Tag Archives: i’m

#595: The Beatles – I’m Happy Just to Dance with You

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So when George Harrison wasn’t too confident in his songwriting in the earlier years of The Beatles’ musical reign in the 60s, John Lennon and Paul McCartney would write songs for him to perform the lead vocal on. They did that on Please Please Me with ‘Do You Want to Know a Secret?‘, and two albums later did so again with ‘I’m Happy Just to Dance with You’.

The song is the fourth track on A Hard Day’s Night and is the only song Harrison takes lead vocal for on the album. Both Lennon and McCartney didn’t think much of it. Lennon was quoted as saying he never would have sung it himself. Still what is considered a throwaway by the two main songwriters has always been up there for the best songs on the album in my eyes.

It lasts for just under two minutes but it sure has a melody that can stick. Paul McCartney plays a bassline that never seems to stay in one place; John plays an unusual rhythm guitar pattern in the verses that jolts along with the rhythm. Harrison’s voice suits it perfectly and it was probably for the best that neither Lennon nor McCartney sung it. Though their backing vocals – aided by hefty natural reverb – are greatly utilised. They add a sense of mystery I feel. Especially along with those chord changes in the chorus.

It’s a track about wanting to dance with a girl and blanking anyone who tries to interrupt. Not a lot of depth to it, but it doesn’t sound dated one bit.

#594: Guttermouth – I’m Destroying the World

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I used to play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 on the PlayStation 2 when I was younger. It was a great game. A big part of its greatness for me was its soundtrack. I have a lot to owe for games such as this one and the FIFA series, they all introduced me to some great music in my formative years. Pro Skater 3 mainly leaned to songs of the punk and hip-hop persuasion. Guttermouth’s ‘I’m Destroying the World’ was one of them.

From listening to the album this track is on and another song of theirs I’ve written about in the past, I’ve gathered that the band tend to take a cynical, sometimes sarcastic viewpoint in their lyrics. This one is from the outlook of a kid who is sick of their redneck family and rebelling by destroying the world. This narrator shows no remorse for their actions, claiming that “[they] don’t really give a shit, cuz it feels so goddamn cool”. Basically it’s an awesome punk song about teenage rebellion.

This was always one of my favourites playing Tony Hawk back in the day. The song’s country influence is worn on its sleeve with the inclusion of banjos and fiddles, those always helped the song stick out in the television speakers. The chorus is definitely the best part too, there’s no space between it and the verses so it always hits like a tonne of bricks when it arrives.

#593: Ween – I’m Dancing in the Show Tonight

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Ween members Gene Ween and Dean Ween both agree that their 1997 album The Mollusk is the best project the band put to tape. I agree with them on most days; for me it is always a close race between it and Quebec. I do hold the The Mollusk in high regard for sentimental reasons too; it was the first full album by Ween that I ever listened to about five years ago.  At the time I felt that I was in a bit of a lull, listening to the same artists over and over, so I decided to look for an album that I hadn’t heard before. ‘Ocean Man’ had been in my iTunes library for some time too, I downloaded it after hearing it in the ending credits of the OG SpongeBob movie, so it only made sense to hear all the other songs around it.

‘I’m Dancing in the Show Tonight’ is the first track on The Mollusk. For a lot of reasons, it shouldn’t work. No band should get away with opening any album with a kitschy, vaudeville show tune. That’s what ‘I’m Dancing in the Show Tonight’ is. But it’s executed so well that it never gets annoying. For the sub-2 minutes it lasts for it builds and builds. Starting off with a piano and the vocals, it steadily progresses as percussion and horns are thrown in and by the end it’s a huge singalong with a fake but emphatic string section. It may confuse some first time listeners, but there’s no time to really think because then the title track suddenly starts like nothing never happened. It’s a brave move. I really enjoy it, I think it’s great.

The track is basically a rip of the Christmas song ‘Are My Ears on Straight?’, sung by Gayla Peevey in 1953, with a few lyrical differences. The band full out admit this on the album’s liner notes though they have yet to be punished for it. Not that I want them to, don’t be silly.

#592: Jakobínarína – I’m a Villain

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I’ve written about Jakobínarína once before; to save me the time of writing about who they were and what happened to them, I refer you to the previous blog that has all the details.

‘I’m a Villain’ is the tenth track on the band’s one and only album The First Crusade. The song is about exactly what it says in the title. Being a ‘villain’ and having pride in doing so. The track is all tongue-in-cheek though. The narrator takes great joy in petty thefts, but sees it as this kind of mission or ‘fighting test’ they have to endure. It’s a fun little composition. Quite repetitive but not to the point of being annoying.

Older players of the FIFA series may recognise it as being one of the tunes on the FIFA 09 soundtrack. For obvious reasons, EA usually censor the tracks if they have swear words in them. Sometimes they can be a bit excessive. The word ‘hell’ in this song is muted in the game which I can see as acceptable for some, though any mention of ‘shoplifting’ is edited in a strange way which I think is pushing it just a bit. There was a lot of good music on that edition.

#591: The Cribs – I’m a Realist

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I think the first song I’d ever heard by The Cribs was ‘You’re Gonna Lose Us‘. The video showed up on MTV2 a few times some time in 2005/06 (I don’t know just a guess) and I reckoned it was an all right one. First thing I noticed about the band was that their two singers (bassist Gary Jarman and guitarist Ryan Jarman) looked very much alike. For obvious reasons too. They are identical twins. Further research showed that the drummer (Ross Jarman) was their younger brother. So that was cool…. A literal band of brothers. So the video had a bit of circulation and then it died down. Didn’t hear from The Cribs on TV for quite some time.

That was until 2007. That was the band’s big year. They came back with ‘Men’s Needs‘ which was repeated endlessly and to a point where I couldn’t really stand it anymore. Unfortunately, that feeling still lasts to this very day. A lot of people love it though so who am I to say anything.

So to the actual song that today’s post is based on. ‘I’m a Realist’ is the fifth song on The Cribs’ third album Men’s Need’s, Women’s Needs, Whatever, produced by Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos and released in 2007. The track was released as the album’s last single in early 2008. To be honest, I’ve never thought too deep into what this song is about. Listening loosely I will say it is a self-deprecating take on dating and relationships. Gary and Ryan’s vocals are on point, with each brother alternate lines before singing in unison for the chorus. Strong harmonies abound throughout. It’s pretty much their trademark. They pull it off very well. The guitar riffs are really catchy too. Helps that they almost match the vocal melodies for the majority of the track.

How NME/UK indie 2007 is that music video as well? Could never be pulled off today. Those were good times.