that awful awful sheryl crow song from last year

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i know this song is a year old now, but it still pains me to think of it. i'm talking about that 'soak up the sun' thing, or whatever it's called.

you just know her and her people were like "yes! we have THE anthem for the summer of '02...one to rank up there with 'california girls'...this is gonna make us as rich as 'all i wanna do is have some fun'"

but the song is so bloody godawful, each moment of it. normally i'm indifferent to sheryl crow. any insight into why i found this one so particularly wretched? help me articulate my pain. & which is worse, the chorus or the verse?

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Friday, 25 April 2003 00:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow, I hate everything and I didn't hate this. Didn't pay attention to the words, but like the melody in both chorus and verse...

― Pete Scholtes, Friday, 25 April 2003 00:29 (twenty-two years ago)

hmmm...
i don't think there really is any melody in the verse to speak of, and i found the chorus' melody insufferably cloying...and thought it was trying way too hard to be catchy, when it's just...just... ooh, it just rubs me wrong!

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Friday, 25 April 2003 00:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I've never been able to get into her. Her music always sounds so bland to me. IIRC, she has a pretty negative reputation among the fans of Kevin Gilbert (who was way more talented)...

― Joe (Joe), Friday, 25 April 2003 00:51 (twenty-two years ago)

This song is bigoted against people who hate fun.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 25 April 2003 01:28 (twenty-two years ago)

the lyrics would seem to be, but the delivery and everything else about it makes a case for the opposite being true.

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Friday, 25 April 2003 01:38 (twenty-two years ago)

it's not her best, or even Liz Phair's best Sheryl Crow song ("Polyester Bride" in da haus!), but it's alright, she sounds like she means it

― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 25 April 2003 01:42 (twenty-two years ago)

This song is basically three minutes of variations on the phrase "My brain hurts!"

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 25 April 2003 01:46 (twenty-two years ago)

nah, that's the best song on that album. It actually sounds like a Liz Phair song, except for the stupid "my friend the Communist" lyric.

Ya wanna beat up on Crow, go for the other song on that record with the hilariously clueless self-righteous "all the rock stars look like porn" lyric

she's like the Eagles except she's a she, and in this case that's a big difference

― chris herrington, Friday, 25 April 2003 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

The best Sheryl Crow song is "If It Makes You Happy".

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 25 April 2003 01:55 (twenty-two years ago)

that's a weird lyric; considering she sort of had that 'porn chic' thing going for awhile. that's what i thought of it as being anyway; i dunno, maybe it's just a really crappy 'look' that a lotta people in l.a. had for a time.

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Friday, 25 April 2003 01:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan is soooo wrong, the best Sheryl Crow is "My Favorite Mistake" or "Anything But Down" (which people would shit brix over if it was a Lucinda Williams tune). "It It Makes You Happy" aint even the best single from that album.

― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:04 (twenty-two years ago)

what blount sed

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:19 (twenty-two years ago)

word!

― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:19 (twenty-two years ago)

"Anything But Down" > "Home" (off the self-titled album) > "If It Makes You Happy" > "Strong Enough" > Anything Liz Phair ever did.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Sheryl Crow. Is there no beginning to her talent? (I will spare you the rant -- Amateurist, the reason why most of my comments are brief are because I've already posted the rants elsewhere!)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

what yanc3y said (but i still hate "soak up the sun")

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:28 (twenty-two years ago)

it does try a little too hard

― James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:29 (twenty-two years ago)

The line "You don't bring me anything but down" is stunning in its simplicity (it's her Ringo line, like "Tomorrow Never Knows"). And download that song "Home" if you haven't heard it -- it's a thing of subtle beauty. "Soak Up the Sun" was way too obvious -- none of the backdoor hooks that her best songs always have.

Why can't people see that she's Fleetwood Mac minus the drama?

(my deep feelings for Ms. Crow should be apparent as my self-imposed ilm hiatus has been broken to defend her honor!)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan, I would have thought you'd go mental b/c of the bum notes in "If I Makes You Happy"!

Jody ridiculously OTM. What's that line about "my friend the Communist..."? Christgau's review was also ridiculously OTM. He wrote, parenthetically, "I bet he's not even a Communist."

SC never seemed anything but awful to me. She actually kinda grosses me out.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Why can't people see that she's Fleetwood Mac minus the drama?

