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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 23, 2021 12:01:03 GMT
Brian Wilson has said on numerous occasions (including a concert I attended) how much he dislikes the lyrics to "Sail On Sailor."
Do you agree with him, or do you like them? Why?
I think the lyrics are the weakest part of the song. I know what they were going for, but I think they could've chosen different words to achieve it. I find "Sail On Sailor"'s lyrics unattractive, too wordy, sometimes too obscure, and they actually make me feel slightly uncomfortable.
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Post by kds on Sept 23, 2021 12:17:29 GMT
Brian Wilson has said on numerous occasions (including a concert I attended) how much he dislikes the lyrics to "Sail On Sailor."
Do you agree with him, or do you like them? Why?
Like many Beach Boys songs, I really don't pay the lyrics any mind. They're OK, I suppose. Nothing great. They flow together nicely, but make little sense (VDP trademark there).
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Post by lonelysummer on Sept 23, 2021 23:17:20 GMT
It's a very wordy song, and for that reason, I need a lyric sheet to sing it. I don't even know what it all means, but I like the sound of it.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 24, 2021 0:53:20 GMT
I know everyone's familiar with the lyrics to "Sail On Sailor", but I thought I would type a few. These are the ones I don't particularly care for - but some might feel differently!
Caught like a sewer rat alone but I sail Bought like a crust of bread but oh do I wail
Seldom stumble, never crumble Try to tumble, life's a rumble
Past shipwrecked daughters of wicked waters
Always needing, even bleeding
Damn the thunder, must I blunder
Stop the crying and the lying And the sighing and my dying
How depressing. Jeez... (those are mine)
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 24, 2021 12:50:17 GMT
I think the lyrics are decent, but I have to admit I don't love them. Sometimes it almost feels like a game of seeing how many rhymes the singer can make, I don't know. (I'm struggling to explain why I don't like them much.) As the first verse wraps up, I'm fully on board. But by the end of the song, I'm ready for the song to end! It's funny how the verbose verses and bridge contrast the "refrain," which is I guess what I'd call the last line of each verse, the "sail on, sail on, sailor."
Like Sheriff John Stone said, they are pretty down. I can imagine why Brian doesn't like them, both for that reason and the fact that they're so damn wordy.
They definitely sit strangely beside most of the band's hits. And yet the song resonated enough to become a staple.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 24, 2021 13:01:14 GMT
At the risk of sounding Mike Love-like, I find the song to be TOO MUCH of a downer. Again, I think I know they were going for, kind of a "Til I Die" set to the sea...and moreso. "Sloop John B", "Old Man River", "The Trader", "Full Sail", and even "Goin' South" show that you don't have to overkill the message, or try to be too arty at the expense of the feel of the song.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 24, 2021 13:16:17 GMT
One thing I hadn't thought about before, the words are really complex but the song is really basic. By Beach Boys standards, there isn't much going on, and it's at a relatively slow tempo. So like them or not, at least there is a complementary nature to the lyrics/music combination.
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Post by B.E. on Sept 25, 2021 15:45:01 GMT
I'm a little surprised to see 4 voters (or 50%) go with a 10. Maybe some are looking down the road and recognizing this might be one of the last chances to go with a perfect score? IMO, this isn't "Wouldn't It Be Nice"/"God Only Knows" territory. Nor are either side "Good Vibrations", "Surf's Up", or even "This Whole World". That said, I'm not hating! I just think "Sail On Sailor" and "Only With You" sit, proudly, one tier/notch below those heights. And, the pairing is solid, so I'm at a strong 9 here.
There's been less discussion about "Only With You" so I think I'll zero-in on that one. I think I used to underrate this track just a bit because Dennis wasn't singing lead. (I'm a young enough fan that I heard both versions at approximately the same time.) But, currently, I'm really digging the backing track of the Holland version. As I believe is true of the whole album, I think they achieved a great atmosphere. I like how sparse the recording is. Right off the bat, I love the sound of the piano and bass, and how the dissonance of the progression stands out to the listener. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the bass walks up from the 1 of the I chord, to the 6 of the IV chord, to the b7 of the V chord, then down to the 1 of the III chord (from there switching to root movements). I like how the song builds, too. The percussion, which I think is there but VERY quiet in the background of the verses, comes in during the bridge with the group backing vocals. Then, as that section fades, I love the return of the pedal steel there, just sliding and floating, and then the strings come in (but subtly). So tastefully done! Then as the final section progresses you get that really cool 8th note muted (?) guitar picking becoming more and more prominent before the strings come back to the fore, with the piano, for the ending. And, how about that cool/weird off-time/beat piano lick? Or the sound of the cymbals throughout? Again, such a cool atmosphere.
