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Scott: Written at the same time as Peacemaker, using my step-dad's toy keyboard before I had a bass, hence the up-front arpeggio synth line which was not Amy's fault.
The most egregious Big Black rip-off out of all the Big Black rip-offs. Reference Ugly American, RIP, Cables, or L Dopa. I wanted to write a song with The Big Black Drum Beat, so it was one of the first things I set about once I had the hardware. Being one of the first songs I ever wrote, I suppose I had to get that desire out of my system right away.
I had absolutely no frame of reference for anything I was talking about in this song, including relationships, sex, being cheated on, or calling anyone a fucking bitch. When the song was written, it had been at least a year since I had so much as been on a date, so if these lyrics were personal in any way, it was probably because I just liked some girl and she didn't like me back.
The toms at the beginning of the song were just there as a click track, and weren't supposed to be in the final mix.
Amy: I have to admit that the lyrics made me feel uncomfortable at the time. They appeared to be about all women, and I am a woman…but Scott was my friend. What to think? If the title had been a particular woman's name, perhaps it would've been different (although not entirely). Of course, "Fucking bitch, need me a new one," coming from Scott, had to be modeling a style rather than expressing a personal viewpoint! I knew that deep down--look at the lyrics to "Pools," for instance--but I took the lack of irony a little personally nonetheless.
I remember the toms at the beginning being left in by mistake…one of several mistakes that my dad didn't feel the need to correct. Another piece of evidence that he wasn't about to try to understand the modus operandi of the band, generous as he was about recording us.
I chuckle now at the combination of Deron's Steve Albini guitar impression (pretty darned spot-on, if you ask me!) with my grandiosely goth-sounding keyboard timbre. I think it captured the sentiment quite well.
Of course, I managed a bum note at the end of the very last song on the demo, after all of the other instruments cut out. Sigh.
Deron: Another case of explaining what the guitar sound should be and not getting quite there. Although for asking a blues guy to mimic Big Black style buzz, this is closer than it could have been.
The most fun song to play on guitar. My shining moment!
Ah, teenaged experiments in misogyny -- one of the dangers of being influenced by Big Black. I was in an ill conceived punk band that was influenced by Big Black and whose repertoire existed solely of covers of Two Live Crew songs. Thankfully we never recorded.
ReplyDeleteI really the like the very tiny "mistakes" - including the one missed note in the outro -- it is very Thelonious Monk! But even more than that, there is a little bit of rhythmic phasing going on between the guitar and keyboard that gives the tune a more of human feel than if you were perfectly nailing it.