I’m at my sister-in-law’s wedding this weekend, so I don’t have much to say, or time in which to say it. But I note that on the way up here, I heard Wilco’s “Far, Far Away” on a brand new mix CD I received (one of those swap parties). I’ve heard it many times, but it sounded better for some reason.
I’ve been a Wilco fan for as long as there’s been Wilco, and there’s not a single record I don’t like. That said, I’ve always felt like the songs on Being There were somewhat unfinished. It’s got beautiful, effortless melodies and some inspired playing. And it covers a lot of ground. But even when it came out, many of the songs felt like sketches to me, especially the lyrics.
Hearing “Far, Far Away” last night forced me to reconsider. At least that one song. What used to sound unfinished now contains perfect restraint, creating space for those elegant cowboy chords and steel guitar. It’s just a really good song. And I love the lyrics. It’s not genius or anything, but it seems to say what needs to be said.
Deep in my heart
I know it’s right
yes, yes. The dark forces shall be unleashed and all shall pay for their misdeeds. I first picked up a guitar when I was six years old. It was after a long sleepless night of hearing my mother and her boyfriend of the week argue all night. It was all I can do to keep my sanity. The yelling and hitting. The police hauling him away after he resisted arrest and the fight over flowed into living room where my mother was accidentally struck down by gun fire when her boyfriend pulled out what appeared to be a gun, but was a comb instead. She was killed instantly. He was in a coma for six weeks in which he was able to obtain a good lawyer and actually make a good chunk of change from the ordeal. So I distance myself from that painful reality and find solace in my music that was born from the ashes of that horrid night.
Not sure about that above comment, but ahh, I like Being There as well, and I agree that the lyrics work. Yes they are simple, but they serve the ease and near melancholy of the music as I feel they should. I have always taken issue with the canonization of Tweedy, which has always felt like something his crowd needs so desperately they have imposed it unfairly on his shoulders. Having said that, for me there is a place for Wilco though I almost never listen to them anymore. It was nice to see the video this morning. Thanks.