Question

[quesarah]

The poetry meme got me thinking about my tendency (as a visual learner) to lock on to poems or song lyrics with a strong visual component. One line or couplet can lock an image in my mind, and off I go constructing a complete narrative around that image.

One of my faves is from a Liz Phair song called "It's Sweet." The song itself is a wistful ode to a naive man who's making more out of their affair than she is. She allows herself to enjoy the infatuation and he, recognizing her cynicism, tries to minimize it. The bridge is what makes the song for me; just one line, in a halting syncopated rhythm to set it apart from the rest of the lyric:

In the early light I catch you staring, and you make a joke about it

I see that scene, and because I see it my imagination is captured by the song.

Another one, from Wilco's Hidden Track on the Summerteeth album:

The ashtray says you've been up all night

Jeff Tweedy rocks my socks.

So, curious: do any of you have a line or couplet (not a verse, that's not what I'm referring to) that captures your imagination in this way? If so, share please.

Comments

[sionnain.livejournal.com]

I knew you were cool.

I love Wilco.I love SunVolt. I love Uncle Tupelo. I love Ryan Adams, Whiskeytown, and got engaged to an Old 97's song.

Alt-country rocks.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I love that stuff because it gets at the heart of where genres of music intersect and influence each other. You hear rock, R&B, country. And there's no pretense or artifice; it's all about the soul.

Like all the covers of Marley's "Redemption Song;" at first, it may seem odd that Joe Strummer and Johnny Cash both covered it, but both of them were artists who weren't afraid to live and create in that crossroads of music. They felt the power and the soul in different genres, and so could connect with the power and soul in "Redemption Song."

[sionnain.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I have a lot of those:

I love the way you smile at me, I love the way your hands reach out and hold me near from "Elsewhere" by Sarah McLachlan

and from Grace Griffith's version of "Demeter's Daughter"
There he stood with his face like coal , his eyes as dark as night in hell, and there he stood with face like fire, saying "fair lady, I wish you well."

In that version of the myth, Persephone is in love with Hades and runs to the underworld with him. It gives me the chills when I hear it!

And from my favorite song ever, Brother my Cup is Empty by Nick Cave:

And please sir make it whiskey, I have no head for wine

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Ah nice.

[among-the-waves.livejournal.com]

It's very early and I have had 3 hours of sleep, so this popped into my head: "I'm daring peeeeeople... to jump off roofs with me!" from "Violently Happy" by Bjork.

I'm surprised you're a visual learner since you have such a good memory for music and lyrics. I'm pretty much a split between visual and audio learning even though I have a hard time memorizing lyrics.

[nightxade.livejournal.com]

I'm a visual learner too but am good with the same things. I think it comes down to actually visualizing the words etc for me. Like how some people have to "dial" a number on an imaginary keypad to remember what it is.

Or I could be talking out of my ass.

As for the visual connection to lyrics... hmmmmm.... I would have to take some time to think about that. For me, everything comes with a visual. I've never stopped to pull it apart.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Like how some people have to "dial" a number on an imaginary keypad to remember what it is.

I do that all the time. lol

For me, everything comes with a visual.

Yeah, true. But sometimes one part crystallizes the rest of the song. Other times, one line or image can set my imagination going off in a completely new direction.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Bjork is just awesome, her songs rivet me. One of my favorites is "Hyperballad" because it's so descriptive.

Car parts, bottles and cutlery, or whatever I find lying around

I'm surprised you're a visual learner

I'm a biologist and we're all about the pretty pictures. We used to joke that a biologist can't talk without a pencil in their hand, to sketch cartoons or diagrams as they speak.

I'm sure I have some component of auditory learning, as well. My best method of getting info from lectures was to sit and just listen, and scribble down notes later.

[among-the-waves.livejournal.com]

Random - just saw an icon you would like.



The user is belinus - I have no idea who he is, just a friend of a friend.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

THAT IS BRILLIANT! *claps ecstatically*

[among-the-waves.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's steal-able. He seems like a nice enough guy when he comments so you could probably ask him if you want it. :)

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Ah, I don't know if I'd steal it. I might drop in occasionally to pet it, though.

I still want to make a Graham Norton userpic with the caption "Hiiiii Gay Daddy!"

[warlordkittens.livejournal.com]

Sliding the warm black tongue highway

from "open wider" by bird york. actually, the whole song just captures my imagination... it's so good. if you want, i could send it to you.

also the writing of amy lowell...

to wound myself upon the sharp edges of the night

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Those are both cool lines. Please send the song! :D

[warlordkittens.livejournal.com]

what's your aim name!

