Pavement's "Stereo"

Here it is, alas, my return to the bloggersphere..as many of you haven't noticed. I will be doing an interpretation of another Pavement song to herald the arrival of my new iPod, jam-packed and complete with Pavement songs--including many other wonderful gems I haven't perused through yet. It actually belonged to my friend but she sold it to me and her whole iTunes library was still intact, so I decided to leave the songs on there and discover new music. Anyway, I will be analyzing Pavement's "Stereo" off of the Brighten the Corners album.

I find it amusingly similar to "Cut Your Hair", but I'm not trying to make this some run-of-the-mill entry for the sake of writing something post-hiatus. Each song does have its own unique attributes and divergent perspectives. I find "Cut Your Hair" to be Malkmus' musings of the skewed perspective of the plethora of washed-out bands that virulently sprung out from the post-grunge wastelands around the 90's. However, "Stereo" seems to be Malkmus' personal perspective through his experience being with Pavement and touring. The song isn't exclusively focused on the music scene as evidenced by allusions to the country focused on image and consumerism, as well as what it means to be human. There are also several motifs mentioned throughout, and this may be a direct byproduct of Malkmus' writing style. You all know the drill: line by line with parenthetical annotations. Feel free to add your own thoughts in the "Comments" section.

Pigs, they tend to wiggle when they walk
The infrastructure rots
And the owners hate the jocks
With their agents and their dates

(Pigs, in this context, are referring to corporate hotshots and politicians. The choice word "wiggle" may suggest an air of superiority. This recalls an image of unbridled greed and dishonesty. This results in a decaying society rife with corruption and depravity. I can't help but think about Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" in terms of the word "rot", which detailed similar issues in a hedonistic, greed-stricken era of the 20's. The "owners" may represent the American people and the "jocks" seem to be another name for the CEO's and prolific people of society. These lines convey a hostility of the peon towards the "jocks" of American society.)

If the signatures are checked
You'll just have to wait

("Checked" can refer to cashing in a check, and can also mean a background check on a contract of some sort. In relation to the next line, I interpret "wait" to be earning profit from record sales and endorsement deals. I imagine a band in its infancy landing a deal with a major label.)


And we're counting up the instants that we save
Tired nation so depraved
From the cheap seats see us
Wave to the camera
It took a giant ramrod
To raze the demon settlement

(The "counting" may refer to an economic maelstrom or even a society consumed in and by consumerism. This prompts me to think about Costco and Sam's Clubs around the nation, what with their gratuitous bulk offerings of products at a discounted price. These enticing deals escalate mindless spending and breed this mantra of "more, more, more" as desirable. This emphasis on "more" perpetuates growing waste and may even contribute to current, burgeoning health issues. The "cheap seats" are one of the primary instances of the music scene itself in the song, and it seems as if Malkmus himself admits to just being another product of consumerism and marketing. I liken the line "Wave to the camera" to a sort of degrading act of servitude towards a higher power. It brings to mind an image of a circus spider monkey of some sort, being demanded by its owner to perform a certain trick on queue against its will...okay in other words, I'm thinking Derek Zoolander. These could be metaphorical for all the publicity tactics devised by the corporate heads of a major label to please mainstream to maximize profits for the label. However, the originality of the band itself is drained due to being directed by the label as to what to do to become "successful".

The word "ramrod" is, according to dictionary.com, "a cleaning rod for the barrel of a firearm". There is another definition: "a strict disciplinarian". This suggests the purging, or cleaning out of society as sort of a method to improve it in the future. This can refer to a more sound selection of politicians who are honest to the people, and is metaphorical for any revolutionary change in society as a whole's best interest. Society is referred to as a formidable firearm and "a demon settlement" which will only cause the destruction of itself. This brings to mind suicide and as it is sinful, the word "demon" is fitting in the context. This purging can be a Utopian ideal conceived by Malkmus, but there are a few events in American history that this can be comparable to.)

But high-ho silver, ride
High-ho silver, ride

(The "high-ho" could be an allusion to the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" movie scene where the dwarfs are whistling this tune while they are working and walking back home. It seems to represent the average white-collar working class, where uniformity is key. It's intriguing how "silver" is used instead of "gold" as silver is the next best thing, generally. It brings to mind the peon of America. I can't comment much on "ride" as I cannot discern what it refers to, and there could always be errors in transcribing lyrics from a song.)

