1990s songs, life is hard

Jeremy- Pearl Jam

Jeremy spoke in class today…

“Jeremy” is Pearl Jam’s big hit from their album “Ten”. The song was written by lead singer Eddie Vedder. It was inspired by a newspaper article about a 15-year-old student who shot himself in front of his classmates in Texas.

“Jeremy” is a powerful commentary on youth culture and the pressures faced by teens. Jeremy is a misunderstood individual who struggles with bullying, isolation, and mental health issues. Through haunting lyrics and an intense musical arrangement, the song conveys a message of empathy and understanding for those who may feel marginalized.

Musically, “Jeremy” is characterized by its use of pounding drums, distorted guitars and Vedder’s vocals. The song’s introspective lyrics are accompanied by an evocative soundscape that builds to a climax, with the refrain “Jeremy spoke in class today”.

“Jeremy” is regarded as one of the most memorable and powerful songs of the 1990s. It was a commercial success for Pearl Jam, reaching the top five and solidified them as superstars to a wider audience. This song and Pearl Jam’s fashion was when the term “grunge music” started to make it’s way into the vernacular (along with Nirvana and Green Day).

Jeremy Lyrics

At home drawing pictures
Of mountain tops
With him on top
Lemon yellow sun
Arms raised in a V
And the dead lay in pools of maroon below

Daddy didn’t give attention
Oh, to the fact that mommy didn’t care
King Jeremy the wicked
Oh, ruled his world

Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today

Clearly I remember
Pickin’ on the boy
Seemed a harmless little fuck
But we unleashed the lion
Gnashed his teeth and bit the recess lady’s breast

How could I forget
And he hit me with a surprise left
My jaw left hurting
Dropped wide open
Just like the day
Oh, like the day I heard

Daddy didn’t give affection, no
And the boy was something that mommy wouldn’t wear
King Jeremy the wicked
Oh ruled his world

Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today

Try to forget this (try to forget this)
Try to erase this (try to erase this)
From the blackboard

Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today

Jeremy spoke in
Spoke in
Jeremy spoke in
Spoke in
Jeremy spoke in class today
Source: Thegreatestsongs.com
Songwriters: Eddie Vedder / Jeffrey Ament

1970s songs, life is hard

I’m So Afraid- Fleetwood Mac

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I’m so afraid of the way I feel…

In “I’m So Afraid”, Lindsey Buckingham is featured almost exclusively, so we really get to see his music ability. His most obvious skill is his guitar playing. He uses a very unique finger-style with his right hand. I’m So Afraid might be confused as a “jam song”. It is not. Though it does have several memorable guitar solos, they are all rehearsed; he is not improvising over a set of chords. Lindsey has this all mapped out. He fits so many motifs into one solo.

The fact that he can sing over that complicated guitar playing is amazing too. Singing complicated vocals on top of complicated guitar parts is just silly. And he has a great voice. We always know what he was feeling when he wrote a song, because he delivers his performances with emotion and energy.

I'm So Afraid meaning — Lindsey Buckingham

Christine McVie’s organ is the perfect accompanying instrument. It gives off the vibe of a haunted house. It is like we are looking inside Lindsey’s haunted soul and we see he is just an angry, frightened young man.

The original album-release was slightly overproduced and it sounds too slick. His live performances are where we truly capture the greatness of this work. That would happen to him again with what is perhaps his best performance of all-time. As such, this is a deeper cut of Fleetwood Mac, but a great song nonetheless.

Everyone knows about Fleetwood Mac’s inter-band problems and relationship dramas. That is part of the reason their music is so interesting and fun. A small part. One of my favorite squabbles was when they fired Lindsey Buckingham. Lindsey Buckingham is Fleetwood Mac. That would be like the Police firing Sting or CSR firing John Fogerty. (They had to hire two guitarists to replace Lindsey).

