About This Track
The longest song on Newsom’s second album, it had a complicated creation. Incorporating different bits of songs and the whole of a song only played live named ‘Be A Woman’, the song took the longest to write of all of them.
Newsom talked about its creation;
“The evolution of the song took a long time. I knew from very early on in its life that I wanted it to be a very long song, that it would be vulgar to make it short. But it took me a long time to finish it.
I worked sectionally, I guess - I knew where each section was supposed to go, I knew the story I wanted to tell, more or less, and the order in which I wanted each piece of the story to appear. I know I’m using the word ‘story’ real loosely here, but the song is telling a story, from where I’m standing.
But some of the pieces were a long time coming. I might have had some lyrics, and some instrumental passages, and then I’d get a bit more in the way of words, or a bit more in the way of music, and I’d just kind of whittle away at the thing awhile and then wait it out again.
As far as the specifics of the verse, the “poetic devices” employed and all that - I have to say that it makes me feel uncomfortable to think too much in those terms when I’m looking at my own songs. I love looking at other people’s music real close-up, like that, but I feel like I worked hard enough writing the dang thing, and I shouldn’t really have to go back and explain what I was doing from a technical standpoint or analyze my own style - just makes me feel squeamish and claustrophobic.
Newsom talked about its creation;
“The evolution of the song took a long time. I knew from very early on in its life that I wanted it to be a very long song, that it would be vulgar to make it short. But it took me a long time to finish it.
I worked sectionally, I guess - I knew where each section was supposed to go, I knew the story I wanted to tell, more or less, and the order in which I wanted each piece of the story to appear. I know I’m using the word ‘story’ real loosely here, but the song is telling a story, from where I’m standing.
But some of the pieces were a long time coming. I might have had some lyrics, and some instrumental passages, and then I’d get a bit more in the way of words, or a bit more in the way of music, and I’d just kind of whittle away at the thing awhile and then wait it out again.
As far as the specifics of the verse, the “poetic devices” employed and all that - I have to say that it makes me feel uncomfortable to think too much in those terms when I’m looking at my own songs. I love looking at other people’s music real close-up, like that, but I feel like I worked hard enough writing the dang thing, and I shouldn’t really have to go back and explain what I was doing from a technical standpoint or analyze my own style - just makes me feel squeamish and claustrophobic.
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Shouts
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Buggy08 wrote:
Then down and down, and down and down, and down and deeper.
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chrisjon89 wrote:
I like the "shallow water" part more too, through to and including the "awful atoll" bit, but the whole thing is amazing really.
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platypuspower wrote:
i love this so much i want to cry
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BarneyJWY wrote:
Also, I like the "shallow waters" part a lot better than the Callahan part. Sorry, guess I need to reassess my life.
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BarneyJWY wrote:
My favorite Joanna song!
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monokhrome_nite wrote:
dat squeak
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ElizabethWade wrote:
Still my favorite song, the part where bill callahan comes in still gives me chills and makes me want to weep when I hear it, almost five years later. What an incredible album.
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volta1995 wrote:
CALLAHAN
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srkuran7 wrote:
this is not meant to be "superstar" stuff, its something much higher, art on its truest form, i can feel so many intense feelings while not literally understanding the story she is telling.
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arsonist_samael wrote:
Favourite song bar none.
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Arc_Of_Fire wrote:
if you don't like the Callahan part you need to reassess your life [4]
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Arc_Of_Fire wrote:
Ah, I can escape into this song. It's 16 minutes of absolute bliss and peace.
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inmaritime wrote:
if you don't like the Callahan part you need to reassess your life [3] Literally.
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BamBino1951 wrote:
A lot of talent and good musicianship and production. She had superstar potential. Unfortunately she meanders a lot and sounds just a little too much like Kate Bush. Lack of originality and the IT factor is what prevents her from being a true superstar.
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might2007 wrote:
the perfect song.
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gaiusmanlius wrote:
This song
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spreadblood4 wrote:
if you don't like the Callahan part you need to reassess your life [2] YES.
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puismourir wrote:
if you don't like the Callahan part you need to reassess your life
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nblansett wrote:
I think the Bill Callahan part is the BEST part...the juxtaposition of his emotionless voice against her ethereal, childlike voice is both heartbreaking and provoking.
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Splankdigit wrote:
The climax at the end with Bill, good grief. So many feelings.
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