Take another ride to see me home
Listen to me! I'm on the stereo stereo
Oh my baby baby baby baby babe
Gave me malaria hysteria

(This sort of details a brush with fame that bands have when they get radio airplay (car/ride radio), and Malkmus could be mocking this "hysteria" by feeling like one is on top of the world. This could have been a previous emotion experienced by Malkmus and he is reminiscing on it. "Malaria" could be likened to decay due to pretentiousness and empty moral values, and suggests sickness. It reminds me of fame "getting to one's head". The line, "Listen to me! I'm on the stereo, stereo", is satirical as it is such a juvenile demand. (It is believed that around the age of 4-6, children are most self-centered and are constantly vying for attention.))

What about the voice of geddy lee
How did it get so high?
I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy? (I know him and he does!)

(The allusion to Geddy Lee of the band Rush is interesting, as Rush is an obviously well-established band in American culture. This seems to be a contemplation of the general layman audience about whether or not a successful mainstream band's members are truly "down to earth"--a relatable human being. The high voice may be a characteristic of pompousness.)

And you're my fact-checkin' 'cause(aww...)

(I recall Wikipedia entries and fan sites with direct quotations from artists in interviews and what-not.)

Well focus on the quasar in the mist

The kaiser has a cyst

And I'm a blank want list
The qualms you have and if they stick
They will drown you in a crick
In the neck of a woods

("Quasars" are actually many intergalactic objects that are described as being luminous and possessing immense power, even more so than that of our own galaxy. This directs me back to the previous references to the kind of bands Malkmus writes about in "Cut Your Hair". They may all think highly of themselves through their hipster images they try to convey (luminosity), but the "mist" veils all rendering them as dull, monotonous objects lacking true substance of what makes a band truly great. "Kaiser has a cyst" is a reference to the CEO's or politicians with their self-destructive inflated egos (cyst--abnormal, sac-like protuberance filled with fluid). It is difficult to tell whether Malkmus may be satirizing himself or humbling himself in the preceding line as a "blank want list". If he is committing the latter, then he declares himself as an individual who's character, regardless of the well-received praise as a musician, is not over-ridden with greed and ostentatiousness. If he is satirizing, then he may be trying to dispel, through mockery, preconcieved notions of bands trying to separate themselves from the hype of fame. Through this, it is realized that fame will inevitably get the best of anyone, as it is innately a part of human nature to give in to ambition sometimes.

I am absolutely enamored by Malkmus' play on words in the last two lines: "crick" is phonetically similar to "creek" which is related to "drown", furthur continuing the water imagery. Also in the next line, "woods" could also extend the imagery from the previous sentence to a more overarching "nature" imagery. A "crick", as a spasm in muscles in the back or neck, is also mentioned in the preceding sentence. There is just a beautiful continuity I notice, illuminating Malkmus' talent in incorporating double meanings through metaphors--I know I'm an art nerd. I'm really curious to hear your thoughts on what these last few lines mean to you.)
[roommate note: crick is actually a slang/ countrified word for creek also, so kudos to kat for catching that :)]

That was populated by
Tired nation on the fly
Everybody knows advice
That was give out for free
Lots of details to discern
Lots of details

(I notice a connection between the previous mention of "ramrod", and this verse is based on the present. This is reflecting on the aftermath of the destruction of the corrupt, and these "qualms" are attributed to the lower class on society's totem pole. They will perish if they don't possess a competitive or ambitious mentality. This verse includes some hints of social Darwinism principles. The purpose of the "ramrod" was to purify society to start anew, rid of previously up-held moral ideals. However, this was all unsuccessful and affirms the notion that humans will be innately greedy and, although it could be the bane of humanity's existence, it is a necessary evil for survival. The lines: "give out for free-Lots of details to discern" recalls to mind the aforementioned chain vendors of bulk items, like BJ's or Costco. This is open to interpretation, of course.)

But high-ho silver ride
High-ho silver ride

(read above)

Takes another ride to make me
Oh, get off the air I'm on the stereo stereo
Oh my baby baby baby baby baby babe
Gave me malaria hysteria

(read above)

P.S.- yay for my roommate. mehhhh.
[roommate note: :D. mehhhh.]

Darling, we don't care if you cut your hair

I have been listening to Pavement's "Cut Your Hair", from their album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain for quite some time now. It has a very accessible and catchy tune that would easily appeal to the mainstream audience. The fact that it was arguably Pavement's most popular song that situated itself on the Billboard charts and landed them a spot on MTV's "120 Minutes" attests to that. My friend, Aaron, who works at the radio station at Carnegie-Mellon University has also decided to take on this task. I will also be attempting to analyze the song from a historical perspective (I need to read up more on this though), as this forms the basis of the meaning. However fruitless it may be, considering Malkmus employs a stream-of-consciousness writing style for the songs, it is definitely gratifying to get a little fun out of this. However, it is of a concern that the lyrics may contain inaccuracies here and there. I got these ones off of metrolyrics.com and the risk of obtaining the "correct" lyrics from this site is about as productive as finding the meaning of "emo" off of Wikipedia (citation needed.) It's all subjective, and as I wish Malkmus had provided lyrics to his songs on a CD jacket, he probably leaves it up to interpretation for his listeners, and this in itself has a purpose within the song. Some words are slightly muffled by the distortion of the guitars. The tune itself is catchy and to me, that is a statement as to equating the tune to the band's image, while the slightly inarticulate words are supposedly what the band stands for and their value as an artistic form. It is almost as if Pavement purposefully did this as to demonstrate a superficiality. This is directly delineated by how Malkmus substitutes some words for alternate phrases in his live performances. The drill is all the same, with annotations in parentheses underneath the lines, etc.


Cut Your Hair by Pavement

Darlin' don't you go and cut your hair


(In live performances that I've seen on video, Malkmus substitutes "don't you go and" for "we don't care if you". The significance of either of the alternative forms of these lines is the response to the plethora of monopolistic-label induced post-grunge bands of the early 90's. By placing a paramount importance on looks, the actual music just becomes negligible to what the bands try to convey.)

Do you think it's gonna make him change?

(I was thinking about who "him" refers to, and I have surmised that it could one of the suck bands themselves. No matter how spiky, vomit-colored, or dramatic their hair or photoshoot garb may be, they were still a dollop of suck to begin with. In interviews, Malkmus actually described these lines as a breakup scene between a boy and a girl, where the girl decides to change up her hair to appeal and reunite once again with her ex-lover.)

"I'm just a boy with a new haircut"

(The word "boy" is interesting in the context, as it suggests immaturity and naivete. This could be Pavement's perception of these bands. Malkmus mocks these pretentious self-concepts.)

And that's a pretty nice haircut

Charge in like a puzzle

(Honestly, I have no clue what the significance of this line is to the song...it's puzzling. What do you think?)

Hitmen wearing muzzles

(For one, muzzles are an end for discharge at a gun barrel and this envelops imagery of murder and tension. In the context, it seems to be a restraint to prevent speech or expression. I believe that the "hitmen" can be the bands that were "hired" by these lucrative labels to dilute and choke the music scene of the 90's. The muzzles prohibit opinion, and in turn, freedom of expression. Thus, people are forced to look only upon the surface of what these bands have to offer: their kickass hair/clothes/stage presence, etc. I also notice slave and master metaphors in this line.)

Hesitate you die

(If these bands don't follow the expectations of the labels, then their record contract is thus forfeited. This is parallel to "death" as an artist apparently, in hyperbole.)

Look around, around

The second drummer drowned

(This could refer to the "live fast, die young" saying, which could be a direct result of this hardcore image they were trying to portray)

His telephone is found

(To me, this implies that since only a telephone is mentioned, rather than the body, they were merely forgettable entities to society, as they contributed little to their sects. This could be due to the shallowness placed on the band's image, that there was little substance of the person to commit to memory)

Music scene is crazy

Bands start up each and every day

(I'm thinking about Aaron's concept of "generic indie bands" or his "beautiful people" bands haha. Basically, dime a dozen bands.)

I saw another one just the other day

A special new band

(Labels tout their bands with something along the lines of that they can contribute something different and revolutionary for the music scene, especially when they first emerge. Such as, there has never been a band that has incorporated a midget playing an accordian before (ok that was exaggeration, but you get the idea). Without some fanfare, nobody would care. This lines seems to be a sarcastic remark in response to these lofty claims.)

I remember lying

(By strictly following the conditions devised by the labels, the bands do not remain true to themselves.)

I don't remember a line

I don't remember a word

(Maybe I'm just lazy to write this down, but read the comment on the line of "career, career...")

But I don't care, I care, I really don't care

(This juxtaposition furthur indicates the inconsistency of the music scene. It is all about trends, such as "scenesters" or "hXc" if you have it.)