The casual Fleetwood mac fan might think I am crazy– clearly Stevie Nicks is the draw. She’s fantastic but this is Lindsey’s band. He produced the sound, played guitar like a god and could sing and write…and was one of Stevie’s favorites muses. And for those who still doubt…it was Christine McVie who called it Lindsey’s band.

I’m So Afraid Lyrics

I been alone
All the years
So many ways to count the tears

I never change
I never will
I’m so afraid the way I feel

Days when the rain and the sun are gone
Black as night
Agony’s torn at my heart too long
So afraid
Slip and I fall and I die

I been alone
Always down
No one cared to stay around

I never change
I never will
I’m so afraid the way I feel

Days when the rain and the sun are gone
Black as night
Agony’s torn at my heart too long
So afraid
Slip and I fall and I die

How I feel
Days when the rain and the sun are gone
Black as night
Agony’s torn at my heart too long
So afraid
Slip and I fall and I die

Written by Lindsey Buckingham

1970s songs, heartbreak

Alone Again- Gilbert O’Sullivan

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Alone again…naturally.

Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again” is one of the most disorienting songs in pop music. The music is slightly bright and happy—it sounds like a love song or a light ditty by Donovan or Paul McCartney. But the lyrics are downright traumatic!

We recognize that the light sound is to hide the sad story. It is an attempt by the narrator to get through the day. The only thing he can do to prevent himself from jumping off the nearest cliff is tell his story and sing it in a slightly off-handed way.

Alone again naturally meaning — Gilbert O’Sullivan

The narrator has experienced this kind of pain and loss before. He remembers the loneliness he felt when his father died. He cried—he is not ashamed to say it. And then there is his mother. He attempted to console her about the death of his father but there was nothing he could do. Eventually she died too—he thinks she died of a broken heart. Leaving him alone again.

Things were just starting to look up for him after the loss of his parents. He met a woman who made him happy. He proposed and she accepted. However, his happiness was short-lived. O’Sullivan tells us that she just left him at the altar. In addition to losing the love of his life, he has to deal with the guests who are whispering “that must be horrible”. He is alone again. Naturally.

He tells us that if his mood doesn’t improve soon, he will probably jump off the nearest tower. The way he says it so casually and is disconcerting—the song is slightly upbeat and nonchalant. But what we don’t understand is that death would be an improvement to his current condition (in his mind). And what is the difference? Either way he would be alone.

The contrast of the music with the solemnity of the lyrics is what makes the song. The melody is beautiful on its own, but the combination of the two adds up to make a great all-time song. The acoustic classical guitar solo is the only time we really feel a slight shift to the heaviness of the story.

Are O’Sullivan’s thoughts about suicide serious or a tongue-in-cheek exaggeration to express his point? Perhaps a little of both—his feelings probably change moment to moment. There is certainly enough tragedy in the story that we could understand him feeling either way.

Alone Again (Naturally) Lyrics

In a little while from now
If I’m not feeling any less sour
I promise myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower
And climbing to the top
Will throw myself off
In an effort to
Make it clear to whoever
Wants to know what it’s like when you’re shattered

Left standing in the lurch at a church
Were people saying, My God, that’s tough
She stood him up
No point in us remaining
We may as well go home
As I did on my own
Alone again, naturally

To think that only yesterday
I was cheerful, bright and gay
Looking forward to who wouldn’t do
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch
Cut me into little pieces

Leaving me to doubt
Talk about, God in His mercy
Oh, if he really does exist
Why did he desert me
In my hour of need
I truly am indeed
Alone again, naturally

It seems to me that
There are more hearts broken in the world
That can’t be mended
Left unattended
What do we do
What do we do

Alone again, naturally

Looking back over the years
And whatever else that appears
I remember I cried when my father died
Never wishing to hide the tears
And at sixty-five years old
My mother, God rest her soul
Couldn’t understand why the only man
She had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start
With a heart so badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally

Songwriter Gilbert O’sullivan

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