Performing songs about heroin addiction "needle and spoon" Savoy Brown, or pedophilia, "Good Mornin Little School Girl", and more like it...taboo stuff. Give me some more examples, please...I know there are alot more "nasty" songs out there.... thanks, I know this will be an interesting, though, possibly a little shorter than most threads...Champion Jack Dupree comes to mind...
Last Edited by on Jun 11, 2010 12:18 AM
You can always "soften" things up a bit. Like Jr Wells changing the age in "Early in the Morning" from fourteen to eighteen, just to keep her legal I suppose! ---------- (:o
From Pearl Jam's 'Jeremy': (About a boy who went to school and shot himself)
"Clearly I remember Pickin' on the boy Seemed a harmless little f*** But we unleashed a lion Gnashed his teeth And bit the recessed lady's breast How could i forget He hit me with a surprise left My jaw left hurtin Dropped wide open Just like the day Like the day i heard Daddy didn't give affection"
From Nirvana's 'Polly': (About rape and abduction)
"Polly wants a cracker I think I should get off her first I think she wants some water To put out the blow torch"
Despite the subject matter, both bands were trying to make statements against violence. Polly, however, was apparently played by a couple rapists who didn't understand that it wasn't a pro-rape song.
I've written songs about near suicide attempts and childhood abuse. I've gotten good response on some of them, and some sick wackos who took things in directions I definitely didn't intend.
The age of consent has changed over the years, and sometimes bands had hits when they were younger that sounded creepy later on. The Beatles 'Just 17' comes to mind. Their song 'Run for Your Life' is pretty creepy:
"Well you know that I'm a wicked guy And I was born with a jealous mind And I can't spend my whole life Trying just to make you toe the line
You better run for your life if you can, little girl Hide your head in the sand little girl Catch you with another man That's the end'a little girl
Let this be a sermon I mean everything I've said Baby, I'm determined And I'd rather see you dead"
I've actually just recorded a rough cut of a song written from the perspective of a rapist. It is definitely not a pro-rape song, but it could easily offend some people.
Eminem's 'Bonnie & Clyde '97' is another real creepy song. It's about a man killing his ex, all the while explaining to his child that 'Mommy is just sleeping'. Tori Amos has a whole album where she covers songs, mostly exposing songs about violence that sort of got a pass the first time around, including the Eminem tune and a cover of The Beatles 'Happiness is a Warm Gun' which is really eerie in light of John Lennon's murder. She also has a song about her own rape, 'Me and a Gun'.
Some others: Toad the Wet Sprocket, 'Hold Her Down' Aerosmith, 'Janie's Got a Gun' Nirvana, 'Rape Me' Alice in Chains, 'Dirt' Nine Inch Nails, 'Hurt' (Later covered by Johnny Cash) Lead Belly and a bunch of others, 'In the Pines'
C'mon! Grunge?..thanks for responding. try to keep it to the blues, please. I sure like that ole Mr Tambourine Man...wow! What a great lyricist... Does that have ANYTHING pertaining to this topic...? ..Ev630 had the right idea. What song was the "Rice Miller" contribution from?.."your funeral and my trial"?
Last Edited by on Jun 10, 2010 10:16 PM
Mojo, the thing is, lyrics are lyrics. If you want to discuss 12 bar, it may be useful to limit yourself to 12 bar, but I don't think it's as useful for lyrics. Johnny Cash did an incredible version of Nine Inch Nails grunge classic. (So did Kermit the Frog. If you want to see a video with messed up dark creepy stuff, look up Sad Kermit's version of Hurt on YouTube.)
If your looking for songs to cover, looking outside genre is a great way to find songs to cross over. (Lot's of NiN fans got into Cash because of that cover.) Nirvana's cover of 'In the Pines' brought a lot of exposure to Lead Belly from a whole new audience. If you just want lyrics for a trivia answer thats cool, but if you bring up the needle and spoon it kind of cries out for a couple grunge examples, although I covered grunge, pop, classic 60's, hip hop and blues in my answer.
"What's your drug of choice? Well what have you got? I don't go broke But I do it a lot." AIC
If you need examples for a specific purpose, then that's a different story, but I think for discussing lyrics it's more useful to expand the discussion little bit. :)
edit: Although, I guess to reach todays audience you'd have to cover Emo (shudder).
---------- Nate Facebook
Last Edited by on Jun 10, 2010 10:43 PM
You wear them dresses, the sun comes shinin' though I just can't believe all that mess belongs to you...
I'm like a one eyed cat, peepin' in a seafood store.....
