Tag Archives: songs for the deaf

#1248: Queens of the Stone Age – A Song for the Deaf

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So, I didn’t realise this until getting ready to type this out, but depending on whatever copy of Songs for the Deaf you have, this song’s either listed as ‘Song for the Deaf’ or ‘A Song for the Deaf’ on the tracklist. Same going for the ‘Dead’ song too. Just think that’s mildly interesting. All this time, I’ve been used to listing both with ‘A’ at the beginning in the various music libraries and stuff, and so I thought Spotify were just being lazy. They’re both correct. But being set in my ways, I’m not changing the title for anything, so the ‘A’ is staying. The big climactic finish to Songs for the Deaf, the almost title-track takes the listener through the final leg of the trip through the California desert, which the whole radio concept of the record is built around. It’s not necessarily a happy end. Things take a very dark and gloomy turn here. Does the driver even make it to the end of the journey? I think it’s up in the air.

The song’s a twisted waltz, its tempo set out by the menacing bass riff that’s then continued on by Josh Homme’s guitars. Written by both Homme and Mark Lanegan, the song’s a showcase of the contrast between two’s vocal styles – the smoother tones of the former mixed with the deeper, gravelly sounds of the latter – and I think it’s very suitable that the last big vocal contributions we hear from Nick Oliveri before he was fired from the band are the manic and hysterical screams that pan from side to side in the bridge before the final chorus. It may have the least plays out of all the songs on the album, at least on Spotify – and by quite a large margin too, I don’t understand – but I think the track exhibits one of the best performances by the band on the entire LP. There’s a reason why people think of the Homme – Oliveri – Lanegan – Grohl line-up of Queens as the golden era of the group, and this song is just of one many of them.

First time I heard Songs for the Deaf in full, I was in primary school and a friend of my sister’s loaned the album to her. The tracks were playing out of the loudspeaker in the living room. It wasn’t very active listening on my part, but I think I was about 10 so cut me some slack. But the very vivid memory I have of the experience was hearing the guitars at the end of ‘A Song of the Deaf’ all kind of feeding back in that wall of noise before it sounds like their souls are taken from them with a ghostly echo. Me and my sister looked at each other, both sort of stunned, and all she said was “Whoa.” We hadn’t heard anything like it before. Since then I’ve always thought of this track as the one with the spooky ending.

#929: Queens of the Stone Age – No One Knows

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I think just about anyone who’s into rock music likes this track, right? One of those songs you know without properly realising it. It’s Queens of the Stone Age’s signature track. The one with the riff that goes “duh-duh-nerner-duh-duh-nerner-vrrrm”. Close to that, anyway. The one with the video where a deer plays dead, beats up the band members and then hangs up their heads on the wall at the end. And, look, it’s everybody’s favourite person Dave Grohl on the drums. ‘No One Knows’ is the second song on the band’s Songs for the Deaf album from 2002, was the first single too, and I think it’s okay to say that in the 20 years that have passed it’s now come to be seen as one of the best 2000s-era songs of its genres.

I don’t think even I could tell you precisely when I first heard this one. ‘No One Knows’ is one of those tracks that always just seemed to be there, floating around in the ether, available on my computer or phone available to listen to. Though I’ll take a guess and say that its video would have been the main gateway toward knowing it. However old I was at the time, I’m sure I was amused by the video’s concept. Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan run over a deer who unbeknownst to them is playing dead, once they get up close to it to see how it’s doing, the deer wakes up, knocks them out and ties them up, goes on a driving rampage and props their heads up on the wall of a house after he falls in love with one of those fake prop deers you’ll find in a a garden somewhere. It’s funny stuff, co-directed by Michel Gondry who’s been the man behind many an iconic music video.

Then there’s the other half of the video that shows the band “performing” the track. And I think as I’ve grown older, it’s that part of it that I appreciate more. Although they’re merely miming the track, it puts into perspective who’s playing what and the work they put into their instruments. Dave Grohl’s thrashing away at those tom-toms like an animal, Nick Oliveri pulls off those runs on the bass like it’s nothing, and Josh Homme’s doing his thing of being all ‘badass’ and playing these riffs and solos while staring deadly into the camera. But forgetting about the video for a moment, solely listening to this track does something to you. It’s a complete powerhouse that fires on all cylinders. Just an all-round solid rock-band performance. Once that riff gets going and the rhythm sets in, you can’t help but get caught in it. Guitars are good, drums – good, bass – gooood. It doesn’t disappoint.

My iPod #480: Queens of the Stone Age – Hangin’ Tree

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It’s been a while. It’s time to start things up again. It was very lucky that the last post was able to be written at the time it was; the past month or so has been a bit full on in terms of university work. But that’s all done and gone. Could I have a done a few update posts here and there? Maybe… But you don’t wanna know about me, you’re just here for the music.

And the first song of the “H” section is “Hangin’ Tree”, a song on the album Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age that always has me wishing that I knew how to play the bass or the drums, preferably both, because the rhythm is too much for me to handle. I can’t help but move and bob my head to the 5/8 (5/4? I don’t know) time signature.

The lead vocals in “Hangin’ Tree” are performed by Mark Lanegan, and after being screamed at for a minute and a few seconds by former bassist Nick Oliveri in “Six Shooter“, it sounds too good when the man’s trademark low and rough voice drags out the first words of the song. Mm mm mm.

I remember this track being one that I would always skip over when I listened to the album for the first time almost a decade ago. That was at a time when I was only into the singles, and didn’t care that much for deeper cuts. But actually getting past the opening bass riff one day immensely opened my eyes and ears. It’s been one of my favourite tracks from the album for a while now.

Here’s the original version of the track released a year prior to its release on SftD, it’s a bit slower and misses that little extra beat that much more pronounced on the album. It’s still the same song, all that matters.

My iPod #439: Queens of the Stone Age – Go with the Flow

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“Go with the Flow” is a song by Queens of the Stone Age that has grown to be one of the band’s most known and beloved songs. Reasons? It’s placed on what is arguably the band’s best album of Songs for the Deaf, it has a brilliant and iconic Shynola-directed music video used to promote its single release, and and because everything about it is just too badass to comprehend.

Though personally it’s not my favourite Queens track, I admire it for its sheer velocity, execution, and quality. The song doesn’t even allow you to settle into the groove. It just explodes into its rhythm and from then on it’s full throttle energy exuded all round by each member. Honestly…. never thought about its meaning that much because to me the music has a lot more impact. But Josh Homme still works it on the vocal area as only he does best, and backs it up with powerful guitar playing alongside Nick Oliveri on the bass and Gene Trautmann (and not Dave Grohl as some may think) on the drums.

If you haven’t heard it before, where have you been? Listen to it now, man.

My iPod #373: Queens of the Stone Age – First It Giveth

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“No One Knows” and “Go with the Flow” all got their relatively big-budget videos, so I was a bit disappointed when seeing the one for “First It Giveth” for the first time. It’s one of those ‘band-on-tour’ montage things. But it does include some hilarious clips of Josh Homme jumping into a drum kit, wiggling his butt in front of a sleeping Mark Lanegan and Nick Oliveri swinging his bass around whilst naked on stage. Funny as those are, a cooler video would have been fun too.

“First It Giveth” is third in what are some killer opening tracks to Queens of the Stone Age’s third album “Songs for the Deaf”. After the shrieks and velocity provided in “Millionaire” and signature song “No One Knows” you wouldn’t think that the sheer level of consistency could be maintained. But when the faux-Spanish radio interlude that follows “No One Knows” ends, “First It Giveth”‘s drums enter immediately and you realise just what you’re in for.

Couldn’t tell you what the track’s about. It’s just very good. And dark. All the guitars play the same phrases and lines in unison throughout the track which is awesome. There is no time allowed for you to catch your breath except for one part that comes before the second verse, and even then that is interrupted as the track continues its momentum. By the end, even Homme gives a wayward sigh when he finishes singing.

Not a bad track at all.