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September, woop! I know you’ve all been on the edge of your seats teeth grinding, nail biting, awaiting the newest edition of Song of the Month, right guys? Right!?
Anywho, Plan #1! What a song. What an epic. My love affair with the moustachepsychos started with this song, basically. And I’m not alone about that, I suspect.
One of the more cryptic and dark tunes, much thanks to Matt Burt. But what is it about? A friend of mine always said it’s about a girl that was raped, and we hear the killers thoughts. He hates/loves her like he hates himself. But I dunno, that’s not very Bent, is it?
At any rate, the constellation Bent + Matt Burt is incredible. Plan #1 and True Middle both have this really unsettling atmosphere. Bring Matt back, Bent!
The song:
Quote:PLAN # 1Queen bitch,slut child
I know you so well
you gave it all away,sister-
you gave it all away
but I know your eyes……..
you’re just like me
Sick,filthy
naked and abused
I’ve seen you all before
cos you gave it all away
you raped your own pride…..
you put too much slack on your live wire
saw too many thrills that killed your desire
too many nights that paled your complexion
and made you a «nigger» in their conception of life
….just like me
you’re just like me
see that creep
couldn’t you just smash his face?
still don’t understand
what he’s doing in this place
I know I didn’t
when I was him
when I was him….
you’re just like me.
Matt Burts lyric:
Quote:Dog’s Heart — Plan Number OneHe held her down.
Zero is the center of the universe.
Purple alfalfa vetch
Small pubescent hairs, sloughed off.
How can a man be a man when he can’t what he can?
Wheel of life, rock of Sisaphis
The Open body of a woman
At the climax of organism there is a shudder – mostly felt in
the stomach – almost identical, but less intense than shudder
experienced at the moment of death.
Party til she’s cute a young man’s t-shirt reads
Infinity likewise is a verb
Small stones begin to rise and float on the water.
What strange snake is this that can be sick with fever
Are not snakes cold blooded creatures?
Like a crowbar in the vagina, ripping to pry loose the pelvis
Thus are structure and form now wed
In a small cottage, just outside of town
a dark and narrow gravel lane
so overgrown the leaves
touch a passing car with smoke
Death the life giver
Death the life taker
Death the advisor
Damned are those who think they have befriended death
Death knows nothing of these struggles
Unthinking shadow
Worthy opponent
Challenger of the left
A man stands in a doorway of a room in a small white cottage
He stalks himself using death
Much like a wolf stalks the caraboo
He stands himself, watching himself, waiting for himself
The meadowlark’s call – makes you feel uneasy
The unrelenting march of sleep
Veterans of subconscious deprivation
I like how the snare drum sound on this on. And it was a killer live.
Apart from that, a solid MP classic (and I still don’t care a bit for lyrics, sorry).
pedantic note: It’s the rock of Sisyphus (greek mythologic character, who for punishment was obliged to roll a rock up a hill into eternity, since the rock rolled off the mountain again every time he nearly reached the top).
Greets,
Thomas
It’s not some lurid true crime confessional. It’s more a reflection on the frailties, insecurities and pain behind what at first glance may seem like self-destructive or reckless tendencies. Recognizing the self-destructive and deluded behaviour in others, knowing what’s underneath the masks, the fronts, by having identified it in one’s self.
Well, either that or it should have been released under its original title, namely “The Ballad of Courtney Love”…
np Hole Live Through This, damn I love this record!
@TvdR: copy/paste from the lyrics section
@Little Lucid Me: I like that theory, and the alternative song title
Care to expand on the interpretation?
@TraktorBass: Then Bent got it wrong. No really. It could also be the literal english translation of the name in Norwegian. Check out Ummagumma by The Floyd for another use of the name.
This is just me being pedantic, again. My interpretation of the song is somewhat different, but that will come later.
Greets,
Thomas
Sure! Oh and I think there’s a nod to Patti Smith in Plan #1, too; I forgot to mention that. The “n-word,” remember what Patti sang, “Baby was a black sheep. Baby was a whore. You know she got big. Well, she’s gonna get bigger. Baby got a hand; got a finger on the trigger. Baby, baby, baby is a rock-and-roll nigger. Outside of society, that’s where I want to be. Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me.”
When not expressed by, say, a sociopath, obviously a lot of ‘acting out’ behaviour is more a cry for help or at least a cry for attention. Those who are drawn to the behaviour are often seeking vicarious thrills or a voyeuristic kick, and quick to be judgmental and self-righteous. Which doesn’t come through in the song; “you’re just like me” seems more knowingly compassionate than condescendingly critical.
“see that creep, couldn’t you just smash his face? still don’t understand what he’s doing in this place. I know I didn’t when I was him.”
Great choice, TraktorBass! I’m completely with you here, what a song! Quite happy with the previous songs of the month, too. You picked the classics. Except for No Evil though, which doesn’t do it for me. I’m much more into the stuff they released in the ’90s, pretty much everything from the pre-cake-era is far better than the later stuff. But that’s just my insignificant personal opinion, although I believe there are a few others who share it…
As for the lyrics – I’m not a big fan of intensive interpreting, although I can see the fun of it. Yet, for me it’s kinda futile because you’ll never know for sure what the author had in mind. Therefore, I prefer to leave the cryptic passages alone and let them hover, oscillate, and change. Concerning the raped-girl-reading: that goes a bit far, I reckon. Bent’s words seem to indicate some sort of action on the girl’s side (“you gave it all away”, “you put too much slack…”) rather than depicting her as a victim. Matt’s words on the other hand could be understood in the way mentioned above…
One more thing I’d like to point out about the song… I don’t have any musical background whatsoever so I’m not sure if I’ll use the right expressions… Anyway: during the first verse the music’s quite low/quiet/slow and just when Bent hits the first line of the chorus (“You’re just like meeeeee”) the music erupts. However, the second verse is longer so when the musical part of the verse (again quiet) has actually finished, Bent hasn’t finished the words: the music erupts with “… conception of liiiiiife” and the “You’re just like me”-part is sort of attached. When listening to it, I always get the impression as if Bent cramed too many words into this verse…. Hm, don’t know if this makes any sense to you… It’s just an observation… Btw, I really love this part. It somehow adds a touch of urgency to the song…
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