Tag: Music Footprint

The Fourth of Five of Twenty-five

Show Me Your Soul – Red Hot Chili Peppers

The lyrics to this song are self-explanatory. Simply, wanting to get to know a person beyond the surface, which is something I crave in friendships and in any sort of close relationship I have. But I just like this song! I dig the heavy bass and the funkiness of the song. I’m a sucker for heavy bass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6ws416fKCg

Man-Size – PJ Harvey

PJ Harvey’s songs are complex and can be interpreted in several different ways. Which I love. I mean, as an artist, once I complete an artwork and put it out there in the world, it’s no longer just mine and other’s opinions and views have great significance.

For me Man-Size is about having power and owning it. This song makes many references to men, sexuality and power:

Handsome got my leather boots on
Got my girl and she’s a wow

Good Lord I’m big

There are times where I’ve felt this way and, dear God, it feels great.

Help Me Mary – Liz Phair

Help Me Mary is from Exile in Guyville. In Liz’s own words:

The Rolling Stones’ “Rip This Joint” was the corresponding song to this one. [Their song] was all about sort of the attitude of these rock guys that would just kind of roll into town, create trouble, sleep with other people’s girlfriends and leave a big mess behind. I was writing about my own experiences hosting [laughs] these spontaneous gatherings of rock dudes and how just hidden my real self was in that male scene. There weren’t that many women in the scene and, like, everybody either was like a girlfriend or a den mother.

Liz Phair – Rolling Stone, May 208

While I can’t say I’ve ever hosted “spontaneous gatherings of rock dudes” during my years earning my 2nd BA degree, I hung out with a group of friends that were mostly guys. My friends were great and for a time we were all pretty close, but there still was the element where I hid a lot of myself for fear of being mad fun of. It wasn’t anything malicious on their part, just in that they were treating me as one of the guys…and apparently it was pretty funny to get me all riled up.

They make rude remarks about me
They wonder just how wild I would be
As they egg me on and keep me mad
They play me like a pit bull in a basement,

For me Exile in Guyville is one of the greatest albums I’ve ever heard. At the time I was a young 20-something woman and what she sang about was so relatable to my life and my relationships. A defining album for a defining moment in my life.

Bron-Y-Aur Stomp – Led Zeppelin

This song was named after the cottage in which they retreated to write their songs for their upcoming album. The song however is about Robert Plant’s dog, Strider, and how much he loves his dog and how he will always take care of his faithful friend.

I just love the feel of this song. Its folksy, but delivered with this heavy edge you might find in a heavy metal song, and yet, it’s this sweet little song about man’s best friend. Its a little gem and quite a fun little surprise, and I like surprises.

Nothing, Not Nearly – Laura Marling

I confess, I’m quite new to Laura Marling’s music, but better late to the party than never they say. I feel that this song is about the enduring power of love. There are hints of nostalgia and being grateful for the memory, even if didn’t last. This is something I’ve been trying to come to terms with myself.

Even though this song was written and release well after one of my memories when I first heard it I thought of a distant night, sitting around the “midnight embers”. There was quite a strong connection I had with a guy I had just met and there was this moment as we were leaving where I looked behind me, into his eyes and I felt…all these possibilities. I know that I wasn’t alone in feeling this because of the things that happened next. Sadly though things just didn’t pan out for various reasons and he got “lost in a river stream” (Not literally folks). While its kind of sad, I’m glad that at least I had that moment.

The First Five of Twenty-Five

If I were to make a post about all 25 of the songs on my Music Footprint list that would be slightly insane. It makes sense to break the list up into groups of 5. These songs aren’t in any specific order.

Drawing Flies – Soundgarden

As you can imagine choosing one single Soundgarden song for me was a difficult decision. I waffled back and forth between several keeping in mind I wanted a song I had a personal connection to rather than it just being a favorite song. I ended up choosing this song because it is something I relate to as an artist. Its’ a song about hitting a creative brick wall, in Chris Cornell’s case it was writer’s block when writing for the album Badmotorfinger. For me this song stuck out from the rest of the material on Badmotorfinger because of it’s upbeat sound and its use of a small horn section. The lyrics are smart, catchy and the antithesis of the cheery music.

