This piece was originally part of the piece “Universally Adored, Individually Unique”, but I prefer it (and believe it reads better) as its own thing. What came to mind while it was turning at 100 million miles per minute during the writing of that piece was to talk about three songs I really like right now. What follows below are the three songs and also dissection into each: lyrical meaning, historical context, and literary/artist context. While you may not care for any of these songs, I think just reading and being in the know about these songs may lead you down a path into thinking deeper about the songs you frequent, rather than listening to them without acknowledging them for something greater than just the sound.
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Creedence, or CCR’s “Born On The Bayou.”
You may know them for arguably their most popular song, “Fortunate Son”, which plays in about every war movie ever made on earth. I always found that song ironic and it becomes pretty obvious once you listen to the lyrics: “Yeah, some folks inherit star-spangled eyes, Ooh, they send you down to war” and “It ain’t me, it ain’t me… I ain’t no military son.”
The song was made as a protest against the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Just seven months prior to the song’s release, the Chicago Seven protesters–also against the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War–were arrested and charged for inciting a riot. Yet, everytime war movie producers, a Vietnam War movie or not, need a song for a badass helicopter scene of soldiers, they always fall back on a song unapologetically against war.
Even though “Fortunate Son” has a deeper meaning, I have to say it’s still a badass song. Creedence wasn’t a one hit wonder and I’d be doing them a disservice if I didn’t talk about their other songs.
The song I want to leave you with is “Born On The Bayou.” It isn’t one of their underground songs, it reached No. 2 on the national Billboard chart and was released on their second studio album in 1969. Just straight off the bat you get this gnarly guitar and it starts going into what I believe is a riff, but correct me if I’m wrong because as I said earlier, I don’t know instruments or music. Before that, this metronome-like tone is playing and once the guitar combines with it, you hear the drums with some claps in the background. Once it’s time for vocals, the most raspy and badass John Fogerty introduction known to man happens. The part that got me hooked on this song was the hound dog part: “An’ I can still hear ol’ hound dog barkin’ Chasin down a hoodoo there” and then follows the sticky chorus, “Born on the bayou”, repeated three times. The beauty in the song is the beauty in every one of Creedence’s songs, the guitar.
The song’s meaning isn’t deep like “Fortunate Son”, but rather pretty funny, to me atleast. Judging by the lyrics containing the words Cajun and bayou, we would think, “Oh this is about how he was literally ‘born on the bayou’, and his southern roots.” But no, the band is from the bay area guys. It wasn’t pictures or memories of visiting the Louisiana south that birthed the creation, but starting at his apartment wall. Yes… his apartment wall. Lead singer Tom Fogerty credits a burst of imagination, and a wall, that generated a fake southern story: “Right at that moment, it collided in my brain with the phrase, “born on the bayou”, and I just rolled with it. I pulled everything I knew about it – which wasn’t much, because I didn’t live there.” Pretty weird, but at the same time great.
The Doobie Brothers’ “Another Park, Another Sunday”
“The Doooobie Brothers”, my friend Jack called them one time when I played one of their songs in the car. Yes, their name is kind of funny.
The Doobie Brothers, made up of Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, Dave Shogren, and John Hartman were a popular rock/folk rock band from the 1970s. “Listen to the Music”, “Long Train Runnin’”, “Jesus is just alright with me”, and “Takin’ it to the Streets” are among their greatest hits. Tom Johnston’s voice is the differentiating factor for The Doobie Brothers, with the instrumentals coming a close second. Just 50 miles from where Creedence was formed, The Doobie Brothers came together in San Jose, California.
One of The Doobie Brothers’ mainstays to my playlist is “Another Park, Another Sunday”, one of their less popular songs home to the album, What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits. This song starts off so beautifully; The instrumental is calm and joined with a little “oooooooooo” from a few vocalists. The tone is set immediately and Johnston comes in with soft, instrumental matching vocals that soothe your sole. Not only is the mood set but also the story within this song; Here, Johnston is most likely talking about one of his significant others or someone special to him leaving. Which would make sense with the lyrics, “I wonder where you’ve gone” and “Outside the wind is blowin’ It seems to call your name again,” which is closed by the emotional “where have you gone”, which is held for a few seconds. The sounds are beautiful, but the lyrics give a completely opposite attitude that would make you think this song is somber and depressing if you only read the lyrics: “I need myself a place to go and hide… I keep it to myself, I don’t want nobody else… To see me cryin’ all those tears in my eyes.”
