Soon Forget

Sorry is the fool who trades his soul for a corvette
Thinks he'll get the girl, he'll only get the mechanic
What's missing? He's living a day he'll soon forget

That's one more time around,... the sun is going down
The moon is out, but he's drunk and shouting,
Putting people down...he's pissing,.. he's living...
A day he'll soon forget

Counts his money every morning
The only thing that keeps him horny
Locked in a giant house, that's alarming
The townsfolk,... they all laugh

Sorry is the fool who trades his love for high-rise rent
Seems the more you make, equals the loneliness you get
and it's fitting,... he's barely living,... a day he'll soon forget

That's one more time around,... there is not a sound
He's lying dead clutching Benjamins,... never put the money down
He's stiffening,... we're all whistling...
A man we'll soon forget


Soon Forget was a worthwhile, but not totally succesful experiment. It is nice to see Eddie do more strict singer/songwriter style songs but I can't help but feel that without a full band behind him (or at least full instrumentation) he mails these songs in. Soon Forget feels complete, and its not the music. The vocals are intimate and even a little fragile, but in an uncertain way--as if Eddie is worried about remember the lyrics and so can't give them the emotional weight they need. It sounds like a demo, and I would have enjoyed it a lot more as a demo. I'm not totally sold on the ukelee as the appropriate instrument for this song. It has a quiet 'late night on the beach' feel to it (as does goodbye) and give the lyrics this needs either a more celebratory feel (we have each other, he has nothing), a sense of confident satisfaction (you can argue that eddie is better off with his quiet contentment on the beach than this guy with all his posession but in that case I think Eddie sounds too tentative) or a sarcastic bite to match the lyrics. So I think I understand what Eddie was trying to do. I'm just not sure it works

Lyrically this song isn't all that impressive. The problem is that Eddie is not all that comfortable with sarcasm. He's too serious and reflective for this to work. Eddie is rarely comfortable with play, especially when it is supposed to be judgemental (witness Bushleaguer). And so some of the lyrics in here are a little weak. The 'gets the mechanic/high rise rent' judgements seem obvious. The emotional core of the song is 'seems the more you make equals the lonliness you get' but since it is an obvious sentiment it needed more emotional heft in the delivery to make it work, and it just isn't here (compare this to the equally obvious, but more powerful Society). And some of the lyrics (he's stifening/we're all listening, counts his money every morning/the only thing that makes him horny, He's lying dead clutching benjamins/never put the money down) are just cringe worthy. Lyrics like this are not acceptable on an album with the sublime writing you find on insignficance, grievance, sleight of hand, and parting ways.


On the pluys side, the stripped down nature of the song makes for a wonderful transition into the lush sadness of Parting Ways. The transition doesn't work as well after the jarring sleight of hand

2.5 stars. I don't like the song much but it gets points for trying something new. Closer to 2 than 3, however.

9/2/00

listen to it now. 5 star performance, 2 star song

I love this song. And I like the thinks he'll get the girl/he'll only get the mechanic line. It's better than at least 4 or 5 other songs on Binural, and that's saying something for a quick little uke song.

actually that line is kinda clever. I meant to write the corvette part of it. And that you like soon forget that much may so more about the lack of depth on binaural than the qualtiy of this song

One of many Pearl Jam moments that are the kind of ideas/performances that are awesome little blips if you have an extensive, expansive Neil Young discography...but not as much on a smaller, shorter "epic rock band" kind of discography.

You cannot start with all the mediocre, same-sounding stuff for 20 years and then come out with a little treat like that, can you? Neil Young didn't start off with his entire discography either. Anyway, I love it. Have seen it once messed up totally live and was a tad disappointed (Kitchener), luckily he made up for it a year later in Belgium.

This whole album reminds me of a time and place in my life, but perhaps no song more than this one. I always think about riding the bus to work in Chicago and riding past the Gold Coast high rise apartment buildings when I hear this song. It seemed to me to be about the people who live there.

4 stars. Fun and cute song.

It's pretty good for what it is. The lyrics aren't that great, but the delivery is awesome. 3.5 stars, closer to a 4 though.

I really like this song.

I'm not always a huge fan of this song; sometimes it seems like just too simple of a song with some unimpressive lyrics. However, at this moment, it's one of the songs I can relate to the most. For this reason, I give it 3.5 stars.

My second-least favourite on Binaural. But i still enjoy it.

This is a cute little song, great for what it is.

Blue, Red & Grey is about a gazillion times superior, though.

3 stars.

This song makes me want to buy a ukulele.

4 stars.

fun song, never took it too seriously, but i liked the sentiment. Lyrically, Ed was attempting some humor, some lines worked, some didn't. Good to listen to every so often - especially with earbuds

I agree with Stip on this:
"On the plus side, the stripped down nature of the song makes for a wonderful transition into the lush sadness of Parting Ways."

2 stars, it should have been on Lost Dogs instead of Fatal or Sad.

Good point. I like the song (4 stars) just for what it is. I enjoy it. But I agree, there is no alternative. The only hint of this is the people in the town who are laughing and witnessing, etc... But there really is no alternative offered in the song. Like, what do you expect us to do Eddie? It's easy coming from a rock star, you bum...that kinda thing.

Also, I like the line "It seems the more you make equals the loneliness you get." Mainly because Ed is the perfect example of this mindset. We all witnessed his misery grow and his celebrity grew.

Either way, I got kinda sick of the whole "haves have nots" theme from the early 00s, I am glad that kinda died out a little...it's still around, but not as much.

We should do Rock Around Barack as our next SOTM.

Any chance of me loving or even liking this song was quickly slaughtered as soon as I heard this