Favorite song = Paul himself!
By liquidparallax | Filed under In Love With That Song | Comments (0)
Sorry for evading the question of my favorite Westerberg song, but I think my answer qualifies in a philosophic sense. The musical essence of Paul is a “song” that I could never get sick of. He’s not just a rocker or a singer, but a song to me. His catalog of tunes is truly astounding even if there are some dents in there. Sure there are a select few Paul-penned tracks that aren’t as amazing as “Bastards of Young” or “Let the Bad Times Roll.” But even if I were narrowing it down to those two, I couldn’t. Call me indecisive or an equal-opportunity fan, my Westerberg thermometer isn’t calibrated well. Maybe his tracks are too hot to gauge the temperature accurately.
Plus there are different criteria for judging the songs. By album, by lyrical genius, by feeling, by sound. Too much to choose from… I could put “Good Day” and “Crackle and Drag” in the gut-hitting category. I could add “I Will Dare” and “Here Comes a Regular” for being classic. “Achin to Be” and “Love Untold” as forgotten masterpieces.
So far, the songs everyone listed as their favorite song is just as much my favorite (maybe with IOU as an exception, being at the bottom of the faves list). There are others can’t go without mentioning: Runaway Wind, Meet Me Down the Alley, Knockin on Mine, Black Eyed Susan, Lookin’ Up in Heaven, No Place For You, It’s a Wonderful Lie, Lookin’ Out Forever, Color Me Impressed, Silent Film Star, High Time, Unsatisfied, Sadly Beautiful, Hold My Life, Little Mascara. I know I’m still missing some here.
These are songs are hard to live without once you’ve heard ‘em. There’s at least one song for any mood you’re in. I have a strong passion for a time and life I never lived, being a person who was too young to experience the glory of living through the entire career of the Replacements; even discovering Westerberg late. Proof that Paul’s song is still being sung…
Achin’ to Be
By eljefe | Filed under In Love With That Song | Comments (0)
Underrated classic. Think I have heard him do in on every tour since the first time I saw them. It seems to be a special one for PW also. Why do so many dismiss the last couple Mats records? There are many gems to be had there.
I’ll be achin’ for a while now friend if I don’t get in to The Craft gig.
AAA
By xfreekx | Filed under In Love With That Song | Comments (0)
This is my favorite song perhaps of all time. The funny thing is, I have no idea why. I could listen to it forever. I don’t think i’ve ever heard such a perfect one note guitar solo, and sometimes i really don’t have Anything to say to Anyone. Anymore.
In the Blogs: Favorite Westerberg Songs
By Jodi | Filed under Books, In Love With That Song, In the Blogs | Comments (1)
This week we’re having a very special ‘In the Blogs’ feature* (which, incidentally, was voted favorite Paul Westerberg.net feature by my friend Monkey).
In honor of The Craft contest that ends in a mere 16 hours (that’s Midnight tonight), I wanted to provide for you, darling one, an easy-to-navigate list of all the kickass entries we’ve gotten so far.
The coolest thing about this whole contest nonsense is getting to see so many people writing about Paul Westerberg and his music. Seriously, that’s why this site was started. And hopefully you doorknobs keep posting because that would make me happy.
Anyway, here’s a handy, dandy guide to the entries:
- Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
- Valentine
- If Only You Were Lonely
- Left of the Dial
- Can’t Hardly Wait
- I.O.U.
- Seen Your Video
- Kickin’ the Stall
Amazing! What I love is that no song has been picked more than once. Remember, there’s still time to tell us about your favorite Paul Westerberg song! Well, there’s still time to enter the contest. You can write about your favorite Paul Westerberg song any damn time you want!
Kick in the Stall
By Beats Pickin | Filed under In Love With That Song | Comments (1)
Is one of my favorites because it’s absolutely just worthless. It’s just two chord riff and, you know it’s like the Rolling Stones, but it’s like….
I’ve always been drawn to the PW songs that lyrically, have to do with desire, possibility and connection. Achin’ to Be, Things, The Last, Meet Me Down the Alley, One Wink at a Time, Within Your Reach, I Will Dare, Can’t Hardly Wait, AAA, Kick in the Stall, $100 Groom, Anyway’s All Right, Love You in the Fall, and Love Untold, plus a few others add up to As Far As I Know.
But seriously, black stacked boots. Wow!
My favorite Westie song
By mmr421 | Filed under In Love With That Song | Comments (1)
i’m not trying to win any tickets or anything. i thought i’d chime in since everyone else is. My favorite song is “Seen Your Video.” I just like the way it sounds.
The “Craft” Of Paul
By Boringenormous | Filed under In Love With That Song, Westbergesque | Comments (0)
I would have to say that one of my favorite tunes would be “I.O.U.” I love the “you’re all f*****” line. It’s a pure Mats statement that we don’t owe you a thing and don’t care. It’s the pure rebellion of the mats and of PW. The song was amazing live by the Mats and later solo by Paul. It’s also the first tune that I learned to play on the guitar.
