Second verse, slightly different than the first

[feldman]

MONSTERFIC MIX: AERYN SUN

Ring of Fire - Elvis Costello & T. Bone Burnett
the taste of love is sweet
when hearts like ours meet
I fell for you like a child
and oh, the fire went wild
Among other traits both good and bad, love is bigger than one person. The song is by June Carter Cash, and the odd Spanish trumpets on the old Johnny Cash version are replaced with stunning guitar work and vocal harmony on this one.

Johnny Sunshine - Liz Phair
I think I've been taken
for everything I own
I've been hurt so badly
I'm alone, baby, I'm alone
I love the counterpoint of this song, the cadence of actions vs. the crooning of feelings, it puts me in mind of the last scenes on Dam-Ba-Da, pushing the fear and the pain down so that the situation at hand can be dealt with.

And All That Could Have Been - Nine Inch Nails
please, take this
and run far away
far away from me
I am tainted
and happiness
and peace of mind
were never meant for me
Aeryn leaving Moya.

Black Boots - Paula Cole
why do you think she wears those black boots?
why do you think she dyes her hair black?
Aeryn with the Renegades, trying to work out who and what she really is.

The Union Forever - The White Stripes
you said the union forever
but that was untrue, girl
'cause it can't be love
'cause there is no true love
I can see this as part of Aeryn thought processes during her time with the Renegades. The spoken word bit reminds me of John, and an Aeryn who's gotten to the point where remembering that there's another one of him alive somewhere in the universe pleases her.

Cold Part of Town - Concrete Blonde
dear darlin'
you were right about them all
when my luck went bad
they never came around to call
Aeryn, adrift in her Prowler, abandoned to the ultimate quarantine.

Souvenir - Morphine
brought home a souvenir of nothing
it fits into a pocket
souvenir, souvenir of nowhere
somewhere I never been before
The tentative hopes that began on Talyn are coals inside the ashes, waiting to be rekindled. Or something ; )

Supernova - Liz Phair
'cause you're a human supernova
a solar superman
you're an angel with wings of fire
you're a flying giant friction blast
The pull of a familiar face, and not a little bit of lust.

Is It My Body - Alice Cooper
what have I got
that makes you want to love me
is it my body
someone I might be
you better tell me, tell me
it's really up to you
have you got the time to find out who I really am?
He loves her, but he doesn't seem to really see her (of course the problem is mutual, but this is Aeryn's disc).

Island in the Sun - Weezer
when you're on a golden sea
you don't need no memory
just a place to call your own
as we drift into the zone
Denial is a beautiful place where we laugh and sing until we go batshit.

Make Me Cry - Concrete Blonde
lots of guys can make me laugh and show me some good time
treat me nice 'cause they want me on their side
lots of people call themselves my friends and that's alright
but you're the only one I let inside
Johnette Neopolitano's writing and voice are honest and comfortable, unstudied and achingly beautiful, and it's just her and a guitar and a wry look of love on her face in this song.

Try Again - Aaliyah
if at first you don't succeed, you can dust it off and try again
dust yourself off and try again
try again
Even if Aeryn's not good at nice, she's plucky (in a battle-hardened assassin way)--and this song reminds me of that kind of practical determination.

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Al Green
help me mend my broken heart
I just wanna live again, baby
how can you mend this broken man?
how can a loser ever win?
The Reverend Al Green tears the roof off and lets the rain pour down. Amen.

Little Acorns - The White Stripes
take all your problems and rip 'em apart
carry them off in a shopping cart
and another thing you should've known from the start
the problems at hand are lighter than at heart
Have you ever tried to soothe a broken heart by driving fast, late at night with all the windows down and talking/ranting to yourself? (Come on, I can't have been the only one). Well if an inspirational Christian AM station was bleeding onto the thrashing guitars blues station, this would end up blaring from the car radio. Plus I love this line cut up your hair/straighten your curls/well, your problems hide in your curls.

I Want You - Concrete Blonde
I know you don't need to be
caught up between my extremes
but you show me things that are so neat to see
Johnette again, this time tender and passionate, like someone confessing love into your ear in the middle of a crowded room full of bores.

Joan of Arc - Leonard Cohen
"and who are you?" she sternly spoke
to the one beneath the smoke
"why, I'm fire," he replied
"and I love your solitude, and I love your pride"
Yes, a love song between Joan of Arc and Fire. Leonard Cohen is The Man.

