Anyhoo...
Paul Westerberg is another in a long line of FNJ heroes whom the whole world should know about but very few folks actually do. Westerberg started his career as the lead singer/songwriter for alternative rock pioneers (and emaycee fave) and Minnesota natives The Replacements (more on them later this year), who despite drawing much acclaim from critics and a devoted if small following, never had much in the way of commercial success. After 12 years and 7 albums the band members went their separate ways; Westerberg became a solo artist and other than the (small) bit of fame he received for this week's tune, pretty much continued riding the lack of commercial success train with the six LPs he released. Still, he's been making music, recording and touring since 1979 and my guess is there's many a garage band in this world who'd trade places with Westerberg in a heartbeat.
Released in 1992 on, appropriately enough, the Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, "Dyslexic Heart" showcases Westerberg's two best attributes: Writing catchy as all hell pop songs that don't sound like pop songs, and singing catchy as all hell pop songs without sounding like a catchy as all hell pop singer. And unlike many alternative bands, Westerberg has never been overly introspective: "Dyslexic Heart," like many of his tunes, wears its heart on its sleeve as Westerberg weaves his tale of a man trying to read not only his desired woman's intentions, but his own heart's intentions as well. There's plenty to like from the lightly strummed acoustic guitar beginning to the driving electric guitar to the rat-a-tat drumming to the liberally spread around "na na nas" (which are always great for singing along) and finally to the start/stop cadence that Westerberg utilizes to great effect. In the end, you have a pop gem from a movie that will live on long after the film has been forgotten (well, at least to music dorks like me...).
Liner notes: "Do I date you? Do I hate you?/Do I got a dyslexic heart?"
Enjoy:
Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee
As a bit of a fan of Cameron Crowe, I've revisited "Singles" a time or two since seeing it as a kid (probably when you watched it). It's not his best effort, but it's better than I remembered it being. And Crowe does always have a knack for having some good tunes in his films.
ReplyDeleteAlso, not that you'll have time to go back and watch, but it's an interesting film in between two of his better ones. It actually fits appropriately in one's life, between the exciting first love of Lloyd Dobler in "Say Anything..." and the difficulty of finding love again amidst a mid-life crisis for "Jerry Maguire." "Singles" is that time between, filled with uncertainty, heart-break, and, yes, even finding love at this stage (it's almost like Cameron Crowe likes to tell stories of people falling in love). Anyway, if you view it as a mediocre part two of a trilogy, it's a little better.
Funnily enough, the scene you remember is probably what I remember most about the movie. Unfortunately, I think that only works when it's your ex-girlfriend who earlier in the movie said she just wanted a man who said "God bless you" when she sneezed.