Did you see the drummer's hair?

(Reverts back to the previous lines about the dead drummer possibly, where he was not remembered for his talents or personal attributes of what makes him human, but rather, merely his apparently monumental hair.)

Advertising looks and chops a must

No big hair!

(Possibly an ode to the end of the glam rock era?)

Songs mean a lot when songs are bought

(Those bands who go platinum or such and have landed themselves a record deal with a prominent label, are worthy of being legends, as everyone has heard of them. The songs are worthy of value because the the label thought so.)

And so are you

(In a band, your value is placed upon how "successful" you are in mainstream society.)

Face right down to the practice room

attention and fame

a career, career, career, career

(It's been argued that Malkmus intends to say "Korea" instead of "career" in this song. I believe he has discussed this issue in an interview once? Maybe I'm imagining it... The purpose of this could be a tongue-in-cheek play off the word "career" to furthur reinforce the idea of the triviality of the lyrics, as the listeners won't care anyway.)

A few words...

Malkmus seems to analyze with a satirical jab at what it means to "make it" in such a fickle and inconsistent music industry and the implications of this. In a sarcastic tone of writing and singing, he seems to imply that the image of the band is looked upon more favorably than the musicianship itself. Throughout this song, what came to mind was the fall of the glam rock era and the milieu of post-grunge bands arising in the 90's. While I thought this song was fairly straightforward, which probably contributed to their MTV fame (bite-size lyrics!), I don't think it should be merely taken at face value. I might edit this entry at a later date and include more of the historical perspectives this entails.

Pilot Entry

So I've decided to utilize this blog as a creative outlet for random ramblings in insanely viscous imagery and descriptives (and plenty of run on sentences, because I love those way too much), however, I would like to analyze the (possible) meanings of certain songs in here. For far too long have I been blindly listening to music like a chimp with earphones and "liking" it because of its "catchiness" (I am not negating the importance of this to a song however, because it is pretty essential). I feel that I have never actually "listened" to the songs. I wanted to take the initiative to pick, prod, and pry the songs apart to their pulps and find a greater insight. I was introduced to an indie band called the "Silversun Pickups" by a boy named Nick after I was hearing the song "Little Lover's so Polite" off of his iTunes one night. I will interpret some of that song on here with an underlying summary of the meaning (sort of like a synopsis) and random annotations here and there underneath the lines in parentheses.

"Little Lover's So Polite"

so much for the light show
(alluding to a grand finale, such as fireworks, but in a sarcastic tone. One was sordidly disappointed. )

pissing on while pissing off
(oxymoronic to indicate some sort of uncertainty, like testing out the waters, or bitching about something)

sucking in a smokescreen
(A la Wikipedia, by definition, smoke screen-smoke screen is a release of smoke in order to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft or ships.
Possibly refers to the start of getting to know someone, where they are at their most vulnerable and genuine states. I actually think this can refer to a drug reference. I think that it could also mean one person found out about the illegal actions that the other did as smokescreens were used to hide infantry from enemy sight)

selling of a loose knit dream
(This can be from the other person's perspective, as the other one may have had a naive outlook on what the relationship was going to be like, but was instead disilllusioned due to the other person's habits)

folding up the skyline
(Skyline possibly refers to a future and this refers back to the smokescreen reference. The smoke is gone, thus the skyline should be clear to see, however, the skyline is not even there anymore. It was a hopeless cause.)

agreeing on a steep decline
(Both understand that the relationship was a catastrophe, but are too passive to do anything about it)

cant control this airplane
(reverts back to the smokescreen, skyline, and decline reference...the "airplane" being the relationship)

being caught is just the same
("Caught" could refer to being caught by the cops due to the illegal drug use)

headed for a lowlife
(One person in the relationship is involved in illegal actions (drugs?) and..see a visual of what happens to people after they use meth for years)

little lover's so polite
(One (1) person knows that the other person (2) may be doing wrong things, but (1) may feel the need to be dependent on (2) and does not try to say anything or do anything to change (2's) actions for the sake of keeping the relationship together as a safety.)

waking up the core needs
(Told from (2's) perspective, maybe this refers to the brain area of forming addictions and habit, such as Insula I think it is called...It is a need to take the drug again, as they crave it.)