But isn't this the problem? This could very well be the exact reason why she doesn't work for me! Give me drama!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:35 (twenty-two years ago)

(Xgau's review)

C'Mon, C'Mon [A&M, 2002]
No dolt, she figures it's in her best interest to sound like one--as well as an insider outsider like Gush and Bore, whose horrible lessons in playing it safe she takes to heart. "We got rockstars in the Whitehouse/All our popstars look like porn," she whines on the first track, which the "hit" tops by claiming, "I don't have diddly squat," while dissing her "friend the communist" (who I bet isn't, and I also bet doesn't deserve the putdown). And those are the good songs. Soon here come Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, turns of phrase like "Lay it like it plays [a little dumb, but OK]/Play it like it lays [wha?]" and "With broken wings we'll learn to fly" and (am I missing some irony here?) "Life is what happens when you're making plans." Over this I'd take not the White House (where she'd go in a second if invited politely) but certainly porn (which I note without prejudice she is). C+

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Sheryl Crow's second album is wonderful. "If It Makes You Happy" isn't the best song on that album, but it's definitely the best big radio single of hers.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Friday, 25 April 2003 02:56 (twenty-two years ago)

golly, i didn't even have the stomach to listen to the lyrics closely enough to realize how truly awful they are. i was distracted by the rest of the 'musical' content.

'home' is a good song, the only one i've heard by her that i can really say i like...but i only know it from that movie where jon bon jovi is almost cuckolded by his diner-waitress girlfriend's aimless ex-boyfriend.

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Friday, 25 April 2003 04:48 (twenty-two years ago)

"We got rockstars in the Whitehouse/All our popstars look like porn"

What does this couplet mean?

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 25 April 2003 04:51 (twenty-two years ago)

the rockstars/popstars thing

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 25 April 2003 04:51 (twenty-two years ago)

"Soak Up the Sun" is my pick for worst song of the 21st century so far.

She completely fucking sucks, and so does Liz Phair!!

― Evan (Evan), Friday, 25 April 2003 06:27 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm glad other people are as annoyed by it as i am. well, not glad exactly, but you know what i mean...misery loving company, and all that.

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Friday, 25 April 2003 06:56 (twenty-two years ago)

saw the video again last night. conclusion: t'riffic chorus melody, rest is blah blah blah (blare)

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 25 April 2003 07:00 (twenty-two years ago)

the rockstars/popstars couplet and the other stuff christgau busts on in the review seems as weirdly hypocritical as that bit in don henley's 'boys of summer' where he's lamenting about the deadhead sticker on a cadillac...like don henley's riding the bus or driving a yugo or something.

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Friday, 25 April 2003 07:02 (twenty-two years ago)

well, you should rant about it for awhile, then

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 25 April 2003 07:04 (twenty-two years ago)

don henley hypocrite? self-expression ok but keep minimal. ilm'ers get upset. no like scroll down to avoid tedious messages. hurts fingers. ruins everyone's day. dallas better shut up. or get punished.

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Friday, 25 April 2003 08:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't completely hate this song, because the "my friend the Communist" line reminds me of my father-in-law's tales of his friends down the local, Hans the Communist and Franz the Nazi (yes, they really are called Hans and Franz) -- the important difference being that since my father-in-law's local is in Vienna, they really are a Communist and a Nazi, whereas Sheryl's friend is not only probably not a Communist, he probably isn't really her friend, just some guy she knows who once muttered something about her being on a major label.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 25 April 2003 09:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Soak Up The Sun was just monkey music, like what a lame plodding "message" it had, "hey lighten up, vlsajdfkjaedk" drool.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 25 April 2003 10:09 (twenty-two years ago)

That summer sun song sounds like an advert for orange juice or jet skis.

― earlnash, Friday, 25 April 2003 12:16 (twenty-two years ago)

This song is bigoted against people who hate fun.

Also: fun-loving goths and albinos. The sun is terrible for you, she is going to get skin cancer. Not so fun now, is it, Sheryl?

― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 25 April 2003 12:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Placing "awful awful" next to "Sheryl Crow song" is redundancy.

― maria b (maria b), Friday, 25 April 2003 12:54 (twenty-two years ago)

as much as I'm conditioned to hate this song, the more I hear it, the more I kinda like it. Now that I live in a different neighborhood without a bagel shop with the radio constantly tuned to Lite FM, I'm less likely to hear it.

I didn't interpret the Henley lyric as being anti-Cadillac (do you hate Caddys?) as much as being like "Whoa, dude, we would've never thought this would happen back then, wow like life is weird and stuff, and like I still see you, your brown skin shinin' in the sun, etc., etc."

Also, about the time that song was popular, I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac. Senior citizens rock, y'all.

