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Post by lonelysummer on Apr 22, 2023 0:52:53 GMT
I'm gonna write a song about a girl I knew, now She really left me cold and blue, now I thought we would have some fun, fun, fun Before I knew it we were done, done, done
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 22, 2023 12:15:22 GMT
Track #11: I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (B. Wilson, T. Asher)
I keep lookin' for a place to fit in, where I can speak my mind. And I've been tryin' hard to find the people that I won't leave behind. They say I got brains, but they ain't doin' me no good--I wish they could!
Each time things start to happen again, I think I got somethin' good goin' for myself, but what goes wrong?
Sometimes I feel very sad. Sometimes I feel very sad. (Ain't found the right thing I can put my heart and soul into.) Sometimes I feel very sad. (Ain't found the right thing I can put my heart and soul into.) I guess I just wasn't made for these times.
Every time I get the inspiration to go change things around, no one wants to help me look for places where new things might be found. Where can I turn when my fair-weather friends cop out? What's it all about?
Each time things start to happen again...(etc.)
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Barco
Denny's Drums
Posts: 41
Likes: 72
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Post by Barco on Apr 22, 2023 16:28:21 GMT
Again, lyrics that easily resonate with a lot of listeners, myself included. I guess everyone has had this feeling at least once in their lifetimes: "If only I was born earlier/later" etc... One aspect of the song's words that facilitates this relatability is how vague it is. OK, the narrator thinks he isn't made for these times. But whether he feels he's ahead of his time or the other way 'round is never made clear, so any listener that has felt like this in any way could relate to what's being said here. Thing is, this album is so strong that this song usually falls at the bottom of my track rankings. And I think that's gonna be the case for its lyrics as well. Though I can relate to them, it's a bit awkward when read by themselves, without the music. It's greatest strenght might be how it's content ties up perfectly to the immensely melancholic sound of the track. I have to say, however, that I may actually consider this to be the song where the feeling being talked about is the least well portrayed on the entire album. Also, 'Ain't found the right thing I can put my heart and soul into' What?! Wouldn't that be music, Brian?
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 22, 2023 16:43:17 GMT
It is a relatable set of lyrics. One thing I hadn't thought about before is that it's also somewhat conceited! The narrator is too advanced for other people: he leaves others behind, he's got brains, he's adventurous to discover newness while others fall back. He wants people to live up to his apparently high standard (a place where he can speak his mind and will fit in, something his lesser, fair-weather fans don't create).
But obviously he's also depressed, or at least melancholy. He feels sad and lost. His brains aren't helping things.
I had noted in a number of the earlier songs how self-centered the lyrics are, and this one is certainly another one along those lines. I know Linda Ronstadt had said in one of the docs that songs like "In My Room" were self-absorbed, saying something about how that's how things should be for the teenager listening. For better or worse, anyway, many of these Pet Sounds lyrics are very inward focused. What's wrong for me, what's exciting for me, what's wrong with the world as relates to me. It's almost the exact opposite of the sentiments of traditions injected by the Maharishi shortly thereafter. This stuff is classic American mindset.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 23, 2023 12:36:37 GMT
Yes, the lyrics to "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" could be considered conceited (I never liked using this song title for the album title of the Don Was-produced album) and they are absolutely self-centered, too. Pet Sounds is full of them:
- I had to prove that I could make it alone but that's not me. - I'm waiting for the day when you can love again. - I feel so broke up I wanna go home - I know there's an answer but I have to find it by myself - I keep looking for a place to fit in where I can speak my mind ...and more
The lyrics to "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" are effective though, and, obviously, Brian makes them work. He does sound like he's speaking to the listener, to someone. I have to say, unlike Barco, this is one of the few Pet Sounds' songs/lyrics that I didn't relate to way back when I first discovered Pet Sounds. However, maybe now I do.
Oh, and I was very surprised that Brian dug this song out for the 2012 reunion concerts. While he made a good effort, I don't think he nailed it, and I kinda wished he would've chosen a different song.
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Post by B.E. on Apr 23, 2023 14:00:24 GMT
I'm hesitant to comment on this song without catching up on the thread first, but I do feel compelled to say that I'm a HUGE fan of "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times". It's very nearly my favorite song on the album...and it's one of my absolute favorite albums! And a big part of that is the lyrics. This isn't "You Still Believe in Me" where nearly every line starts with "I" and ends in "me", I think these lyrics are a bit more advanced, interesting, and unique.
And just a general point: Yes, many/most of the lyrics on Pet Sounds can be described as self-absorbed, self-centered, conceited, etc. but they could also simply be described as introspective. And I think an argument can be made that its introspective nature is the biggest reason why the album has resonated so deeply with so many people - why it's so beloved. Please, don't get me wrong, I enjoy the discussion, observations, and analysis (I do!), but at the same time I just want to say that, personally, I've never attached any negative connotations to the lyrics. I love 'em.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 23, 2023 18:04:16 GMT
And just a general point: Yes, many/most of the lyrics on Pet Sounds can be described as self-absorbed, self-centered, conceited, etc. but they could also simply be described as introspective. And I think an argument can be made that its introspective nature is the biggest reason why the album has resonated so deeply with so many people - why it's so beloved. Please, don't get me wrong, I enjoy the discussion, observations, and analysis (I do!), but at the same time I just want to say that, personally, I've never attached any negative connotations to the lyrics. I love 'em. I don't disagree with you. I was just making note of it as a fact.
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Post by kds on Apr 24, 2023 13:18:48 GMT
I really like the lyrics here. I feel like it's a slightly more grown up take on In My Room.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 24, 2023 13:28:30 GMT
I agree they are more grown up, but I don't think they're quite mature yet. They are what they were, which is young adult's perspective.