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Post by lonelysummer on Sept 26, 2021 0:52:43 GMT
I'm a little surprised to see 4 voters (or 50%) go with a 10. Maybe some are looking down the road and recognizing this might be one of the last chances to go with a perfect score? IMO, this isn't "Wouldn't It Be Nice"/"God Only Knows" territory. Nor are either side "Good Vibrations", "Surf's Up", or even "This Whole World". That said, I'm not hating! I just think "Sail On Sailor" and "Only With You" sit, proudly, one tier/notch below those heights. And, the pairing is solid, so I'm at a strong 9 here. There's been less discussion about "Only With You" so I think I'll zero-in on that one. I think I used to underrate this track just a bit because Dennis wasn't singing lead. (I'm a young enough fan that I heard both versions at approximately the same time.) But, currently, I'm really digging the backing track of the Holland version. As I believe is true of the whole album, I think they achieved a great atmosphere. I like how sparse the recording is. Right off the bat, I love the sound of the piano and bass, and how the dissonance of the progression stands out to the listener. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the bass walks up from the 1 of the I chord, to the 6 of the IV chord, to the b7 of the V chord, then down to the 1 of the III chord (from there switching to root movements). I like how the song builds, too. The percussion, which I think is there but VERY quiet in the background of the verses, comes in during the bridge with the group backing vocals. Then, as that section fades, I love the return of the pedal steel there, just sliding and floating, and then the strings come in (but subtly). So tastefully done! Then as the final section progresses you get that really cool 8th note muted (?) guitar picking becoming more and more prominent before the strings come back to the fore, with the piano, for the ending. And, how about that cool/weird off-time/beat piano lick? Or the sound of the cymbals throughout? Again, such a cool atmosphere. I gave this record a 10 partially because it was the first Beach Boys single in a long time that felt like a single - a song with potential to get a lot of top 40 airplay. As I noted before, Only With You was one that took a long time to grow on me. It's slow, quiet, soft....not a song that leaps out and grabs you. I call it 3 a.m. type music. I love it now. Something that Brian, Carl and Dennis used a lot in their songs was a chord with a bass note that's not the root of the chord. Makes them interesting to play on the piano. I'm not good at it. Only With You and Our Sweet Love I can almost play. The Trader? Forget it!
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 26, 2021 12:17:11 GMT
Final day to vote on "Sail On Sailor" and "Only With You." If you have yet to vote or chime in your opinions, please do so today.
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Post by carllove on Sept 26, 2021 15:33:47 GMT
I know everyone's familiar with the lyrics to "Sail On Sailor", but I thought I would type a few. These are the ones I don't particularly care for - but some might feel differently!
Caught like a sewer rat alone but I sail Bought like a crust of bread but oh do I wail
Seldom stumble, never crumble Try to tumble, life's a rumble
Past shipwrecked daughters of wicked waters
Always needing, even bleeding
Damn the thunder, must I blunder
Stop the crying and the lying And the sighing and my dying
How depressing. Jeez... (those are mine)
I love the lyrics (thanks Sheriff), Blondie’s vocals, the soulful, rockin beat and the fact that this song sounds nothing like The Beach Boys. This song was actually the default ring tone on my phone for over a year. The B side should have been sung by Dennis, but I will let that pass. It’s a Ten!
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Post by lonelysummer on Sept 27, 2021 2:54:25 GMT
I know everyone's familiar with the lyrics to "Sail On Sailor", but I thought I would type a few. These are the ones I don't particularly care for - but some might feel differently!
Caught like a sewer rat alone but I sail Bought like a crust of bread but oh do I wail
Seldom stumble, never crumble Try to tumble, life's a rumble
Past shipwrecked daughters of wicked waters
Always needing, even bleeding
Damn the thunder, must I blunder
Stop the crying and the lying And the sighing and my dying
How depressing. Jeez... (those are mine)
I love the lyrics (thanks Sheriff), Blondie’s vocals, the soulful, rockin beat and the fact that this song sounds nothing like The Beach Boys. This song was actually the default ring tone on my phone for over a year. The B side should have been sung by Dennis, but I will let that pass. It’s a Ten! I know the song was written by Dennis (and Mike), but I would never take a Dennis vocal over a Carl vocal. Carl could've been singing the L.A. phone book and I would have loved it!
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Post by carllove on Sept 27, 2021 10:39:55 GMT
I love the lyrics (thanks Sheriff), Blondie’s vocals, the soulful, rockin beat and the fact that this song sounds nothing like The Beach Boys. This song was actually the default ring tone on my phone for over a year. The B side should have been sung by Dennis, but I will let that pass. It’s a Ten! I know the song was written by Dennis (and Mike), but I would never take a Dennis vocal over a Carl vocal. Carl could've been singing the L.A. phone book and I would have loved it! You know I love me some Carl, and his vocal is beautiful in that song, but I keep hearing Dennis in my head, with the vocal phrasing. Maybe it wouldn’t be as good with Dennis singing it, but I would loved to have heard him sing this before his voice went. Dennis wrote some beautiful songs. I like to hear him sing them.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 27, 2021 11:09:56 GMT
Nine voters rated "Sail On Sailor" and "Only With You" an average of 9.1. Thanks for participating.
I will update the ratings thread and we'll move along.
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