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

(brace yourself)

biogeekgrrl

clever, no?

[warlordkittens.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD THAT IS BRILLIANT

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

That's 'cause I'm a genius. An evil genius, to be precise, but truly mind-boggling staggeringly genius brilliant.

[warlordkittens.livejournal.com]

umhum. your icon is uber geeky.

also, i posted the amy lowell poem to quote_books if you're interested.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

My icon is a Giver Goddess! Do not dare to mock Judy (judyJUDY)!

*skips off to read the poem*

[warlordkittens.livejournal.com]

by the way, who is that in your sinful icon..?

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Alyssa Milano, I've had a crush on her since she was on "Who's the Boss?"

[warlordkittens.livejournal.com]

ha! i knewwwwww it looked like her, but the hair confused me so!

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

She had it short last year or so. I thought it looked really cute that way, but she's since started growing it out. *sad*

[warlordkittens.livejournal.com]

i prefer with longer hair, actually.

(also, either you are not on aim or i am doing something wrong?)

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I'm not. (Shoulda mentioned that.) Mebbe later?

[warlordkittens.livejournal.com]

okay.

(way to make a girl paranoid! ;))

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

hee!

[zazuomgwtf.livejournal.com]

ok kiddo, you asked for it:
All my world on one grain of sand, and you own it
Black Cherry- Goldfrapp

but i'm so tired of days that feel like the night
Me and the Moon- Something corporate

I am a constant sattellite of your blazing sun, my love
Gravity-Vienna Teng

so we wrapped our arms around each other, trying to shove ourselves back together. we were making love.
hedwig and the angry inch- the origin of love

I will stop now, but i could go on forever. music rocks my world, yo!

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Those are great! Feel free to post more, if you wish.

[zazuomgwtf.livejournal.com]

come on line and i will send you some more songs!

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

In a few hours when I'm home. It's still the middle of the workday for me. :(

[zazuomgwtf.livejournal.com]

awwwwww
work yes!
In a few hours I will be asleep.
I will try to remember to make up a few e-mails for you. :)

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Stupid 9-hour time difference. It's just silly.

I will try to remember to make up a few e-mails for you. :)

Aw, thanks! I'll send some things to you, too. :)

[joebanks.livejournal.com]

I'm very visual too; but it works a little different for me. I visualize color when I hear music. Sometimes if it hits me right, I'll see colors or color patterns. Music is always involved when I'm trying to create with glass.

One example would be in the musical break in "Fascination" I think thats it, by Human League. I don't even really like the song but I see these colors criss cross into patterns.

weird?

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

One example would be in the musical break in "Fascination" I think thats it, by Human League. I don't even really like the song but I see these colors criss cross into patterns.

I can get that. The way the music moves, it seems kind of geometric.

[joebanks.livejournal.com]

that's it exactly!

[woe2you.livejournal.com]

H'mmm.

"Smoke a cigarette and lie some more; these conversations kill"

"You are the bearer of unconditional things"

"She dances while his father plays guitar - she's suddenly beautiful"

"A hundred stairs to her new room, over glass and blackened spoons
Children grow old so soon"


Those are the ones that spring to mind.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Those are some good'uns. Had to look up the Alanis lyric; it was familiar but I couldn't place it.

"A hundred stairs to her new room, over glass and blackened spoons Children grow old so soon"

Oh, ow. *shudder* That's an image, all right.

[woe2you.livejournal.com]

Oops. I should probably have attributed them, right?

The first one's Stone Temple Pilots, "Big Empty", the third (on the very slim that you didn't twig it) is Counting Crows, "Mr Jones" and the nasty grim one is the Levellers, "Julie". Which somehow manages to be a great song on two chords and kill-yourself subject matter; not quite sure how that works.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Attributions are appreciated, yes. The STP song is one that I love; it's a great moody piece of music. The Counting Crow song is pretty good too; Adam Duritz has his moments. The Levellers song I wasn't familiar with, so I googled the lyrics. Wow.

[woe2you.livejournal.com]

"Wow" pretty much sums up the song for me too - but it's that little snippet that really conjures up the peeling walls weeping with damp and the three or four flights of stairs to be climbed amidst the stench of urine and the discarded needles.

[biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Exactly the image I got. Powerful.