Fake Palindromes

“…I think they are a bit pretentious… the poet/author probably can’t solve the simplest differential equations or chemical titrations...” Awesome, I love someone with a strong sense of irony.

I really couldn’t disagree with you more, on this song in particular, and what appears to be your view on art in general.

You begin by saying the lyrics are “pretentious,” but I fail to see why. The tone certainly does not seem to be pretentious, so I am assuming you mean his choice of words alone are attempts to make him look smarter. I still don’t see that being the case. Not only are “formaldehyde” and “rheostat” not especially foreign words, but if they were really dropped in there to make Andrew appear more intelligent, they wouldn’t have such distinct and clear meanings in the song. “Swapping your blood with formaldehyde,” to me, has a very obvious idea behind it- formaldehyde is embalming fluid, what they replace people’s bodily fluids with at the morgue. I’d say the girl in the song is experimenting with death or is fascinated by the idea of it, and this seems even more to be the case considering the trephination at the end of the song. Regarding the rheostat, I also think it is mostly for flow, although I will make the case that it means that the singles-ads provoke feelings that vary in intensity as well as in nature.
Other than being pretentious, you also imply that Andrew Bird doesn’t really understand what he is writing, which I find ridiculous partly because we don’t know anything about him personally and are in no place to judge, but mostly because there is no evidence in the song that suggests what you are saying.

Also, I don’t see how a “profound” knowledge (at least your definition of profound) of a rheostat is needed in this case, maybe if the song was about a rheostat or continually drew parallels between rheostats and other things. But as just a passing reference for comparison, all that is needed is a general idea of what it does. What if he mentioned a car? Must all artists know how to build a car or know how the engine works? What about your example, a box? Do you really have a “profound” knowledge of a box? Does anyone? My brother and I used to do origami, and it was pretty hard and complicated to make a box, haha. My point is that you place way too much emphasis on “profound” knowledge of something. I think it is a common myth that artists and writers have more knowledge or understanding than anybody else about something- they just know how to phrase things in a way that makes sense, is easy to understand, and is beautiful.

I would also point out that not only is science a recurring theme in a lot of Andrew Bird’s music, but also that I haven’t noticed this trend towards using science-related terms. I’m not totally sure that’s relevant, though. Music is unique and different from poetry in that a lot of the strength and beauty of the words can come from the sound and feel of saying or singing the words aloud, not just their meanings alone. That’s why even “nonsense” can still be a great song. All I am saying is that in the unlikely chance that everything I said previously turns out to be false, it hardly matters, because “Fake Palindromes” is amazing with or without any true meaning behind all of the words.

In an NPR interview, Bird mentions that palindromes generate a sort of cadence that inspired the cadence of the song. He also mentions that he came up with the fake palindromes in the lyrics to entertain himself during a long drive between Tallahassee and Charleston.

Other than "Dewey-eyed", which backwards reads "deye-yewed" and thus is close enough to being a real palindrome ... what are the other palindrome phrases that appear in the lyrics to this song?

As for the evolution of the song, after looking at the website that Slartibartfast referenced, it seems that this song originated as a song called "Trepanation", which itself incorporated lyrics from earlier songs "Richmond Woman" and "Blood". "Trepanation" is inspired by a particular singles ad he noticed, that was slightly different than the normal pattern of all ads being slight variations of each other ("young people trying to get together scanning the room looking for their romantic ideal, looking for those with similar marcations and a glance that they will try to steal and I noticed an alarming trend towards specialization").

Possibly after his Charleston trip, he re-invented "Trepanation" as a song called "My Dewey-eyed Disney Bride", which removes the direct references to singles ads. The lyrics are now essentially the same as the final product "Fake Palindromes". What changes next is the instrumentation and cadence, especially the electric violin "fake palindrome" parts.

This song.....this song..... damn this song is good.

I guess the lines are supposes to look and sound like palindromes, without actually being them. That he's able to fit them together in such a transcendent whole is beyond belief, frankly. I love it.

Pretty much the best song ever??

discorsage, you are right in general but in this case I don't agree. sulphur and formaldehyde aren't overly foreign stuff, and the rheostat/thermostat line is probably meant to sound forced, as if he was actually mistaking one for the other.

If there was a way to "applaude" over the internet, I just did. To you, bobwronski. [clap clap]

See I see the song as being about a killer meeting a girl through a singles ad, "dewy eyed disney bride" "and she says i like long walks and sci-fi movies if you're six foot tall and east coast bred some lonely night we can get together" both illustrate the dating agency

but then the guy isnt who he says he is and kills her "swapping your blood for formaldehyde"(embalming fluid) and "blood in her eyes" and "i'm gonna tie your wrists with leather and drill a tiny hole into your head"

the refference to monsters are direct reference to what these people are and how they search for innocent victims.

The title fake palindromes referes how the people dont say who they really are, in a letter they say they are one thing and turn out to be something totally different.

"jesus don't you know that you could've died" is showing how dating services are irresponsible and you should watch what you are doing

i cant work out what the "certain fads, stripes and plaids, singles ads they run you hot and cold like a rheostat, i mean a thermostat so you bite on a towel hope it won't hurt too bad" is refering to, it may be the pain the killer feels, wanting another victim and his search for one is all all i can think of.

I think the rheostat thermostat mistake is just for flow and he does understand what they meen,

I thought he was just trying to rhyme "dewy-eyed" in as many ways as possible.

way to go bobwronski!! discorsage... you're very pretentious yourself and frankly i dont think you have the slightest idea what you're talking about. i didnt even waste the time to read your entire comment.