Counting Crows – Perfect Blue Buildings

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  General Comment:Bored with things way too often. Sick of hearing how great things are but wants them to be. But when he thinks about how unperfect things are... it depresses him. He sits alone with his thoughts and he is alright with that, just knows its odd.
  PERFECT BLUE?
  We call both the sky and blue jeans by the same color, blue. However, clearly a pair of jeans and the sky are not the same color; moreover, the wavelengths of light reflected by the sky at every location and all the millions of blue jeans in every state of fading constantly change, and yet we somehow have a consensus of the basic form Blueness as it applies to them. Says Plato (wikipedia)

  Flag greghammelon October 16, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:Depression and addiction...he has had a lifelong battle with addiction to Rx drugs. Luckily, he didn't die from it and I'm not sure if he's clean and sober, but that is definitely what the song is about. It's also about depression and loneliness. Possibly drug-related isolation, as most addicts live in their own little worlds where they isolate themselves from those who disapprove or do not understand. Powerful song here.

  Flag komickazeon October 12, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:To elaborate, "gonna get me a little oblivion" has to do with trying to escape his depression, through drugs/alcohol/any other form of escapism. It could also be about drug abuse, but I think depression is the big part of this song. It's not a song that is really uplifting, but it has such a quiet desperation in it, and such a sad tone. Masterful piece of art.

  Flag komickazeon April 22, 2011   Link

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    Part of what is most beautiful about music is that you can interpet it many different ways. The lyrics can often speak for you the words you sometimes can't find to express yourself. I believe that most peoples interpatation of a song is unique to them and events that have happened or are happening in they're lives. In my life regarding my interpetation of this song speak about depression, isolation, and so on that comes along with mental illness and loss. Blue building simulate depressing moments or events while the green apple sea represents the "green monster" of envy, or jelousy. This song could just as easaly be about aids, heroin use, or many other things. However interpeted BEAUTIFUL!

    Flag mistylockwoodon April 26, 2012  
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  My Interpretation:addiction, definitely.

  Flag delorean88on December 17, 2010   Link

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  Song Meaning:You guys who think its about AIDS have it all wrong. Whenever has Adam D. ever talked about AIDS? And why would he? This is a simple song about Adams favorite topic, heartache. Its almost an extention to Anna begins, its about what he feels like after she leaves him.

  Flag TATERBLUEon October 25, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I'm thinking this song is definitely about depression. "I stay at home with my disease." "Help me stay awake, I'm falling." "I wanna get me a little oblivion, baby." "Try to keep myself away from me." I find it to be a really good song, but at the same time it's kind of depressing. He was obviously hurting in some way and I feel for him. Having been through depression myself, I know what he is feeling.

  Flag komickazeon October 21, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I also think that the perfect blue buildings by the green apple sea might be a rehab facility (I think he's using sarcasm with perfect blue buildings). little rooms--little beds--sounds like a rehab to me.

  Flag fritzrxon October 08, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:this song is about heroin addiction and a person who is jonsing for a fix. He's trying to fight of the urge "try to keep myself from me". When you're coming off heroin you can't sleep at that's where the it's 4:30 am on a tuesday-it doesn't get much worse than this. I've been in his shoes before. He want's to get himself some oblivion--i.e., heroin high. It suck's to be where he's at--it suck's real bad.

  Flag fritzrxon October 08, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I think this song is about addiction

  Flag maria458on August 10, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I used to be a huge Counting Crows fan, not so much anymore, but I pulled out August and Everything After because it's August 1st today.
  
  Very interesting comments on this thread. I agree with a lot of the depression comments, but truly, with the "get me a little oblivion" line and the "all monkeys do what they see" comments, it has got to be about drugs. Not necessarily Heroin though... they sell more than Heroin in such streets that were mentioned in the song. But "oblivion" definitely narrows down Adam's (or whoever the protagonist is) drug of choice to downers such as Heroin, but it could certainly be something less extreme, maybe something that wouldn't turn so many off (Vicodin, Oxy, etc.)
  
  
  

  Flag Tassio12on August 01, 2010   Link

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