I’ll be home when I’m sleeping
By RJ | Filed under In Love With That Song | Comments (3)
I once posted (on a vastly inferior PW fansite) that “Can’t Hardly Wait” (from Pleased to Meet Me) was not only my favorite PW song but probably my favorite song by anyone, ever; it’s like standing at some magically delicious crossroads where so many of the the things that I love about Rock & Roll converge.
The song starts out with a simple Booker T & the MG’s-influenced “Memphis” guitar riff and then the drums kick in, and I mean kick in. (I’ve read that people bemoan that producer Jim Dickinson “reigned in” Chris and Tommy with the use of click tracks on this record but I don’t hear it like that – I’d gladly trade PTMM‘s in-the-pocket drumbeats over the near-anarchy of some of their earlier recordings.)
The lyrics are written almost as an imaginary phone call home from a lonely motel room somewhere out on the road: “Write you a letter tomorrow / tonight I can’t hold a pen / someone’s got a stamp that I can borrow / I promise not to blow the address again” PW sings with just the right amount of emotion. Then, a half verse (bridge?) and then one of my favorite-ever Replacements moments, when the Memphis Horns kick in, slyly nudging the song up a notch or two. And all this time the snake-like guitar and bass and firecracker drums are insistently propelling the song along…
After the horns make their entrance comes one of PW’s most-quoted lines: “Jesus rides beside me, but he never buys any smokes.” As this verse continues, PW’s vocals take the song to yet another level – there’s the yearning to be home, the joy of being in a Rock & Roll band, the disgust (or is it bemusement?) of life on the road when he sings of ashtray floors, dirty clothes and filthy jokes… (Throughout PW’s career he has sung with several voices – from the near whisper of “Sadly Beautiful” and the confessional “Here Comes a Regular” to the affected vocals of “It’s a Wonderful Lie” and the Classic Rock howl of “I’ll Be You” – but to me none come close to what he achieves on “Can’t Hardly Wait.”)
“Lights that flash in the evening through a hole in the drapes / I’ll be home when I’m sleeping / I can’t hardly wait.” Here Dickinson adds a swirling string section – not too obtrusive, and complimenting the horns, that guitar and the drums. The song fades out with PW repeatedly and magnificently singing/screaming “I can’t wait! Hardly wait!” several times, his voice striving to be heard above that beautiful din. “Can’t Hardly Wait” clocks in at 3:03 but feels much longer.
I’ve listened to this song hundreds and hundreds of times, and never get sick of it. I won’t say I find something new every time I hear it – but I do wear the comfort it brings me like an old sweater.
PW fav song
By bookish | Filed under In Love With That Song | Comments (1)
So this is for that “Win tickets to MGD’s ‘The Craft’ featuring Paul Westerberg from Paulwesterberg.net!” contest thingy. Trying to pick just one and only one fav song to write about is a difficult task. Flipping through my ipod generic music player, I scroll through all the songs, back and forth, up and down, and keep coming back to the sappy ones. I’m a sap. Skyway, Sadly, Beautiful, Portland, If Only You Were Lonely. There’s some killer get-me-going song that I love too, but I need to focus one, so I’ll pick If Only You Were Lonely. I pick it not because it was the last song talked about in the poll section but because it was the first PW/Mats song I ever heard (I told you, I’m a sap). I heard the song and it stopped me in my place. I had to play it over and over and over again. I became obsessed with. A normal person would have bled out their ears long ago. I even learned how to play it on the piano.
If Only You Were Lonely got me into PW/Mats because of the lyrics. When it comes down to it, taking the lyrics in their raw form they unveil PW as the simplistic drunken poet that he was (now, just poet). For me, to be able to transform words into their simplest meaning and make it seem effortless is pure beauty. That’s what he achieves with this song and why it took hold of me and kept me smiling since. BTW, I was a mere 15 yrs old when I first heard that song back in 1983. You do the math.
Are you strung out on some face?
By bobb | Filed under In Love With That Song, Westbergesque | Comments (2)
Although it is virtually impossible for me to pick a favorite Paul Westerberg penned song, and if I had to pick only one it might just be “Alex Chilton”, but “Valentine” is right up there on the strength of some truly great lines.
“Well you wish upon a star, that turns into a plane…”
The first words are so promising and just like that back to reality. Yeah, look who’s left to blame… bam!
“If you were a pill, I’d take a handfull at my will and I’d knock you back with something sweet and strong ”
“Are you strung out on some face? well I know it ain’t mine”
“Well if tonight belongs to you, tomorrow’s mine”
“Tonight makes love to all your kind… Tomorrow’s picking valentines”
The lines keep coming and each delivered in a voice that may be jubilant, passionate, non chalant, or a weary croak throughout its three minutes. Classic Westerberg!
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