Red Mosquito • View topic - SOTM #120: If he can't sleep how will he ever dream....

Pegasus · **Posted:** Fri Feb 22, 2008 11:41 pm

stip wrote:

Man in Black wrote:

Thirty bills unpaid! LOL that's a lot of unpaid bills.
I can just picture Ed coming up with the lyrics to this song:
"Hmmm...now let me try and relate to this guy I'm writing about.
Let me assume I'm some loser with a 'Jesus Saves' gold ring, and I
just lost my job, I wonder how many unpaid bills I would have.
Hmmmm...10?...nah it's got to be worse than that...20?...for all I know
everyone has 20 unpaid bills...how 'bout...30!!!...yeah that's it, that's the
ticket...I've got 30 unpaid bills!!"

so only people in desperate financial situations are allowed to write about poverty?

no...but people in normal situations have a sense of proportion..
to GET 30 bills means you've had a shit load of money somewhere down the line (I'm trying to count how many you could possibly get as a normal family:
mortgage/rent, electricity, gas, telephone, mobile phone x2, council tax, water, car loan x2, school fees, cable TV, internet, car insurance x2, house insurance, health insurance, travel insurance, credit card x3, income tax, TV licence, pension fund x2 ...ok, I ran out of ideas ..still only got up to 25.. and I don't even have half of those being single)

Mine · **Posted:** Fri Feb 22, 2008 11:49 pm

Pegasus wrote:

stip wrote:

Man in Black wrote:

Thirty bills unpaid! LOL that's a lot of unpaid bills.
I can just picture Ed coming up with the lyrics to this song:
"Hmmm...now let me try and relate to this guy I'm writing about.
Let me assume I'm some loser with a 'Jesus Saves' gold ring, and I
just lost my job, I wonder how many unpaid bills I would have.
Hmmmm...10?...nah it's got to be worse than that...20?...for all I know
everyone has 20 unpaid bills...how 'bout...30!!!...yeah that's it, that's the
ticket...I've got 30 unpaid bills!!"

so only people in desperate financial situations are allowed to write about poverty?

no...but people in normal situations have a sense of proportion..
to GET 30 bills means you've had a shit load of money somewhere down the line (I'm trying to count how many you could possibly get as a normal family:
mortgage/rent, electricity, gas, telephone, mobile phone x2, council tax, water, car loan x2, school fees, cable TV, internet, car insurance x2, house insurance, health insurance, travel insurance, credit card x3, income tax, TV licence, pension fund x2 ...ok, I ran out of ideas ..still only got up to 25.. and I don't even have half of those being single)

Who said it was just for one month?

Pegasus · **Posted:** Sat Feb 23, 2008 12:17 am

Mine wrote:

Pegasus wrote:

stip wrote:

Man in Black wrote:

Thirty bills unpaid! LOL that's a lot of unpaid bills.
I can just picture Ed coming up with the lyrics to this song:
"Hmmm...now let me try and relate to this guy I'm writing about.
Let me assume I'm some loser with a 'Jesus Saves' gold ring, and I
just lost my job, I wonder how many unpaid bills I would have.
Hmmmm...10?...nah it's got to be worse than that...20?...for all I know
everyone has 20 unpaid bills...how 'bout...30!!!...yeah that's it, that's the
ticket...I've got 30 unpaid bills!!"

so only people in desperate financial situations are allowed to write about poverty?

no...but people in normal situations have a sense of proportion..
to GET 30 bills means you've had a shit load of money somewhere down the line (I'm trying to count how many you could possibly get as a normal family:
mortgage/rent, electricity, gas, telephone, mobile phone x2, council tax, water, car loan x2, school fees, cable TV, internet, car insurance x2, house insurance, health insurance, travel insurance, credit card x3, income tax, TV licence, pension fund x2 ...ok, I ran out of ideas ..still only got up to 25.. and I don't even have half of those being single)

Who said it was just for one month?

mm..yeah I guess..

Man in Black · **Joined:** Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:47 pm **Posts:** 2932

stip wrote:

Man in Black wrote:

SLH916 wrote:

I really like this tune a lot. It’s an example of Pearl Jam drawing on their roots, but creating something that’s very much their own. It’s got a real rockabilly sensibility, and I may be wrong, but I don’t recall them ever trying on this style before. It’s got the driving vocals in the verses that go all the way back to Carl Perkins and tunes like MATCHBOX. It’s got the melodic, catchy chorus with very pleasing harmonies. I love the drumming and the modified walking bassline that hints at old-style rockabilly without going for full-on boogie-woogie. It gives the song a modern sound.

I love the uh-oh’s in the bridges. They sound fabulous, and I’m stunned by the comparison that some people are making. That faux yodeling is a staple of rockabilly, and I’d say that here it’s more of a homage to the bridge in a song like The Band’s UP ON CRIPPLE CREEK or the chorus in John Fogerty’s BLUE BOY than a reference to Shania Twain, although I do like that song MAN!I FEEL LIKE AWOMAN, especially the dudes in the video. I’m surprised that no one has mentioned that the “Oh, Yeh’s” must be lifted from THAT DON’T IMPRESS ME MUCH.

I also love the lyrics. The storytelling is superb. The meter is a very good match for the basic percussion cadence, and for once, Ed allows some breathing room when he writes lyrics to a Matt Cameron tune. Every beat doesn’t need to have a syllable associated with it. These are song lyrics, not poetry.

