Tag Archives: roses

#1141: Ween – Roses Are Free

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Ween’s 1994 album Chocolate and Cheese is considered to be one of the band’s best albums among Ween fans. I’m partial to it, myself. There are a couple others I think are better. That’s neither here nor there. After acquiring a huge bonus via signing to the Elektra Entertainment record label, the band used it to rent out a proper studio and carefully construct the tracks that would become the 16 available on Chocolate…. A huge contrast to the 4-track, pretty-much-demo-releases of The Pod and Pure Guava that came before. It would sound like Gene and Dean Ween were taking things truly seriously this time, but the album contains just as much absurdity and humour, although packaged with tighter songs, slicker production and with some underboob on the front cover.

‘Roses Are Free’ is a song that can be found on that album and is one of the big, big highlights on there. Again, a much-beloved song in the Ween fandom, ‘Roses…’ is a massive tribute to Prince. It would apparently baffle Dean Ween that no one would ever point out the icon’s influence on the track; it seemed so obvious to him. And once you read that and listen to it, you can kind of tell. The subtly provocative way Gene Ween sings the song, the chord progression that occur throughout… that rockin’ guitar solo. All out of the Prince guidebook. The lyrics aren’t meant to mean anything in particular and were written mainly to fill the spaces in the grooves. Even so, they are known to get some of the biggest cheers at a Ween show, particularly the “Get in your car and cruise the land of the brave and free” and “Resist all the urges that make you want to go out and kill” lines. Two very poignant statements that come out of nowhere in this song about nothing.

As much as the version on the album is cool and everything, the song takes on another life when performed live. Although the song benefits from being recorded in a bright and shiny studio, its studio recording is still very much a two-man job with Gene on vocals and guitar and Dean on guitar accompanied by a drum machine and synthesized bass guitar. Could say it somewhat restricted. Though with the five-piece band that Ween eventually developed into, the track morphs into a true monster. The keyboards further fill the soundspace, the drum performance hits harder thanks to Claude Coleman Jr., and the guitar solo handled by both Gene and Dean goes on for another minute or so because they both get so into it. It’s a sight to see. It’s a marvel to hear. I’ll embed a well-known performance of it below.

#1140: OutKast – Roses

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I don’t know if anyone else has felt this, but I don’t see OutKast’s ‘Roses’ pop up in a topic of conversation anywhere these days. ‘Hey Ya!’… well, everyone knows it. And I’ll see ‘The Way You Move’ or ‘Prototype’ on TikToks and Instagram posts. Never ‘Roses’ though. Can’t understand it myself, ’cause I remember when it was being played everywhere. In the UK at least, once ‘Hey Ya!’ seemed to be fading away from airplay, ‘Roses’ came right in and got the roof raising again. The video was a mainstay on MTV Base. I’d be singing the chorus with friends during my years in primary school. It was funny stuff. I’ve got a lotta love for it still, never heard it to the point where it fell out of favour like I did with the other big OutKast hit of that time.

I guess, possibly like many, many people, the big appeal for my initial interest in the song came from its entertaining music video. Featuring cameos from Katt Williams, Paula Abdul and a bunch of recgonisable faces, it shows André 3000 performing the song onstage in a school auditorium with his “Love Below” troupe, while the ‘Caroline’ character in the song’s lyrics watches on among the other students. Big Boi and his Speakerboxxx crew crash the proceedings and a hilariously chaotic fight ensues. Katt Williams whisks Caroline away with his charming ways, leaving 3 Stacks screaming after her as he’s carried out of the building. When it was played on the TV, the video’s intro was usually cut out, which left out the reason why Big Boi’s gang goes to the school in the first place. It’s ’cause Caroline gives a “Maybe” response when Big Boi asks if she’ll be his valentine. Nice to have that plot hole sorted out.

The song is essentially a roast of this girl called Caroline, who’s not based on a real person but is rather a representation of all those beautiful women who possess ugly personalities. 3000 pulls off a majorly expressive vocal take, stretching out his syllables, wailing and adlibbing in the background (particularly in the background during the final chorus), providing his own ooh-ooh backing vocals at points. Might even come off as unhinged at times, the way he changes his delivery so much. Must be symbolic of how these Caroline-types make the guy feel. Big Boi joins in and reinforces the song’s theme with the only appearance he makes on the Love Below half of the duo’s 2003 double album. He makes his mark in the time he has. Though the ‘crazy bitch’ outro he delivers might be pushing it a bit. I can take it, though.