Townes Van Zandt’s cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers”
One of the darker and more experimental songs created by The Rolling Stones, “Dead Flowers” appears on the album Sticky Fingers. The history of this song is really interesting because it’s reason for creation, in my belief, is a blend of multiple influences. One of the influences to explain the somber choice of lyrics by Jagger and the Stones could’ve been Altamont Speedway Free Festival–a counterculture rock concert in 1969. 60s favorites Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and The Grateful Dead were up to perform at this California spin-off of Woodstock (the other counterculture music festival hit of 1969). Things didn’t turn out so well for this concert. Four deaths occurred with the most relevant to our song “Dead Flowers” being the stabbing of a festival-goer at The Rolling Stones festival capping performance. The festival’s tragedies happened only a few days before “Dead Flowers” was being created. It’s plausible to suppose that the mood and feelings The Rolling Stones carried after the event might have been poured into the lyrics of “Dead Flowers.” The other influence is more concrete. Lead singer Mick Jagger confirmed the goals of The Rolling Stones’ songs heading into the 1970s: “The ‘Country’ songs we recorded later, like “Dead Flowers” on Sticky Fingers or “Far Away Eyes” on Some Girls, are slightly different.” It’s now easy to see how sounds intended to create a more western feel found their way into the final product’s sound. No matter what the definite answer is for why the song was created, the sound speaks for itself and the lyrics tell their own unique story.
Take a listen to the song—both The Rolling Stones and Townes Van Zandt’s version—before the next section for the best reading experience.
Wow. Before even writing this I had only ever listened to Zandt’s version of “Dead Flowers” thanks to the 1998 motion picture The Big Lebowski which featured the song in its last scene. But now after taking a listen to the drastically different sounding Mick Jagger version, I am shocked. The two just sound extremely different: their respective speeds, voices, instruments, and really damn near everything, except for the lyrics which remain the same.
The reason I love Zandt’s version infinitely more, even after listening to both and excusing my Big Lebowski soundtrack bias, is because of the western guitar, his voice, and the speed. Which are all the things that are different from The Rolling Stones’ original. Now the part I want to give the most focus to isn’t the lyrics or meaning behind the song, but just simply the instrumental breaks and more so the first 28 seconds. These seconds give me everything I could ever want from this song because that guitar doesn’t only sound amazing but also sets this mood that you want to peg as calming, however it gives off something more than just that. It’s that type of sound you hear that you want playing in a movie where you’re the main character and you’ve just found your meaning in life. It’s also the sound you’d want playing in that same movie at the end of your plot/story (which is exactly what The Big Lebowski did with it) when maybe you’re driving off into the sunset. We get a lot more awesome guitar action that makes you think the song is going to end at 3 minutes and 9 seconds in. However, it’s not over and the chorus kicks back in. I’m not necessarily a fan of the chorus; Specifically, I think the two voices layered over each other is a little bit annoying. Another part I was fond of was that it was a live performance. Zandt included it on his Roadsongs live covers album. Hearing the whistles in the background while he sang really fit the mood and speed of the song. I picture him performing it in front of a few western folks in some dark small town bar. The song also feels like home in some weird way. I say that having absolutely zero roots to country life. I live in a densely populated suburb outside of Seattle. That’s quite far from country.
I think I’ve nailed it in you by now but I’m just gonna go a little bit further. Music as an accessible form of entertainment is even diverse. Genres or emotions to characterize music as happy or sad is what makes music so welcoming to everyone and finds its way into everyone’s ears. This also goes for movies, plays, or any other thing people seek for entertainment nowadays. Once again, I don’t know squat about how music is actually composed, but that’s the beauty of music–we don’t need to know!