For me, the weaknesses in this tune are the uninspired guitar parts. They don’t have the warmth or character of the vocals, percussion or bass. Although there is something interesting starting to happen in the second bridge that is unfortunately buried in the production. For me the lackluster guitar parts really drag the song down. 3 stars.

Thirty bills unpaid! LOL that's a lot of unpaid bills.
I can just picture Ed coming up with the lyrics to this song:
"Hmmm...now let me try and relate to this guy I'm writing about.
Let me assume I'm some loser with a 'Jesus Saves' gold ring, and I
just lost my job, I wonder how many unpaid bills I would have.
Hmmmm...10?...nah it's got to be worse than that...20?...for all I know
everyone has 20 unpaid bills...how 'bout...30!!!...yeah that's it, that's the
ticket...I've got 30 unpaid bills!!"

so only people in desperate financial situations are allowed to write about poverty?

No...wealthy people are allowed to write about poverty. They are also allowed to write bad songs... like this one.

SLH916 · **Posted:** Sat Feb 23, 2008 1:25 am

Man in Black wrote:

#38: Do You Really Want to Hurt Me

#99: SHE'S GOT THE DEVIL IN HER HEART.

punkdavid · **Posted:** Sat Feb 23, 2008 3:06 am

stip wrote:

I went with three stars. I think I'd give it 3.5 but it is defintiely closer to 3 than 4.

SmilinSkullRing · **Posted:** Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:01 am

Nice write-up stip. I think 4 stars is about right.

Angus · **Posted:** Sun Feb 24, 2008 11:50 am

mastaflatch wrote:

Angus, is there a single song you like on S/T?

Marker a lot, WWS a bit and Inside Job live as opener.

Isaac Turner · **Posted:** Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:13 pm

spenno wrote:

Wow, I guess this one can be chalked up as another "Pearl Jam song everyone hates except spenno who loves it" (refer: Evacuation, Help Help, Cropduster, Ghost etc.).

Honestly, I'm not doing this purpose...

you and me spenno, you and me... we dig the same... i hope you like You Are

i think the Avocado fans and the Avocado haters are probably on the opposite sides of the fence on this song...

can we make a poll to test that... how many love Avocado (or if not "love," REALLY like the direction the band took with the album) AND dislike unemployable OR how many dislike Avocado but LOVE Unemployable...

I'm conjecturing that Unemployable is the Missouri of Avocado... and I for one love it.

PS SLH, the guitars for most of the song I won't argue with about though I disagree, but how solid is that guitar line that comes in at the end??! SOLID, and then it breaks out and down a bit hauntingly... real nice, imo

Isaac Turner · **Posted:** Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:14 pm

Man in Black wrote:

I can just picture Ed coming up with the lyrics to this song:
"Hmmm...now let me try and relate to this guy I'm writing about.
Let me assume I'm some loser with a 'Jesus Saves' gold ring, and I
just lost my job, I wonder how many unpaid bills I would have.
Hmmmm...10?...nah it's got to be worse than that...20?...for all I know
everyone has 20 unpaid bills...how 'bout...30!!!...yeah that's it, that's the
ticket...I've got 30 unpaid bills!!"

literally had me laughing out loud while people were walking past when i read this.

:thumbsup:

good ol eddie...

SLH916 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:24 pm

Isaac Turner wrote:

PS SLH, the guitars for most of the song I won't argue with about though I disagree, but how solid is that guitar line that comes in at the end??! SOLID, and then it breaks out and down a bit hauntingly... real nice, imo

The guitar line that comes in during the second bridge is terrific. Unfortunately, as on so many songs on this record, it's pretty buried in the mix. I would have liked it if that theme had been introduced following the first chorus. I think that it would have sounded nice. In general, I don't feel that the earlier guitar parts have a lot of character. And they don't fill in the spaces left when the vocals pause.

tremorsea · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:41 am

i like this song a lot, i think its a lot better than people give it credit for.

Bammer · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2008 4:54 am

4 Stars. I really like this one, but not as much as Even Flow.

corduroy_blazer · **Posted:** Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:29 pm

five stars.

BeYourself · **Joined:** Mon Oct 18, 2004 8:52 pm **Posts:** 109

I didn't like this song after first hearing it as the B-Side to WWS, but it grew on me quick. The lyrics make it easy to actually imagine yourself in that guys position, and happy that I'm not. One of my faves on self titled, and one that hasn't lost it's replay factor for me, live or studio. 5 stars.

Monkey_Driven · **Posted:** Wed Feb 27, 2008 7:10 pm

One of the more underrated tunes. It's so damn catchy (like it or not) but still has that bite to it. I really can't describe why I love the song so much. Solid 4.5 stars from me, rounded up to a 5.

mastaflatch · **Posted:** Thu May 21, 2009 2:19 am

despite the mixing issues, i really like what the guitars do on this one. in fact i think it may be the most creative song on s/t.

spenno · **Posted:** Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:25 am

On a whim, I just listened to the studio version and GODDAMN I love this song.

They ain't done nothin' better since Riot Act.

Tig · **Joined:** Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:47 pm **Posts:** 863

^Severed Hand is slightly better IMO. As is Inside Job.

But this song is pretty good. The jumpy riff is really cool, and some of the lyrics are damn good.

bmacsmith · **Joined:** Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:52 pm **Posts:** 8288

1 star!

SOTM #120: If he can't sleep how will he ever dream....

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