Tag Archives: ocean

#964: Ween – Ocean Man

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Set up in a rented beach house on the shore of New Jersey, Gene and Dean Ween were overcome with inspiration. Their surroundings were an influence on many of the songs that would end up on The Mollusk and many others that were left on the cutting room floor. ‘Ocean Man’ provides a clear example. That song is from the point of view of a person who wants to know more about the titular character, hoping to become their friend and be taken to the strange places this character goes. It’s basically Ween’s ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’. Gene Ween had a mandolin and was always playing around with it, the chords came about, the lyrics were written quickly and everything seemed to fall into place. That’s according to Dean Ween himself in a 20th anniversary retrospective of the album. A great read, would recommend. Once finished, it was put in the penultimate slot on the record. The place that, from what I’ve gathered, is usually where artists put the songs that are good, but don’t really amount to much when it comes to album flow. Am I wrong in saying that? I feel like there’s some unspoken truth about it.

Anyway, I don’t think the duo could have imagined how much of an impact the song would have on generations to come upon its inclusion in the very last scene of the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie in 2004. SpongeBob becomes the manager of the Krusty Krab, spoilers, and as the ‘camera’ freezes while he delivers the last line of the film, the opening drum roll to ‘Ocean Man’ cuts in and the credits start to roll. Now, Ween were no strangers to SpongeBob. They had provided the song ‘Loop de Loop’ for the cartoon for an episode where SpongeBob doesn’t want to tell anyone that he doesn’t know how to tie his shoes. But as a track from the album that actually influenced the creation of that series, ‘Ocean Man’ acts as the perfect way to bring it all full circle in what was originally meant to be the cartoon’s grand finale.

It’s where I heard the track for the first time, albeit a few good years later when the film was showing on TV because I never saw it at the cinema when it initially came out. What drew me to the track immediately were the exaggerated vocals. Knowing Ween now, it’s not that much of a surprise. It’s just standard practice that they change the pitch or speed of their songs when mixing in order get those effects on their vocals. But being 13/14 or however old I was when I saw that film the first time, it was definitely odd yet strangely appealing. I downloaded that track, and for years it was the only Ween song I had in my library. Took a while, but now I have practically all their albums in there. It takes a seed to make a tree.

#963: Modest Mouse – Ocean Breathes Salty

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‘Float On’ was the much bigger single from Modest Mouse’s ‘breakthrough’ Good News for People Who Love Bad News album. And I don’t mind it. But the other single released from it, the one that stands before you this moment, is the one that I’ve been much closer to for a while now. I didn’t probably get into the band until about 2017 or something, but Good News… had been on my iTunes library since at least 2014. And even then, I don’t think I probably paid attention to ‘Ocean Breathes Salty’ until I decided to listen through the band’s albums in 2018. I wasn’t actively trying to avoid listening to their music, I swear. Some things just get in the way, such is life. Once I did get round to actively giving Good News… my full attention, ‘Ocean’ stood out as a clear highlight.

Just those opening seconds with Dann Gallucci’s arpeggiated guitar riff and Eric Judy’s ascending/descending bassline were enough to put my mind in a place of ease. You ever need a song to start off your train journey when you’re looking out the window and watching everything pass by you? ‘Ocean’ is the best way to start it off. And with Isaac Brock’s guitar line that mirrors the vocal melody during the verses coming not to soon after, it makes for one of Modest Mouse’s best song intros. Full of emotion, subtly impactful, and it doesn’t take too long for it to roll into the first verse. In that, it becomes clear that someone close to the song’s narrator has passed away. That narrator will keep their friend in their head, heart and soul. But this narrator isn’t one who’s into all this afterlife stuff. They don’t hold out a chance that they’ll see each other again once they’ve died too. It then soon becomes clear that this person’s quite annoyed with this departed friend because they didn’t make the most of the life they had, and if they didn’t make the use of time while alive, what use would living in the afterlife do? That is if there is a life beyond the grave.

I think it’s fair to say that’s the main point of the song. You’ve gotta make the most of the time you have. Brock takes it further by accusing this person of missing their death due to their lack of appreciation for life. Probably meant in a half-jokingly kind of way. At least that’s how I’ve taken it, but there’s still a poignancy to it. This track really is a package. You’ve got the somewhat heavy existential crisis point, but there’s still that sarcastic tone that stops it from becoming to melodramatic. Plus the musical dynamic of switching from the guitar setup during the verses to the Mellotron-led choruses gives an extra kick too. Longtime fans of Modest Mouse usually say that Good News… was where the band’s material marked a change for the worst. It was certainly different to what came before. Bigger production, a lot more slicker. But certainly the tracks on there took a huge benefit from this change. I believe ‘Ocean…’ is a prime example.