Post subject: SOTM: Jesus greets me... looks just like me...
Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:50 am
Founding Bitch
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:09 pm Posts: 13868 Location: Norn Iron
W.M.A.
he won the lottery when he was born took his mothers white breast to his tongue trained like dogs, color and smell walks by me to get to him police man police man he won the lottery by being born big hand slapped a white male american do no wrong, so clean cut... dirty his hands, it comes right off police man police man police stopped my brother again police stopped my brother again police stopped my brother again police man police man jesus greets me...looks just like me... do no wrong, so clean cut dirty his hands, it comes right off police man police man police man police stopped my brother again police stopped my brother again police stopped my brother again police man police man police stopped my brother again police stopped my brother again police stopped my brother again police man police man police man all my pieces set me free...human devices set me free... all my pieces set me free... human devices set me free... all my pieces set me free... human devices set me free...
Many bands have an odd quirk or two in their youth that they grow out of. For Metallica, for example, it was talent. For Pearl Jam, it was short song titles. And here is one of the smallest of them all, W.M.A. Title quibbles aside, musically the song has its roots in the group’s debut album. The plodding bass and atmospheric guitar sound like it was born out of the same primordial soup that spawned Master/Slave, the piece of music which topped and tailed Ten. But this is a different beast: a leaner animal with a bit more bite. The animal itself described in the song is quite different to the one described in the corresponding track no. 6 on Ten; whereas Jeremy was a frightened, unloved and tortured creature, this one is undoubtedly one of the alpha males. In this song, breasts are not bitten in rage or self defence but are used to gain succour. With nourishment gained, this W.A.S.P. hits out at others who are not one of the clan whilst avoiding confrontation with its own lighter-skinned kindred. The sense of what is a very human beast being trained like a dog, using “colour and smell†only heighten the very animalistic mood of W.M.A., reinforced by the almost tribal drumbeats, vocals and bass. Indeed, the suggestion here is that “American†can just as easily be changed with “Animalâ€; a suggestion bolstered when you consider track 2 on the record. Whilst the music of W.M.A. is of a high quality, the lyrics can leave something to be desired. The chorus is gratingly repetitive and not exactly catchy. Of course, Vedder should be praised when tackling a subject such as societal inequality. However, there is something ever so slightly cheesy about a white rock star singing “police stopped my brother againâ€; doubtless Vedder would state he means “brother†in terms of human brotherhood, but it still contains a sizeable whiff of cheddar. That said, in other parts of the song his lyrics shine; particularly the “Jesus greets me…†section of the song. In the end, W.M.A. is an interesting song; a warning defiantly aimed toward the white frat boy following which dogged Pearl Jam during those early years (and beyond?) Sadly neglected by the band in later years (save during paltry Daughter tags), W.M.A. surely warrants a comeback; particularly if Cameron can grow an extra two arms.
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2005 3:53 am Posts: 6704 Location: Tasmania, Australia Gender: Male
im disappointed that the drum track on this song is a loop. i think dave could easiliy have played this out, and it has always confused me why he didnt in the studio. the song on a whole, though, i like.
_________________
Harmless wrote:
'Isn't this weird? We're looking down on PJ's music, only.... that's not PJ's music. Isn't that weird?'
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
Angus wrote:
Bartek wrote:
I don't think Dave A. could easily have played this out - the live versions proven he couldn't. Jack did it so much better
I predict good things for this thread after this post.
did they even play it with jack
WMA gets 3 stars in the end from me, but a frustrating three stars. I love the music, but the song noodles too much at the end. WMA needs to lose 30-45 seconds and that bumps him up a nod
Juvenal is right--the chorus is a bit ham fisted, but the human devices outro is quite nice and the lyrics in the verses are fantastic. This song does a really nice job coloring the edges of institutional racism. It's not that the subject of the song is racist. He probably isn't. He just isn't aware of the way his sex and gender still create real privelage and opportunity, and that being born a female and especially black, can confer enormous social obstacles to success. The tricky thing is that it all happens under the radar. Naked bigotry and racism is easy to combat. When it is embedded in our social instutions it is much harder to see, let alone address.
My two favorite lines
He won the lottery when he was born
Took his mother's white breast to his tounge
and
Dirty his hands it comes right off
Three stars, but with the potential to be four.
