cford
Star Scout
Posts: 803
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Post by cford on Aug 29, 2008 13:43:18 GMT -5
It’s Ridiculous (Everybody Wants to be Famous) – Paul Westerberg
If I taped a fin to the cat, would she go up to the store?
Would she make a swim for it and leave my cigarettes wet on some shore?
Or go surfing on an albacore?
It’s ridiculous - Everybody wants to be famous.
It’s ridiculous - Everybody wants to be famous.
If I dressed the dog up in a suit, would he go find me a job?
Or would he find it easy to buy gun, and join up with the mob?
Or be an afternoon soap heartthrob?
It’s ridiculous - Everybody wants to be famous.
It’s ridiculous - Everybody wants to be famous
Success and applause – All hail Queen
The bitch got herself a job.
Success and applause
It’s ridiculous - Everybody wants to be famous.
If I let the parrot grow a beard, would he perform my operation?
Or would he become an athlete in his second year,
Hold out for arbitration?
Or run a top 40 radio station?
It’s ridiculous - Everybody wants to be famous.
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Post by dee on Sept 8, 2008 13:34:18 GMT -5
I hear "success and applause" rather than "sad santa claus".
Also hear "bitch got herself a trough" instead of "job" but not too sure if I'm hearing it right.
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cford
Star Scout
Posts: 803
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Post by cford on Sept 12, 2008 9:57:24 GMT -5
I hear "success and applause" rather than "sad santa claus". Also hear "bitch got herself a trough" instead of "job" but not too sure if I'm hearing it right. I think your right...thanks for commenting..Update made. Definately works better with "All hail Queen".... I do sorta hear "trough", too....although it makes no sense... CF |
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Post by Veets on Sept 12, 2008 12:01:42 GMT -5
Could be "the bitch goddess ______"
I think I hear "the bitch goddess albatross", whatever that means.
By the way, I hope this doesn't ruin the song for anyone, but I can't help thinking of the Seinfeld episode with Donna Chang when I listen to this song ("It's Ridicurous...")
Jerry: So did they, uh, uncross the lines, yet?
Donna: No. They can't find the problem. It's really getting ridicurous.
Jerry: ...Did you say..."ridicurous"?
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cford
Star Scout
Posts: 803
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Post by cford on Sept 12, 2008 14:12:55 GMT -5
Could be "the bitch goddess ______" I think I hear "the bitch goddess albatross", whatever that means. Possibly.. But, whether or not Paul is actually saying it, "the bitch got herself a job" is a funny line when used in reference to the Queen (or other celebrities who seem to be famous for no reason)... I'm gonna keep it until I hear convincing evidence of a different line. CF |
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Post by dee on Sept 13, 2008 9:52:12 GMT -5
The "bitch/godess albatross" makes sense in that a burdon of being a queen would be being percieved as one or the other.I think that is the line(though it is really out of left field).Just for flow and content I wish it was "All hail THE queen.The bitch got herself a job."By saying "All hail queen" it seems to be a reference to the band Queen,which is cool.Oh,and I'm just waiting for the bank to open this morning.
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cford
Star Scout
Posts: 803
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Post by cford on Sept 15, 2008 10:05:28 GMT -5
The "bitch/godess albatross" makes sense in that a burdon of being a queen would be being percieved as one or the other.I think that is the line(though it is really out of left field).Just for flow and content I wish it was "All hail THE queen.The bitch got herself a job."By saying "All hail queen" it seems to be a reference to the band Queen,which is cool.Oh,and I'm just waiting for the bank to open this morning. Interesting...when I listen specifically for "goddess/albatross" I do kinda hear it...It doesn't really flow lyrically, but who am I to question Westerberg? CF |
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Post by dee on Sept 15, 2008 14:42:52 GMT -5
Having unusual but similar words like albacore and albatross would seem like the writer was leafing thru a dictionary to find words and construct lines around them.That might be why the lyric is so strange.You learn to hide those kind of things when you write something you're going to release but this song seems to be just an amusing exercise in word play.Maybe Paul would call it "cute".I think Stephen Malkmus and Westerberg write lyrics the same way in that they hit the chord and sound out the song phonetically off the top of their head.Westerberg just seems to go more from the gut where Malkmus is more self concious stream of conciousness.God Pavement really came around at the perfect time for me as I was bummed when the Mats broke up.
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Post by Veets on Jun 15, 2011 18:31:37 GMT -5
Came across this from an interview posted on another thread (http://paulwesterberg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=generalpw&action=display&thread=7060). Looks like "bitch goddess albatross" is confirmed. The six-year span of time between the 2002 interview and the 2008 song is interesting. Wonder if he had the song back then, or he just came back to the line in 2008.
StarPolish Interview: Paul Westerberg
Nick Krewen — Friday, August 02, 2002
....
"STARPOLISH: So the musician is still as the bottom of the food chain. Do you see that ever changing?
WESTERBERG: If you're talking about dollars, it's always been the case. It's always been the managers and the handlers and the publishers -- the ones who don't play the instruments -- who make the money. The artist gets the bitch goddess albatross: success and applause. You get laid and you get your drugs and your hotel rooms and your sweet death all alone -- it hasn't changed a hell of a lot from back when it began. Maybe performers are more self-contained, producing and recording and writing their own material like I have-- maybe that might help a little bit. But in the end, there's always somebody that comes between you and the audience that has to get the music to them, and you have to roll the dice and let it go. If you get screwed, you get screwed.
"
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ih8music
Star Scout
couldn't be happier.
Posts: 943
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Post by ih8music on Jun 16, 2011 14:56:32 GMT -5
Came across this from an interview posted on another thread (http://paulwesterberg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=generalpw&action=display&thread=7060). Looks like "bitch goddess albatross" is confirmed. The six-year span of time between the 2002 interview and the 2008 song is interesting. Wonder if he had the song back then, or he just came back to the line in 2008. Nice job connecting the dots (and remembering this thread). Mystery solved. Not an obscure line at all when you understand the meaning. As for the time span, remember that a lot of 3oclockkreep -- hell, probably a lot of 49:00 for all we know -- was taken from old recordings (the Waits & Tommy stuff was from the DTAS sessions). It's likely this song was already "done" when he gave that interview in 2002. |
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