To me, they are about frustration I think we can mostly relate to--and this removes the idea or potential criticism of "Brian" being on the right path and his "fairweather friends" not getting it, but just more objectively. Maybe while you've found a serious someone, or you've gotten a job you actually see the value in, or you're saving up for a house, some of your college buddies are still going to the bar five nights a week, etc.
But where I think they're not wholly mature is the idea of "I'm special; I'm different. Other people don't get me." I think people (hopefully) tend to grow out of that. Eventually you realize you're not particularly special, and your frustrations or emotions or maturation is the same sort of thing everyone else feels at some time or another, in some way or another. It's just that because the timing is always a little different for everyone, and the specifics are always a little different for everyone, it feels so unique. (Well, that and we're all the main characters in our own little stories.)
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Post by kds on Apr 24, 2023 13:51:55 GMT
I agree they are more grown up, but I don't think they're quite mature yet. They are what they were, which is young adult's perspective. To me, they are about frustration I think we can mostly relate to--and this removes the idea or potential criticism of "Brian" being on the right path and his "fairweather friends" not getting it, but just more objectively. Maybe while you've found a serious someone, or you've gotten a job you actually see the value in, or you're saving up for a house, some of your college buddies are still going to the bar five nights a week, etc. But where I think they're not wholly mature is the idea of "I'm special; I'm different. Other people don't get me." I think people (hopefully) tend to grow out of that. Eventually you realize you're not particularly special, and your frustrations or emotions or maturation is the same sort of thing everyone else feels at some time or another, in some way or another. It's just that because the timing is always a little different for everyone, and the specifics are always a little different for everyone, it feels so unique. (Well, that and we're all the main characters in our own little stories.) I've always had trouble relating to people in my own age group, and I probably did have a brief stage where I thought it was because I was better than them, but that was pretty fleeting. Although, I think some of my awkward social struggles, particularly in my teens and 20s might have more of a scientific reason after reading some books on autism when my son was diagnosed with it a couple years ago.
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Post by lonelysummer on Apr 27, 2023 2:25:05 GMT
It's not so much a matter of feeling you are better than others; there's a lot of feelings of inferiority mixed in there, too. Not being sure who you can trust. Where can I turn when my fair weather friends cop out, what's it all about? Some people don't want to explore, seek out new challenges, open their minds to new ideas, they're perfectly happy in a cozy rut(le). I think that's what Brian is singing about here. "Come on you guys, try LSD with me". "No, thanks, Brian, that stuff will mess you up". "Now you sound like my daddy, Mike. He says I'm gonna become a drug addict.' "Hey Brian, be careful with that stuff. Mike's right, it can be dangerous".' "Hey Al, don't you want to expand your mind? Do you still want to be singing Help Me Rhonda three years from now?" "Hey, why don't you guys stop bugging my brother, let him do what he wants!" "Shut up, Dennis, you're just the drummer!" "Who you calling 'just the drummer, Mr. Can't-Play-an-Instrument?!!" "Okay, okay, guys, cool it, listen to this beautiful song Brian just recorded". "Thanks, Carl."
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 27, 2023 11:31:55 GMT
I wonder who came up with the idea - lyrically - for the song? Brian or Tony? Is it a slam dunk that it was Brian, or was Tony...observing...Brian's life and came up with the idea?
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 27, 2023 12:15:07 GMT
Track #13: "Caroline, No" (B. Wilson, T. Asher)
Where did your long hair go? Where is the girl I used to know? How could you lose that happy glow? Oh, Caroline, no.
Who took that look away? I remember how you used to say you'd never change, but that's not true. Oh, Caroline, you break my heart, I want to go and cry. It's so sad to watch a sweet thing die. Oh Caroline, why?
Could I ever find in you again the things that made me love you so much then? Could we ever bring them back once they have gone? Oh, Caroline, no...
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 27, 2023 18:20:53 GMT
This one's easy. Perfect lyrics for a perfect song.
I wasn't going to get into it, but what the heck. It's lyrics like these that make me prefer Pet Sounds - sometimes, certainly not all the time - to SMiLE. I "get" Van Dyke Parks' lyrics, I really do. Oh, I don't "get" every single word, but I think I know what he was trying to get across, what he was trying to convey. And, I appreciate them. I also appreciate them as works of art, emphasis on art. But, do I FEEL them in a way that I feel some other Beach Boys' lyrics like "The Warmth Of The Sun", or Pet Sounds, or maybe even "Catch A Wave"? No, not really. I feel "Caroline, No" a lot.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 27, 2023 18:33:44 GMT
Well said, Sheriff John Stone. I, too, love these lyrics. They may be the best ones on the album, as far as I am concerned. The song--which is great--isn't among my top few. But these lyrics are to shelf pop lyrics. They are evocative without quite being explicit, but they're straightforward, too. No "over and over, the crow cries uncover the cornfield" here! But also no "the moon in June." These lyrics perfectly capture the beautiful melancholy that is the flipside of the excited optimis of the opener, "Wouldn't It Be Nice." And from the craftsmanship perspective, I love that while "oh, Caroline, no" ends the first and last verses, the one before the B section ends with "oh, Caroline, you..." which of course is not a complete sentence--it flows into that B section, "oh, Caroline, you break my heart..." Then at the end of that B section into the last verse, it isn't quite clear whether they're doing that again until you get into it. At first "oh, Caroline, why" could either stand alone or be the first part of a sentence continuing with "could I ever..." That sentence has to end before it's obvious that, no, "oh, Caroline, why" is a standalone question.
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