(The above from the original "shake rattle and roll" - Bill Haley cleaned 'em up a bit) ----- "Hey, pretty baby, where did you spend last night? 'Cuz your pants is on backwards and your 'thing' don't smell so nice..." (Hollywood Fats)
Blues has lyrics that are (or probably should be) offensive to EVERYONE. I won't sing something that makes me uncomfortable.
Blown Out Reed....oooops..let me restrict the genre to early traditional blues stuff. I guess I owe everyone an apology, but you won't get it... I didn't mention blues at all. Let me add that. Blown Out Reed..thanks for pointing that out. Greg hit it on the head... excellent, so true...nacoran. and Greg, I laughed out loud! that's the stuff I'm diggin for. I realize I'm a bluesologist rookie, mostly curious. What perfect forum for this type of digging.
Dirty lyrics are controversial...but controversial lyrics, aren't neccessarily dirty.
Last Edited by on Jun 11, 2010 2:19 AM
I don't see why dirty lyrics should be automatically controversial. Blues has never been a music for young children. Most blues lyrics are about sex, booze, drugs, violence against women or rivals, etc. Its not surprising that blues has been considered (and still is, in some circles) as "The Devil's music".
In a sense, any song on any subject can be seen as "controversial" by some people. I'm not shocked by lyrics about sex or drugs, but as an atheist, I could be disturbed by some christian lyrics... It's all in the person who listens.
If you want to make sure you offend nobody with your lyrics, don't sing at all.
Last Edited by on Jun 11, 2010 4:33 AM
If you sing too many original deep songs about addiction, teen pregnancy, racism, political inequality, homelessness, suicide, most people will leave. But if you do one of the classics mentioned above, most of those same people will say you are a deep player. I have been told more times than I can remember by blues fans that my songs are often too deep and sad. A true deep and sad song has no concern with winnng people over. I thought that was a big part of the blues- letting it out straight? Most sad songs have melodies or hooks that are deliberately put in with the thought of making it sellable. When I am truely down, trying to please others doesn't enter in the equation for me. My sorrow is too consuming and singing about it lets it out so I can go on living in this world. Walter
My studio is down and I am off for the summer, so with nothing better to do, I seached out some.
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
..good comments! Thanks. Waltertore..I agree,...be a "deep player"...and the majority of folks will appreciate it. When they start walking out, you know it's time to throw in Whammer Jammer!(and if you can't do it, ask Adam) There are good reasons to keep it upbeat...survival is one. And when you rely on gigs for your income, your choices in songs will make or break you. I dig Humble Pies early stuff. Wow. He could play that harp, too. Weren't they censored? I saw them in Hyde Park in 70. For the life of me, I can't recall that one song (slow blues) he does an unbelievable solo...I never get tired of it....hmmmm just waking up here, waiting for the coffee to kick in. I have a couple I really enjoy, because they're so timeless..not just Humble Pie. It's exactly those types of jewels, I also like to hear. And can't seem to find, very often. Try a real nasty one at your next gig. Atleast, the men in the crowd would dig em. I'm still chuckling, after reading Gregs contribution "shake rattle and roll".. Would a Lady find that amusing? ..depends. After a few drinks...SURE! ..who cares? do it anyway! Are they all about women? why is that..lol!Just change the sex. Any womens versions of controversial stuff which would make a man blush! Hardly..it there are, might they go something like this...? " let your inhibitions go, and drop your pants, little Boy! Or..get on your knees, sweet child...show me you love me, ..but don't say anything to your mommy or your daddy,
I wouldn't do whammer jammer if my life depended on it. I don't feel ones that do such songs are any better or worse than me, it is I just do what is in me. If people walk out, that is fine. I don't make my living off music now, but I did for 20 years and didn't cater to the crowd. I am of a different wiring than most :-) Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Humble Pie-"Thirty Days in the Hole". Black Nepalese, it's got you weak in your knees, it's just some seeds and dust that you got buzzed on, you know it's hard to believe, 30 days in the hole....
Yup, what a song to remember...Black Napalese..yum yum. Is that a fruit? I just spent the last half hour surfing youtube. and listenin to HP's great acheivments..awesome band. Sadly underated, under exposed perhaps...though Rock/ Blues, buku enough blues soul to go round,eh? rooted in...4 sure. Who said drugs won't make you more creative? These cats (clearly) could not have done this stuff, without drugs (except Jeff Beck), and a few others maybe, too. What's the big beef? Certain psychodelics are used today to dispell fears,paranoia,etc etc..and help sort out mankinds deeper issues within.."elementary Watson". Abuse is another thing. But that's a whole nother discussion...that I don't care to start. Have at it! oh yea, ....H.P.'s "I Wonder"....rock blues? love this one...
Last Edited by on Jun 11, 2010 5:36 PM