I Believe in You - Neil Young
coming to you at night I see my questions
I feel my doubts
wishing that maybe in a year or two we could laugh
and let it all out
I think this song pairs up with the Rollins Band's Shame on John's disc, and answers it.

Cold Cold Night - The White Stripes
and I know that you feel it too
when my skin turns into glue
and I know that it's warm inside
and you'll come run to me
in the cold, cold night
Yep, another White Stripes song, but Meg sings on this one and the patient desire of it is entrancing.

Heroes - David Bowie
'cause we're lovers, and that is that
oh, nothing, will keep us together
we can steal time, just for one day
we can be heroes, just for one day
This live version is spare, but the momentum and vocals are heady.



MONSTERFIC MIX: JOHN CRICHTON

Alison - Elvis Costello & Neil Young
oh, it's so funny to be seeing you after so long girl
and the way you look I understand that you're not impressed
I heard you let that little friend of mine
take off your party dress
I'm not gonna get too sentimental like those other sticky valentines
I don't know if you were lovin' somebody
I only know it isn't mine
1). Promises 2). Ouch.

M.I.A. - Foo Fighters
call and I'll answer
at home in the Lost and Found
say that I'm much too proud
someone who's taking pleasure in breaking down
...
I can find relief I'm going M.I.A.
getting lost in you again is better than being numb
Spans the time from when John was languishing on Elack to the point where he ditches the methadone lakka and goes back to poppies Aeryn.

Same Boy You've Always Known - The White Stripes
think of what the past did, it could have lasted
so put it in your basket
hope you know a strong man, hope he lends you a hand
lowering my casket
Yeah, back when I said a song on the Aeryn disc was about looking at someone but not really seeing them? This is John's version of that song.

Dirty Life & Times - Warren Zevon
some days I feel like my shadow's casting me
sometimes the sun don't shine
sometimes I wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring
when I think about my dirty life & times
There's a lonesome and self-mocking country feel to this one, and the end part reminds me of the dancing-in-the-trenches relationship they had on Katratzi.

Perfect Drug - Nine Inch Nails
my blood wants to say hello to you
my fears want to get inside of you
my soul is so afraid to realize
how very little good is left of me
This song is a headlong rush that flies right off the cliff, plummets through the air and lands you, spent and sickly, on the hot scratchy cushions of the couch. You want to puke and you also want to do it again.

So Like Candy - Elvis Costello
why must she be the one
that I have to love
so like candy?
I have one image from Coup By Clam, when Aeryn mentions jirl power and John growls "will you quit speaking English?".

Little Babies - Sleater-Kinney
when you're tired and feeling helpless
come inside I am the shelter
Not only astoundingly catchy, it also speaks to the practical domesticity of love.

Lovers in a Dangerous Time - Bruce Cockburn
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime
but nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
gotta kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight
I'm kind of cheating with this song since it's on other mixes I have, but this simple voice and guitar version is beautiful and irresistible.

Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby - Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss & Emmylou Harris
Go to sleep little baby
go to sleep little baby
your momma's gone away and your daddy's gonna stay
didn't leave nobody but the baby
Baby, beacon, beacon, baby...

Life'll Kill Ya - Warren Zevon
you've got an invalid haircut
and it hurts when you smile
you better get out of town
before your nickname expires
it's the kingdom of the spiders
it's the empire of the ants
you need a permit to walk around downtown
you need a license to dance
Yes, I know, another Warren Zevon song, but this one's worth it, trust me, and the piano at the end will hurt you.

Shame - Rollins Band
It makes me sick to be so mean
What I've been and what I've seen
From top to bottom, I am obscene
It stands in my place
It spits in my face
Shame
Henry Rollins is a sweaty violent animal with a brain as big, strong and lean as his body--just because he screams it don't mean it ain't akin to poetry.

I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally - NIN
I've done all I can do
could I please come with you?
sweet smell of sunshine
I remember sometimes
Sonically, the heartbeat of the percussion paired with the split vocals (a close whisper and a distant shout) are luscious, and the lyrics work for me too.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone - Pete Seeger
where have all the flowers gone?
the girls have picked them every one
oh, when will you ever learn?
when will you ever learn?
This is just Pete Seeger's voice, singing a song he wrote very simply and evocatively. The track is a bit loud compared to the ones that bookend it, but I'd beg you not to skip it.

