Archive | 3:07 pm

Song of the Day #29: “Ain’t No Reason,” by Brett Dennen

27 Jun

        Last semester at Binghamton I took a course on Postmodernism to fulfill a theory credit for my English Major. Woohoo exciting stuff right. Well, it actually was a pretty interesting course. Let me share with you faithful readers a short definition of this massively broad and extensive topic. After the modernist movement which attempted to explain why things like World War I happen, World War II came and crashed the modernist party. This, of course, led to a violent confusion and assumingly left modernist’s as confused as economists today. So, the ambiguous postmodernist movement was born and artists began forming their work around their respective views on the term. A good way to look at postmodernist art is art that does not attempt to explain anything. Art that is intentionally loose and diverse. Art that succumbs to the theory that there really “Ain’t ro reason things are this way.”

Brett Dennen

           Now let us get to the postmodernist classic, “Ain’t No Reason,” by Brett Dennen which does not attempt to explain anything. This is what makes the song so great. Dennen’s Dylan-like voice and Dylan-quality lyric puts this song in the awesome category and it has received honors and popularity because of these qualities. The song is rather simple, like most Dylan songs, and culminates in a chorus where Dennen admits that he does not know why things are this way. He, though, looks for love to be savior. Does love explain all of this craziness? Dennen seems to think so and I tend to agree but what I believe Dennen is trying to say with this song is that no one can explain any of the world. It is a diverse, crazy spinning globe with crazy people with intense emotions. Therefore, one has to look past what they cannot explain and find the ultimate happiness love to set you free.

Lyric of the Day #29: “Rooster” by Alice In Chains

27 Jun

Probably one of the most memorable grunge/metal bands of our time Alice In Chains made music history with their 1992 album “Dirt”.  This album was made famous by songs such as “Would?” and “Them Bones” but none so memorable as their 4th single released off of it which was “Rooster”.  Seems kind of stupid that a band would name an epic song off of a very small almost mechanical bird.  But to better understand it one has to look at the lyrics.

Aint found a way to kill me yet, Eyes burn with stinging sweat, Seems every path leads me to nowhere, Wife and kids household pet, Army green was no safe bet
The bullets scream to me from somewhere
Here they come to snuff the rooster
Yeah here come the rooster, yeah
You know he aint gonna die
No, no, no, ya know he aint gonna die
Walkin tall machine gun man
They spit on me in my home land
Gloria sent me pictures of my boy
Got my pills gainst mosquito death
My buddys breathin his dyin breath
Oh God please wont you help me make it through
Here they come to snuff the rooster
Yeah here come the rooster, yeah
You know he aint gonna die
No, no, no ya know he aint gonna die

The song was actually written by guitarist Jerry Cantrell for his father who had served in Vietnam.  The term Rooster was his father’s nickname which originated from the natives of Vietnam looking at the Eagles on the soldiers uniforms and since they did not know what an Eagle was they were calling them Chickens.  This whole song is about his fathers experience throughout the war.