| John Lennon – Serve Yourself Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| I think that if this song had been released at the time it was recorded, punk rockers would have embraced John Lennon as a precursor. Lyrically and musically, it's a punk song, and a great song. | |
| M. Ward – Carolina Lyrics | 18 years ago |
| I love the double tracked vocals on this song--"splitting in two." Clever production and a beautiful song. | |
| The Beach Boys – Don't Worry Baby Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I don’t mind if you disagree with my reading of this song, but if you do, please provide some evidence. The David Brent-esque argument that it is “(misogynist)” doesn’t wash. Misogyny is the hatred of women in general. My reading is a critique of both of the particular people imagined in the song, as well as their relationship in the world portrayed within that song. I did not insult or disagree with any of the readings that were not my own. I think it’s perfectly fine to have fond memories of a song and limit comments to enjoying those memories. It’s a beautiful and multilayered song, and I was merely providing a reading, not asking for an insult. I do think that the Beach Boys are more sophisticated than most artists of their period, and at the time of this song more in control of musical art than even the Beatles, and I choose to enjoy their songs by thinking about the possible meanings within the song as well as having an emotional response to them. I was only thinking that some people would enjoy an alternative reading, and I do hope that some people did. |
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| The Beach Boys – Don't Worry Baby Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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In addition to all of the other readings of this song, it is also slightly sinister. The narrator is obviously afraid of what will happen in the race, seen in the lyrics "I don't know why/But I keep thinking/Something's bound to go wrong." The girl, who is similar to Lady Macbeth, pushes him to race, despite his trepidation. He bragged about his car, which has brought him to a perilous situation. There is a feeling that he would like to get out of the race, and yet he seems resigned, because his girlfriend keeps repeating “Don’t worry, baby,” which simultaneously assures him and reminds him of his fears. Possibly the most troubling sequence of this song is the verse, “She told me ‘Baby, when you race today/Just take along my love with you/And if you knew how much I loved you/Baby nothing could go wrong with you.’" In this, she has nothing to lose. If he races and manages to stay alive, it is because her love has carried him through. If he dies, it is because he did not trust enough in his love for her. In this song, the narrator is very weak willed. He gets bullied into a race by people who were offended by his bragging about his car, and he stays in the race to please his girlfriend, and becomes the manifestation of her own social ambitions. This song was possibly the first indication of the sophisticated storytelling that Brian Wilson was capable of, through a combination of lyrics, orchestration, and vocal harmonies. It is a far cry from early Beach Boys songs of just a few years earlier, which had to lift Chuck Berry riffs to get airplay. |
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