Sitting here like uninvited company
Wallowing in my own obscenities
I share a cigarette with negativity
Sitting here like wet ashes
With x’s in my eyes and drawing flies

Stupid Boy – The Gear Daddies

The lyrics are very much straightforward. Lead singer Martin Zellar, sings, from the a girl’s point-of-view, about a girl who discovers a little to late that her man isn’t so special. In fact, he’s just another stupid boy like all the others. All I can say is this: So. Many. Times.

I feel sick and i feel used
You ain’t the boy i thought i knew
You go and put me on your shelf
You never think of no one else but yourself


And lord i’m sick and lord i’m tired of love
And lord i can’t believe it’s true
You’d think after five years i would know you but i don’t
And after all this time i come to find
You’re just another stupid boy
You’re just another stupid boy

Wide Eyes – Badflower

I waffled again on which song to choose with Badflower as well. If I could have I probably would have picked Move Me, but this song has never been released officially and it’s only found on YouTube. For me Wide Eyes speaks to me as much as the same as Move me, but it’s more polished and not as blunt. Wide Eyes tells the story of a relationship that meant more to the narrator than the other person involved in the relationship and how it emotionally wrecked the narrator when the other person moves on. I am sure that I am not the only one who has been through a relationship likes this. Thankfully I was able to move on past it, though it took time. I must confess, my favorite part of the song is when lead singer, Josh Katz screams “I’m the rage I’m the bad guy…” I feel that in my bones. *Warning: This song has a bit of language in it that some might find offensive. If that’s you, you don’t have to listen.

Brand New Shine – Soul Asylum

This fun, peppy, Pop-sounding song was a bit of a departure for Soul Asylum and it get’s me bopping every time I hear it. Yes, it’s another song about a relationship, but the spin here is when the relationship is new, everything is wonderful and how perfect that person is from their “old old hat” to their “blown-out shoes”. This feeling is something I certainly feel when I start to get to know someone, not just romantically.

Wallflower – Caroline’s Spine

This list would not be complete without something from Caroline’s Spine. Spine played such a large part of my life for such a long time. Every song brings back a flood of memories of my friends and our adventures. Wallflower is not my favorite song from Spine but admit I really connect to the lyrics. I’m an introvert and I’ve often felt like I was on the outside, watching. In short, a wallflower.


I could have died,
maybe I should have died.
when I saw you walk inside.
and as you shut the door
I put my eyes back on the floor.
when all I really wanted was to look some more.


does a wallflower play,
or does a wallflower stay on his wall?


you see I live alone,
but I’ve made my happy home.
all my furniture is centered around my phone.
I’m waiting for the call,
my imaginary friends and all.
those who would never let me be taken by the fall.


does a wallflower know,
when it’s time he outgrow his wall?
tell me does a wallflower know
when it’s about time he outgrow his wall…
yeah his wall…


time and time and time and time and time and only time has feeling for me.
maybe, maybe father time will feel sorry for me.
I knew, I knew where there was a time, when i knew it all.
why don’t I ever leave my wall?
why don’t I ever leave my wall?
why don’t I ever leave my wall?
…please don’t ever leave my wall, my wall.


you know that siren’s getting louder,
and these people are starting to crowd in on me.
(all I smell and taste is garlic and gunpowder)
’cause I shot the bad guy dead –
but he got me in the head.
oh with the girl of my dreams
she’s mentioning to me how much I’ve bled.


where do the wallflower go,
when their flowers get pulled from this wall?
oh and though she says I’m brave and bold,
she knows a flower cannot hold up a wall.
I can’t hold up this wall any longer…
no any longer
’cause all I have is time and time
and time
my only friend, time and time, please some more time.
I think i’m over, I think I’m over, I think I’m over…