Monthly Archives: April 2020

#705: OutKast – Knowing

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I didn’t intend to receive Speakerboxxx/The Love Below as a Christmas present in 2003. I was eight years old and ‘Hey Ya!’ was everywhere. I just wanted the single; my aunt got me the full double album instead. At that young age, I had no patience to listen to the whole thing. A dumb decision, no doubt. But kids don’t know any better at that age. Fast forward to about 2010 – I was fifteen, playing FIFA a lot of the time due to no one being in the house. I’d play with my iTunes library on shuffle in my ears. ‘Knowing’ came up one day and it would regularly play on other days. I realised there that it was a jam.

‘Knowing’ is the thirteenth track on the Speakerboxxx half of the album, which is more or less a Big Boi solo album with The Love Below being André 3000’s. There are only a few moments where the two members are on each others tracks throughout the double album; ‘Knowing’ is one of them, with Andre 3K singing the chorus and providing the distorted “From this point on, it only gets rougher” line. Big Boi takes the lead on the verses and tells a story of a woman named Wanda who gets her money by stripping, spends it all on clothes and accessories when she could be spending it on food and things that actually matter. She goes on to buy a car but then loses her job, turns to robbing to earn some cash but leaves some ID at one occasion and gets her comeuppance when she gets caught out.

It’s not the most optimistic of songs. But it’s real. It’s an unfortunate tale of a person in the midst of a community filled with people who are struggling and trying their best to get by. The beat is killer with those echoing clicks and emphatic bass, and with Andre 3000’s vocals on top it creates a very uneasy and quite anxious tone. Big Boi does his natural thing of telling a story with impeccable flow and wordplay and rapid fire flow. It’s always best when the two members are on a song together, and this is a prime example.

And that’s it for the Ks. That wasn’t very long, only took a month to get through them all. The Ls will roll in soon.

#704: Red Hot Chili Peppers – Knock Me Down

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Released in 1989 as the second single from Mother’s Milk, ‘Knock Me Down’ was written as a tribute to Hillel Slovak – the original guitarist and founding member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers – who died from a heroin overdose in June 1988. Lead singer Anthony Kiedis was greatly affected by the loss of his friend and, after plenty experience of drug use himself, became determined to get clean. The track explores the damning effects drugs can have on your life. I’m sure that the lyrics shouldn’t be taken literally though if you were to Kiedis is bluntly saying “if you see me with some heavy stuff, slap that shit out of my hand because this life is all we have”. It’s also about not being afraid to tell your friends when you need help and being able to accept it when they give you the time of day.

I heard this song for the first time when its video played on the TV years ago. I had heard plenty Chili songs before then, and I remember thinking “That’s not how that guy’s voice usually sounds?” Well, during the song’s mixing, John Frusciante’s lead vocal was “accidentally” raised higher than Anthony Kiedis’ and as a result Frusciante’s voice is the main vocal you hear. I put “accidentally” in quotes because there is a mix of the track where Kiedis’ vocal is louder and….. his voice doesn’t sound too great on there. I think whoever mixed the song knew what they were doing. I also think they made the right decision.

I really like it. It might not be regarded as one of the band’s most notable tracks. I’ve always appreciated the strong melody that goes on throughout. It’s probably one of their most melodic songs. And it’s a very forward-looking and charging track. Very powerful guitar chords and Flea’s signature bass grooves and slaps that keep the momentum going. And then there’s that female singer who comes in with the killer vocalisations at the end. It’s good stuff. They haven’t played it live for a very long time though. Maybe there’ll be a day.

#703: Radiohead – Knives Out

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It took me a while to really appreciate this song. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Amnesiac as a whole, but it does contain some of Radiohead’s best work. In the past I would always hear this song and maintain my focus on Thom Yorke’s vocal. For a long time it never impressed me. Seemed kind of aimless. It rises and falls and that was about it. Quite run of the mill for his voice.

Then, some time last year, I revisited the album. Instead of focusing on Yorke’s voice, I turned my attention to the band’s performance. The ‘Paranoid Android-esque’ lick that opens the track, the wispy hiss that comes from Phil Selway’s ride cymbal… Colin Greenwood’s bassline. All these little things suddenly became much more apparent. ‘Knives Out’ isn’t all about Thom Yorke’s voice, but how every other instrument interplays with it. When you take all of those elements into consideration, it makes Yorke’s melody so much more engaging.

The song is a very atmospheric one. Dark and pessimistic in tone. There’s a lot of cannibalistic imagery in there, though it’s also based on the ideas of looking into a dying person’s eyes and someone walking out on their family. Not the cheeriest of songs but one of those you need when you’re feeling quite low.

#702: The Shins – Kissing the Lipless

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I’ve tried to get into The Shins but I’ve long conceded that their albums don’t do that much for me. Long ago I downloaded Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow because I’d seen that they were praised very well. I do think Chutes is better – I deleted Inverted because I never returned to it – but even then there are two tracks on there that I listen to.

‘Kissing the Lipless’ starts off Chutes Too Narrow, an album that is now reaching twenty years since its release. It probably means a lot to many people. Been the soundtrack to many a formative year and important moments. Can’t say that for me. I’ve got to admit that I haven’t even listened to this song many times to properly gauge its meaning. I just really like James Mercer’s vocals on this. Usually, his vocals are what prevent me from really getting into a Shins song – but he sings the melody so strongly and with pure gusto that it’s hard not to feel some emotion from it.

In terms of what it’s about….? I can’t go into too much detail without copying it from somewhere else. But I believe it’s about a friendship that has ended and all the memories that it once contained. Something along those lines.

#701: They Might Be Giants – Kiss Me, Son of God

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When listening to They Might Be Giants’ second album Lincoln you wouldn’t think that, after starting with ‘Ana Ng’, the record would then go on to close with ‘Kiss Me, Son of God’. Musically uplifting, it’s led by a soundscape of rising violins, saxophones and a cello that provide the backdrop to Linnell’s lyrics which detail a dictator who has lost the respect of his closest friends and associates.

In typical TMBG fashion the song juxtaposes happy music and darker lyrical subject matter to create this undertone of tension and uneasiness. The listener however isn’t able to tell unless they really search out those lyrics just because of how upbeat and strident the melodies are. I’m thinking that, as the track is from the point of view of this awful, awful person, the music is meant to reflect the fact that the narrator truly doesn;t care about the hurt he’s causing these people and is in fact very happy about his situation.

Very descriptive in its language and vivid in its imagery, the lyrical highlight arguably occurs in the bridge:

I look like Jesus, so they say
But Mr. Jesus is very far away
Now you’re the only one here who can tell me if it’s true
That you love me and I love me

You see, ’cause as a listener you’re expecting Linnell to sing ‘I love you‘ in that final line but he turns it around and sings ‘me’ instead. You have to hear it to appreciate it.

Linnell and Flansburgh had originally recorded the track during the sessions for the group’s first album. It was released a B-Side on the ‘(She Was a) Hotel Detective’ single, and is very different from how it appears on Lincoln. With no backing music by The Ordinaires, it’s just the two Johns singing in harmony with an accordion at hand. Here is that version: