Tag Archives: surprises

#1189: Soundgarden – She Likes Surprises

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For anyone who wasn’t living in the US and Canada at the time of the release of Superunknown, ‘She Likes Surprises’ could be found as the album’s final song as a bonus addition. The band didn’t think it really fit into the overall theme and feel of the actual record, which truly finishes with ‘Like Suicide’. But record companies back in the days of 1994 were really trying to push CDs out there, at the sacrifice of vinyl, and give an incentive for fans to buy them in stores. So Soundgarden’s record label requested ‘She Likes Surprises’ be on the editions released in Europe, Japan and Australia to compete with those available in North America. I don’t know who won in that competition. But for me, more music is an automatic victory. Might not match the vision of the artist, but sometimes you just have to let these thing pass.

I may have only heard this song for the first time a few years back. Maybe 2019 or so, when an urge to revisit Superunknown came to me. The album was already in my iTunes library, and I think after really getting into Down on the Upside the year before, it made sense to go back to what many would consider to be the band’s best. The way I remember it, I think I ended the album with ‘Like Suicide’ too and was quite hesitant to hear ‘Surprises’ out. Anytime there’s a bonus anything anywhere on a record, it’s usually the result of the record label’s request rather than the artist themselves. But after a while I thought “What the hell” and listened to it anyway. And I’m glad I did because at this point, I usually listen to ‘Surprises’ a lot more frequently than a number of other songs on the “official” album.

I thought the way it starts off was strange initially. A screeching guitar line alongside a plodding bass riff. It was a choice, but it’s how it goes. Matt Cameron’s drums come in along with Chris Cornell’s vocals. That guitar line carries on screeching before things get heavy for about two seconds before returning to normal like nothing happened. Things get heavy again as the band launches into the song’s chorus, with that ascending half-step scale on the guitar, and I think that’s where the song won me over. In fact, I like how much the song feels like it’s moving constantly from one direction to the other. It’s in 4/4 mainly, with maybe a bar of 5/4 and 10/4 here and there. But even in the standard time, notes are sometimes played on the upbeat to keep you on your toes. When it comes to the lyrics, it seems to be about a lady who doesn’t think too much of herself but gains gratification out of casual hookups. At least I think that’s what it’s going for. Saw an interpretation online that the ‘colourful disguises’ referred to in the song are condoms. Seems reasonable enough. The band never played the song live, but I’ve always appreciated the drumming in it, so I’ll embed this pretty accurate drum cover from YouTube.

#935: Radiohead – No Surprises

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Again, I think this track falls into that group of those that seemed to have always existed in my life. Couldn’t pinpoint a particular time, event or moment where I saw/heard it for the first time and explain how I felt there and then. What I could tell you is that the music video was what introduced me to it. Though I want to say the guitar intro was used in a advert on television or something, that’s maybe my mind playing tricks on me. In the video, Thom Yorke’s head is miming to the song in a tank which slowly fills up with water. When it gets to the bridge, he’s fully submerged and he holds his breath until the end of the instrumental break, where the water flows out, he gasps for air, smiles ’cause he got the right take and closes his eyes as the song ends. The kid I was when I saw it wasn’t shocked at this. Really I wanted to see if I could hold my breath for that long too and tried on many occasions.

Before its release as a single in December 1997, ‘No Surprises’ would have been known as the tenth track on Radiohead’s OK Computer, the song that comes as a sweet, sweet lullaby-like tune after the somewhat terrifying ending to the preceding ‘Climbing Up the Walls’. The twinkling arpeggiated guitar intro begins alongside some light bass guitar work, and after a short computer boot-up-like sound, an acoustic guitar, glockenspiel and drums come in. Thom Yorke enters, singing in a much lower register than usual, providing lyrics filled with imagery that have very much given a number of people out there the idea that the song is about suicide. It very may well be. I’ve taken it as one that’s about just waiting for life to end with no hang-ups or sudden unexpected situations. The mentions of ‘carbon monoxide’, a ‘final fit’ and the harmonised cries of ‘let me out of here’ do steer the meaning more toward the suicidal route though. Maybe I’m the fool here.

Now, it’s one of Radiohead’s most well-known songs. Its release as a single helped, as did the video. It’s come a long way and taken a life of its own. You would think so, having been around for 25 years at this point. The band will get to the “Bring down the government/They don’t speak for us line” at live performances and the audience will holler and cheer in agreement. Some people may like it just for that line. I’d like to think that the large majority are struck by its warmth and comforting tones. Everything’s played so straight, yet it’s still so powerful. Also helps that it’s really easy to sing along to. Got beautiful melodies and hooks in abundance.