with smelling salts and faulty means
("Smelling salts" could be cocaine and "faulty means" could be just an error in true intentions..coming from (1)'s viewpoint, I'm thinking that she is guessing he doesn't really know what he's doing, and she's forgiving him)

did the bones collide
(I thought about this for a while as this is a key line in the song as it is repeated throughout...at first, I thought it referred to sex. However, now I think about it, I think it means that the two were both empty in morals (2) and maturity (1). (2) was a drug abuser, possibly a dealer, and he/she dug his/her own trap, and the relationship was down in the dumps due to that. (1), I imagine, is a naive, young girl/boy who does not want to say a word to change (2) to prevent confrontation and to live out his/her own dream of having the ideal relationship he/she longed for.)

who let the bones collide
(Almost told with incredulity)
why did the bones collide
(It's most unfortunate that these two ended up together, as they cannot go anywhere from here)

(nikki: it's always the same way for me ending in the same way.)
(Here, we are introduced to a female bandmember, so I am thinking that this is told from (1)'s perspective. Thus, I can infer that (1) is a girl. Nikki sings this in a sort of hushed, drawn out, and melancholic voice. The girl has always been with a "bad boy" and with each relationship, she did not want to say anything to keep each other apart)

so much for the showdown
(A "showdown" led me to thinking about a fight that happened between the two)

keeping up while keeping off
(Maybe a hiatus of communication between them)

choking on the cold feet
(From the girl's perspective, she is uneasy about staying)

rolling up the plastic sleeves
(This could mean either "plastic sleeves" to stash cocaine or as in sleeves on a shirt. If it was the latter, then I would assume that this furthur implies the possible young girl is an innocent presence, and does not want to get involved in (2)'s "dirty" work.)

can't control the slow ride
(This is sort of ironic as one usually assume that a fast ride is something that you can't control. This could be the effects of the drug taking place on (2)'s part.)

little lover's so polite
turning off the low light
(Interestingly enough, I got the definition of this off of Merriam-Webster.com. Low light- a particularly bad or unpleasant event, detail, or part. All this time, I was thinking it was off of a car..but I got that confused with low beams...shows how long I haven't driven in a while =X. Anyway, this is told from (1)'s perspective as she wants to live in denial, and as a defense mechanism to keep the relationship together, wants to banish the thoughts of her lover's illegal actions from her mind. )

tell me did the bones collide
the bones collide
the bones collide
(refer to above prechorus annotations)

little lover's so polite
so polite
so polite
turning off the low light
(nikki: it�s always the same way for me
blue turns soft with time
broke remains, an everyday disguise
ending in the same way. . .the same way)
(It is sorrowful, but there is no way out, as either she is fearful or she wants to hold on because she feels she needs a significant other...possibly like a father figure. She could have had some history of abuse or maybe her father ran off on her family at a young age. These are typical behaviors exhibited by people who have experienced this. We will never know that and it is not necessary in this discussion.)

tell me did the bones collide
the bones collide
the bones collide
little lover's so polite
so polite
so polite

Final interpretation
The song is beautifully crafted and tells a story in a chronological fashion. However, the listeners are left without any closure and for people who are disappointed about songs that don't have "happy" endings, this song is certaintly not for you. The overarching theme to this song is the emptiness that two lovers find in each other. The relationship includes no substance as each person is bare in their own way. (2), the drug abuser, is dependent on an addiction that has changed who he is. This is relfected in the rocky relationship that he pursues, or clings onto, with (1). For (2), he is the drug. In a way, you are what you eat. If we were to draw a tangent off of that, he has become the drug, and the "person" that was there before is nonexistent.

(1), the naive young girl, is dependent on (2), and in a way, he has become her own drug. She may have endured some tribulations in the past, but she always ends up with a bad boy. She laments the fact that it always ends up in the same fashion, but she doesn't do anything about it. She is just a passive soul, who has no initiative or maybe even courage to speak out against (2) or anyone in her past for that matter.

They are both lifeless entities in a figurative sense and their relationship has absolutely no substance built within. This is furthur reinforced by the line, "...bones collide." They are just a pile of bones, they are essentially both dead inside. However, blindly, but probably fueled by emotion and little logic, they stay together for the sake of having one another with little to no reason for it.

All in all, in the (slightly modified) words of Ebert and Roeper, I give this song 5 thumbs up! =D
Check the song out on imeem.com or their myspace at www.myspace.com/silversunpickups

Stay tuned for more interpretations coming soon! Recommendations of songs are always accepted too.