Love Boat Captain - Pearl Jam
is this just another day
this God-forsaken place
first comes love and then comes pain
let the games begin
I found this song on accident but it works so well, both lyrics and sound. The added bonus is that Eddie Vedder can not only be understood, his voice is an excellent follow to Pete Seeger. The only thing that bothers me is that boats don't have reins, but I can deal with that.

In My Secret Life - Leonard Cohen
And the dealer wants you thinking
that it's either black or white
thank God it's not that simple
in my secret life
There's a nascent hope in this song, like someone who's been resigned to the way things were has figured out how to beat the system and is on the cusp of taking action to make things a whole lot better. Perhaps not beat the system so much as ceasing to buy into the system. Leonard Cohen is one of the few poets I have on my shelf (I'm too impatient for poetry as a whole), I think knowing how he sings his poems helps me read them slowly enough for the words to sink in properly.

Hallelujah - Bono
she tied you to a kitchen chair
she broke your throne
she cut your hair
and from your lips she drew the hallelujah
The instrumentation is somewhat spare, but you can hear how much Bono not only loves this song, but also understands it and wants to make you feel it yourself. His close cracked whisper, his thready yet exalted falsetto, the precise exposition of raw emotion--I love this song and this version. Leonard Cohen wrote this, by the way. Leonard Cohen is The Man.

Ball and Biscuit - The White Stripes
it's quite possible that I'm your third man, girl
but it's a fact that I'm a seventh son
The guitars are so raunchy on this track they'll damn near hump your leg. I love the passion and bravado of this, the demand for acknowledgement. Plus, I've always taken a secret delight in bawdy verbs like "ball" and "nail".

Call and Answer - Barenaked Ladies
you think I only think about you when we're both in the same room
I'm only here to witness the remains of love exhumed
This is such a lovely song of the struggle of loving someone, about getting to the point where you might be able to work out a system between you that could actually work.

Times Like These - Foo Fighters
I, I'm a new day rising
I'm a brand new sky to hang the stars upon tonight
I, I'm a little divided
do I stay or run away, leave it all behind?
Yep, Dave Grohl again; but where the first song is buried down in the cold blind numbing ground, this song has gotten itself together and is heading toward a great place.

Comments

[mesascaper.livejournal.com]

how the frell did I miss out on begging you for a copy of your mixes?!?
Now that you've re-listed the mixes and your reasoning behind the songs, it makes me want them....

is it too late to beg grovel for copies now??

[rubberneck.livejournal.com]

is it too late to beg grovel for copies now??

Email me your address and I'll send a set of each out to you 8 )

[mesascaper.livejournal.com]

yay!

I sent an e-mail with my address!

Thank you!!

[fbf.livejournal.com]

Call and Answer - Barenaked Ladies
you think I only think about you when we're both in the same room
I'm only here to witness the remains of love exhumed
This is such a lovely song of the struggle of loving someone, about getting to the point where you might be able to work out a system between you that could actually work.

weird moment of brain surfing #3million and three: when I started reading this list I kept expecting the next song to be this one. I just knew you put it on here. and lo and behold here it is. 8)

[rubberneck.livejournal.com]

weird moment of brain surfing #3million and three: when I started reading this list I kept expecting the next song to be this one. I just knew you put it on here. and lo and behold here it is. 8)

Because "Call and Answer" is perfect ; ) I hope you get them soon!

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

What? I don't get to listen to this mix NOW. That's not right.

*squee*

You're taste in music, F, is sooo my drug.

Heh. Can't wait. I think I've worn the laser-etched grooves off my Johnny mix....

[rubberneck.livejournal.com]

You're taste in music, F, is sooo my drug.

I'm glad you like them!

Heh. Can't wait. I think I've worn the laser-etched grooves off my Johnny mix....

It makes me grin to hear that 8 )

[boofadil.livejournal.com]

call and answer is perfect. perfect.

and how amused am i that you threw island in the sun in the middle of aeryn's mix...and it works. weird, man.

[rubberneck.livejournal.com]

call and answer is perfect. perfect.

Isn't it? It was one of the handful I started with for this set of mixes.

and how amused am i that you threw island in the sun in the middle of aeryn's mix...and it works. weird, man.

That was one of the ones I had the most trouble with--that song always sounded ironic (yet still happy) to me, and it felt so right to include it in Aeryn's mix but it was difficult finding the right slot where it would flow.