Originally Posted by Fdemetrio
Originally Posted by Michael Zaneski
Originally Posted by Fdemetrio
Originally Posted by Mark Kaufman
I can admire and respect a song while gagging on it every time I hear it. One of Elvis Presley's greatest songs, "Suspicious Minds" falls into that category.

It makes my skin crawl. Seriously. Meanwhile, everything about it impresses me as a very well-written song. I understand the lyrics, I wouldn't rewrite them, they work perfectly, the music is hook-filled and the production is arranged masterfully. And I despise it.It doesn't make me feel good when it plays.

It goes back to childhood, so maybe I'm responding to the combination of the impossible complainy message that also drips with "I love you" while saying "I don't trust you at all and nor you me" all coming from the overwrought delivery from that fat sweaty guy in a comedic superhero suit who used to be so cool.

There. That felt good. And I KNOW I'm out on a limb that's about to crash into a burning forest. I'm caught in a trap.


This is very true also. Most people agree that classical music is some of the greatest music ever written, but how many of us want to listen to it? How many of us break it out at a party, lol

I agree, "somewhere over the rainbow" I feel is one of the greatest songs ever written, but personally I think it sucks, if that makes any sense. I guess it goes back to subjective and objective.

But i guess we can learn from stuff that we know is great, but dont necessarily like.



Hi FD,

Try to articulate why you think it sucks. This is where the fun lies, for me at least.

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" was a meh song for me after I grew up, but then I heard Israel Kamakawiwo ole's version in the early 90s and fell in love with the song again. To me it's an innocent expression of longing to hold on to one's dreams. Holding on to the child inside ourselves, as it can be a source of light as we go through life. I think some songs are great but aren't durable enough to withstand a million listens. The melody and harmonic structure is so perfectly wed to the lyric that for me, this one can.

Love to hear you express why you no likey.

Mike


I could say why I think its a great write, and why I dont like it? Sounds like a bit like a hot ice pack.... lol

"Objective" why I think its great.
Great write because it's a perfectly simple, economistic, universal idea. Speaks of transcendence, which oddly in most of the rock music I listen to, that's what I tend to like. very to the point and short and sweet, no wasted words, like most standards.

It's a feel good song that makes you think of not really the way things are, but the way things could be. Sweet, nice, wholesome. Uplifting during some hard periods in our country, Gorgeous melody, great arrangement on the track.


Why I dont like it: Subjective

Basic reason is it's not in my wheelhouse of music. I like alot of different stuff but music like that just never did anything for me. So overall tastes.

Sappy, while nice and sweet, it's bullchit. Written specifically to tug on the heart strings, in a pretentious kind of way. Some of the best stuff just gets you without trying, this tries a bit too hard. I dont like music that refuses to look out the window...so to speak.

Boring. Again might be part of the musical tastes idea.

But if I saw somebody post it here, I would surely clap and recognize the talent and the beauty of the music they just posted. I just wouldnt listen to it on my own time!




The Isreal K version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BeKhlUzPUc


Hi FD,

Can we ever really know if a song is designed to pull on our heartstrings?

You never liked the song in "The Wizard of Oz?"

One could argue, SOTR is all about "looking out the window" but I think maybe you must mean something different than I do when I think about looking out the window. In fact, isn't Dorothy literally looking out of her bedroom window when she sings SOTR?!?

I can see how there can be psychological underpinnings, too.

I think I dislike "Suspicious Minds" mostly because the sentiments expressed in it are not so different from the kind that end up in abusive relationships, and though my dad died when I was young, my mother would often talk about hurtful things he did, usually when drunk--but ALWAYS ended each talk with, "but I loved your father" --kinda indoctrinating me into the same, "love equals abuse" kinda mentality. And so hearing that echoed in pop songs would often bring on a visceral dread.

Not that this is you, FD, but I can imagine mature adults who don't like SOTR because life played a number on their inner-child and so songs about dreaming for something (probably) unobtainable always felt a bit phony, because to the "old man" in us, those things certainly are.

But I know you're a dreamer. Couldn't be and not love Springsteen's "Born To Run" album which has a strong undercurrent running through it of wanting some kind of "rainbow" that's out there if we go find it. So with you, I can see it's about the sound, the delivery, more than the message. Bruce hits your sweet spot.

Specifically, to me, the song "Born To Run" is very much to me like SOTR in tone and story. There's great yearning in each. SOTR keeps everything vague and reaches universally. The Boss' song is more Beat poet influenced with longer lines, finding a nice hybrid style that is more prose-like with many specifics, but is arguably universal as well. SOTR is a just a ditty to Born to Run's epic poetry. Both, to me are great songs, with different ways of telling a story of yearning to be somewhere else, somewhere better.

Thanks for your thoughtful take. smile

Mike


Last edited by Michael Zaneski; 07/10/19 01:57 PM.

Fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice
Fortune depends on the tone of your voice

-The Divine Comedy (Neil Hannon)
from the song "Songs of Love"
from the album "Casanova" (1996)