Post subject: SOTM#91: I wish I was the verb to trust...
Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:28 pm
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
Wishlist
i wish i was a neutron bomb, for once i could go off i wish i was a sacrifice, but somehow still lived on i wish i was a sentimental ornament that you hung on the christmas tree, i wish i was the star that went on top i wish i was the evidence, i wish i was the grounds for fifty million hands upraised and open toward the sky
i wish i was a sailor with someone who waited for me i wish i was as fortunate as fortunate as me i wish i was a messenger and all the news was good i wish i was the full moon shining off of a camaro's hood
i wish i was an alien at home behind the sun i wish i was the souviener you kept your house key on i wish i was the pedal brake that you depended on i wish i was the verb to trust and never let you down
i wish i was a radio song the one that you turned up i wish i wish...
_________________ "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: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
SLH916 wrote:
This is such a simple little song, maybe the simplest one they’ve ever done. It’s just a list, and every line has the same format.
But WISHLIST is a love song. The insistent rhythm and “I wish…†structure of each line make it monotonous for some, but mesmerizing for others.
The singer wishes a great many things. The lines alternate between grand aspirations and small, intimate reflections.
The first two lines are almost an apology for the more volatile aspects of his personality,
"I wish I was a neutron bomb, for once I could go off I wish I was a sacrifice, but somehow still lived on."
He has grand desires that he hopes will make him worthy of his partner’s love,
"I wish I was the evidence, I wish I was the grounds For 50 million hands upraised and open toward the sky."
While at the same time wanting to fulfill her most personal needs,
"I wish I was the souvenir you kept your house key on."
There’s a timeless quality to these thoughts, far removed from the reality of our daily lives. They constitute a lovely, romantic moment.
This is one song in which the three guitar arrangement works extremely well. They move around each other echoing and inverting the lovely melody. 5 stars.
_________________ "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: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
Excellent write up SLH
First off, I love the music for wishlist—the simplicity of the rhythm part with excellent fills throughout that do a lovely job coloring it. As SLH said, this is one of those 3 guitar songs where they use them all to a wonderfully understated effect. And Mike’s solo is one of my all time favorites. Just a lovely little explosion of sentimentality that conveys a warm feeling of togetherness without going overboard
Eddie’s vocals are actually a bit miss for me on this. There are a few nice moments here or there, but this has a bit of the riot act problem where he just sounds slightly bored in places—like he is reciting, not singing. This is not to say that he needs to be roaring these lines out, but I would have liked a bit more energy in some places (think of the difference between man of the hour studio as opposed to live—except here he doesn’t improve the live version)
Lyrically I think this song is an underrated powerhouse with some really excellent lyrics.. The first verse especially, full of unfulfilled desires, starting dark and violent but softening into the simple romance of the Christmas tree and the desire to be someone that matters. There is a tension running through the song that is often missed (although not by SLH)—the desire to be something huge and important (the neutron bomb, the sacrifice, the evidence for 50 million people, the rock star allusion—as fortunate as me) juxtaposed with the quiet desire to be all that for just one person (the Christmas tree ornament, the sailor with the solitary person waiting for their return—one is enough, you don’t need the 50 million--, the moonlight on his lovers car, the pedal brake on the bicycle.
And the song culminates with one of the most mature romantic sentiments I’ve ever really heard, even though the execution is slightly chunky—that in the end what he wants to be more than anything else is someone you can trust—the person who will always be there and will never let you down. And that’s what love really is in the end—not the violence and uncertainty of passion and lust, but the soft and quiet feeling of comfort and security and trust. Love is the willingness to make yourself vulnerable to someone else—to give them power over you, and the healthiest and purest love is when you can do that knowing the other person understands the power you’ve given them over you and knows not to abuse it.
The tags are usually kind of nice and the mirror ball effect is fun—easily the best one he ever did was the Why Can’t I Touch It tag from 03. I wish they’d bring it back
4 stars
_________________ "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
It seems that if you're not into the simplicity and its relation to the song, you're not going to like Wishlist. I think it works. Life is simple. It's full of wishes, some come true and some don't. Even if you have everything, there is always a little bit more to wish for...whether it be happiness, a loved one or a rubber ducky. It's that simple. I was surprised when I first heard this song, because I though it was a little odd that they would record otherwise boring music. But it works.
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 3:09 pm Posts: 10839 Location: metro west, mass Gender: Male
5 stars. This is one Pearl Jam's greatest achievements studio-wise. The way this song was produced is diamond perfect. Lyrically, musically, everything will be looked back 20 years from now as classic rock ballad.
_________________ "There are two ways to enslave and conquer a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt." -John Adams
Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2006 7:04 pm Posts: 1875 Location: Atlanta, SE of Disorder Gender: Male
A solid four from me. I've always liked it and have a greater appreciation now that it's not played almost every concert anymore. Pretty little melody and some great lines mixed in. I've used my favorite as a sig for a few months now. One of those songs that works both slowed down and slightly sped up.
A couple personal notes. First time I heard it I was reminded of that old "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" Christmas commercial from the 70s.
Part of the fun in hearing it live is that Ed messes up on it frequently. Because I listen to various boots much more regularly than the studio tracks I still have no idea what the exact words are where when I sing along.
Stip mentions MSG I 03 as a standout and deservedly so. But for this song it may be worth it to mention most flubbed versions, which Boston III 03 and Albuquerque 00 (I think) come to mind.
****
_________________ From under my lone palm i can look out on the day
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 8:52 pm Posts: 2647 Location: Where gila monsters meet you at the airport
I don't know how to rate this one. I really like it on the album. Pleasant little pretty song with some really nice sentiments. Good little love song.
But God it's terrible live. Everything bad about the song comes out and is amplified when they play it live. The music is just boring, Ed doesn't seem to care about the lyrics, both in delivery and in the fact that he always fucks it up. Complete waste of 4-5 minutes when they play this one.
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2006 5:06 am Posts: 3146 Location: Orange County, California
A beautiful little song. 5 stars.
_________________ I waited all day
you waited all day
but you left before sunset
and I just wanted to tell you
that the moment was beautiful
just wanted to dance to bad music
drive bad cars
watch bad tv
should have stayed for the sunset
if not for me
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