never feel like it goes anywhere. The song lacks the immediacy that I feel when I listen to can't keep, which I can't help equating with of the girl. As is usual for a stone song, there are some nice lines in here (junco hit my favorite--the half his life... and I like the getaway line as well) but there are some clunkers. They might have been redemed if Eddie had really hit this one out of the park, but there really isn't very much for him to do here. The vocals are a little too relaxed without quite being penetrating. It's not that it is quiet and reflective. They just kind of hover about aimlessly.

I've really tried to get into this one a few times since it is held in pretty high esteem by the larger fan community, but I just can't do it. I would have rather seen a punchy string of insignificance/grievance/rival to lead into the close of Binaural. Of the Girl just dilutes the tension in insignificance before Grievance, and since the two songs are so closely related having Of the girl in the middle really feels out of place. I might like the song more if it was before insignificance (or after rival)


cool. thanks again. and to each his own, there are some good points there.
I do feel the band does much better when they are trying to hit some notes harder and create a sense of intensity and as you said immediacy. this song would have been nice between fatal and sleight of hand. at the same time, its kinda nice to have a break in tempo, to me it mixes up things, and while the song stands alone nicely, it does sorta ruin the other two songs (insignifigance/greivance)
Author:  Sunny [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 11:20 pm ]
Post subject: 
I really like the way this song was produced during the Binaural sessions: it gives that "spacey" feel that many other songs on this record have. I personally don't think the live versions are that great, but this would be a great closer IMO.

-Sunny
Author:  Junco Partner [ Fri Aug 25, 2006 11:26 pm ]
Post subject: 
thematically it might have worked well with parting ways, like of the girl is one side of the story, the mans side, and parting ways is the womans side.
Author:  inmytree [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 12:19 am ]
Post subject: 
The verses are kinda slow to me, but i really love the chorus. Studio is a 3, but live is great so i'll give it 4 stars
Author:  corduroy_blazer [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 12:37 am ]
Post subject: 
five stars.

it's all there -- lyrics, groove, bluesy feel, guitar work. beautiful song and awesome opener. i'd like to hear it live :|
Author:  Red`Mosquito [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:05 am ]
Post subject: 
4 stars.

Many people only like this song live. I liked this song from the very start, from the studio version (although I have to admit the live version IS much better).

If every time they played this, it sounded like the Benaroya version, though, it would easily be a 5 stars song to me.
Author:  VAN [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:16 am ]
Post subject: 
3 stars. Studio is great but live, it reveals itself to be kind of boring, or just not as interesting as it appear in studio.
Author:  Dev [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:53 am ]
Post subject: 
pearljamfan80 wrote:
Kind of slow for my taste. 3 stars studio...but live as an opener...wow...that bumped it up in my books. 4 stars.


I love this song live as an opener. Easily one of their best openers. Maybe the Best.
Author:  LostDog1079 [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:01 am ]
Post subject: 
Am I one of the only ones who likes it better on album than live? It sounds haunting on the album and I like the vibe of it. 5 stars from me.
Author:  sportsfreakpete6 [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:17 am ]
Post subject: 
Good for a listen once in a while, but nothing to get too excited about. 3 Stars.
Author:  adamdude [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 6:11 am ]
Post subject: 
i love it
Author:  Iago [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 6:24 am ]
Post subject: 
This is a character song for Binaural -- that is, it's one of the tracks that gives the album its identity.

To add perspective, this is the kind of song that Avocado lacks.

I agree w/ the praise heeped on the song so far.

4 stars
Author:  YessCode [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 5:13 pm ]
Post subject: 
I really like the spacey production, I think it works best on Of the Girl, more so then the rest of Binaural. The song falls into the collection of half baked PJ songs in the Binaural-RA era. Since it starts in dissaray and builds into the light guitar and deep drum beat, I expect it to go somewhere else...but it never does.

The chorus is great, but again doesn't stray enough away from the verses which are overall fairly dull. I like when sings wrecklessly ala Jeremy or even Thumbing my Way...the vocal melody is dull. Up and down up and down up and down...snore.

It's a good song but not wonderful.

3/5

I swear you can hear Stone mubmble "Do it again" at the end of the song.
Author:  giventofly_88 [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 7:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
3 stars for me...its still sinking in i guess
Author:  McParadigm [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 7:10 pm ]
Post subject: 
Should have opened the album.
Author:  giventofly_88 [ Sat Aug 26, 2006 7:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
McParadigm wrote:
Should have opened the album.
maybe...but breakerfall does kick it off pretty well i think...but if they were to open it slower it would have been perfect...i.e. the benaroya show..great way to start it
Page 1 of 4 All times are UTC
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/