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Juvenal: An excellent assessment of W.M.A. Eddie and the boys do seem to capture a certain slant on the White Male American that seemed valuable at the time. There had been several instances in New York and L.A. of questionable beatings of black men by the local cops. The music carries a sinister, almost threatening rhythm to it that underscores the fear that they are trying to evoke. Yes, seems a little trite in spots, but that is partially a time thing. What might be musically/lyrically appealing in 1994 might not be so a decade later.
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
orchiddoctor wrote:
Juvenal: An excellent assessment of W.M.A. Eddie and the boys do seem to capture a certain slant on the White Male American that seemed valuable at the time. There had been several instances in New York and L.A. of questionable beatings of black men by the local cops. The music carries a sinister, almost threatening rhythm to it that underscores the fear that they are trying to evoke. Yes, seems a little trite in spots, but that is partially a time thing. What might be musically/lyrically appealing in 1994 might not be so a decade later.
1993*
Everything from Vitalogy (1994) is appealing 10 years later
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 3:00 pm Posts: 19826 Location: Alone in a corridor
stip wrote:
orchiddoctor wrote:
Juvenal: An excellent assessment of W.M.A. Eddie and the boys do seem to capture a certain slant on the White Male American that seemed valuable at the time. There had been several instances in New York and L.A. of questionable beatings of black men by the local cops. The music carries a sinister, almost threatening rhythm to it that underscores the fear that they are trying to evoke. Yes, seems a little trite in spots, but that is partially a time thing. What might be musically/lyrically appealing in 1994 might not be so a decade later.
1993*
Everything from Vitalogy (1994) is appealing 10 years later
And that's why, anno 2006, Ten & Vs. are the band's worst albums.
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
Angus wrote:
stip wrote:
orchiddoctor wrote:
Juvenal: An excellent assessment of W.M.A. Eddie and the boys do seem to capture a certain slant on the White Male American that seemed valuable at the time. There had been several instances in New York and L.A. of questionable beatings of black men by the local cops. The music carries a sinister, almost threatening rhythm to it that underscores the fear that they are trying to evoke. Yes, seems a little trite in spots, but that is partially a time thing. What might be musically/lyrically appealing in 1994 might not be so a decade later.
1993*
Everything from Vitalogy (1994) is appealing 10 years later
And that's why, anno 2006, Ten & Vs. are the band's worst albums.
I'm going to hold you to this in four years on the 12th anniversary of yield
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 3:00 pm Posts: 19826 Location: Alone in a corridor
stip wrote:
Angus wrote:
stip wrote:
orchiddoctor wrote:
Juvenal: An excellent assessment of W.M.A. Eddie and the boys do seem to capture a certain slant on the White Male American that seemed valuable at the time. There had been several instances in New York and L.A. of questionable beatings of black men by the local cops. The music carries a sinister, almost threatening rhythm to it that underscores the fear that they are trying to evoke. Yes, seems a little trite in spots, but that is partially a time thing. What might be musically/lyrically appealing in 1994 might not be so a decade later.
1993*
Everything from Vitalogy (1994) is appealing 10 years later
And that's why, anno 2006, Ten & Vs. are the band's worst albums.
I'm going to hold you to this in four years on the 12th anniversary of yield
I don't think Dave A. could easily have played this out - the live versions proven he couldn't. Jack did it so much better
I predict good things for this thread after this post.
did they even play it with jack
they did, but it wasnt too good.
Don't want to start another Dave A. vs Jack battle. It's a question of personal taste, so the best solution is for everyone to compare by her/himself:
Dave Abbruzzese's "W.M.A." mp3 05/13/93 - Slim's Cafe: San Francisco, CA
Jack Iron's "W.M.A." mp3 02/18/95 - Izumity 21, Sendai, Japan
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:28 pm Posts: 5361 Location: St. Paul Gender: Male
porchball wrote:
W.M.A. , Glorified G If I had to cut two songs off of VS those would be them.
Blasphemy I say!
WMA is a highlight of VS for me. I'd agree with stip that it probably is a bit too long, but other than that I don't have a complaint about it. It is one of the reasons that, when selecting a PJ CD to listen to, that I would pick Vs over something else. It's also a great song to put on an exercise mix.
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