― hstencil, Friday, 25 April 2003 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

The sun is terrible for you, she is going to get skin cancer. Not so fun now, is it, Sheryl?

But at the end of the song she says "I've got my 45 [SPF] on so I can rock on." She's a very responsible lady.

― teeny (teeny), Friday, 25 April 2003 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Are you kidding me, teeny? Those are such terrible lyrics.

― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 25 April 2003 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

yes, ally, I am kidding you.

― teeny (teeny), Friday, 25 April 2003 16:04 (twenty-two years ago)

"I've got my 45 [SPF] on so I can rock on."

I thot she was talking about RPM, not SPF.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 25 April 2003 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I have a shirt that says '45' on it for some reason.

― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 25 April 2003 16:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I actually thought she was talking about a gun. But she doesn't strike me a lady who packs heat. I guess if Sean Penn can, though...

― teeny (teeny), Friday, 25 April 2003 16:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Xgau must teach grad school; he spends umpteen sentences dissing (quite cleverly and appropriately) the album, then gives it a C+.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 25 April 2003 17:06 (twenty-two years ago)

also this song has the awfullest intro; that phased I-think-I-heard-some-hip-hop-but-I'm-not-sure-L.A.-studio hack drum program and that annoying organ riff like it wants to sound all retro and futuristic at the same time. and when the vocal comes in, ugh, it's like the most obvious dull thing in the world, it doesn't go anywhere at all. the middle of the chorus is OK but that too doesn't go anywhere. none of her songs go anywhere. just total fucking mediocrity. there are only a few things that will make me change the channel without hesitation, most of her singles qualify. (this one isn't even as bad as that "steve mcQueen" song)

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 25 April 2003 17:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I have a shirt that says '45' on it for some reason.

Maybe you're Ms. 45, Ally.

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 25 April 2003 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

a C+ is a bad grade, Am

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 25 April 2003 19:51 (twenty-two years ago)

that's my point.

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 25 April 2003 19:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't even know what that means!

― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 25 April 2003 19:52 (twenty-two years ago)

didn't read like it was

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 25 April 2003 19:53 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.hammerposters.com/pics/us10425.jpg

(Matos, my point = in grad school anything lower than a B might as well be a flunking grade.)

― amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 25 April 2003 19:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, that's totally me.

― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 25 April 2003 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

gotcha, thanks for clarifying. usually people say things like "but C+ is a passing grade, dude!" and I was surprised because you never say stuff like that.

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 25 April 2003 22:59 (twenty-two years ago)

(obv. I have never been to grad school)

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 25 April 2003 23:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I despise this song too, yes. Jody's "my brain hurts" crack is OTM. And "A Change Will Do You Good" is probably my favorite Crow song. (esp. if she actually says "Jack off, Jimmy, everybody wants more" in the latter song, otherwise it might be "My Favorite Mistake").

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 25 April 2003 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe if we're lucky, Abel Ferrara will one day make a Christgau biopic...

― Joe (Joe), Saturday, 26 April 2003 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

was that an addiction reference?

― amateurist (amateurist), Saturday, 26 April 2003 00:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Here's what I think:

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/9841/eddy.php

The soak up sun and steve mcqueen and kid rock songs are good, too.

― chuck, Saturday, 26 April 2003 01:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I like 'everyday is a winding road' myself. 'your favourite mistake' too.

i LOATHE 'soak up the sun'. BLEAH.

― derrick (derrick), Saturday, 26 April 2003 06:50 (twenty-two years ago)

"I didn't interpret the Henley lyric as being anti-Cadillac (do you hate Caddys?) as much as being like 'Whoa, dude, we would've never thought this would happen back then, wow like life is weird and stuff, and like I still see you, your brown skin shinin' in the sun, etc., etc.'"

no, i wasn't saying i heard that bit as being 'anti-cadillac', rather, i always heard it as don henley's complaining about the baby boomer hippies who ended up adopting '80's yuppie values ('selling out', if you like)...or alternately, about the '80's yuppies who adopted tokens of the counterculture while ignoring its substance; ...either way, i thought it was weird coming from don henley, since he never even seemed to go through the counterculture phase, but kinda went straight into making as much money as possible... (and spending it all on coke)

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Saturday, 26 April 2003 09:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Chuck, you're telling me you haven't noticed that the botox got to her brain in between Globe Sessions and C'mon C'mon? I'm with you on her older work but the new stuff is embarassing, reactionary and hypocritical.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 26 April 2003 16:14 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

NEW YORK (AP) -- As Lance Armstrong pedaled to another Tour de France victory, Sheryl Crow found herself in an unfamiliar position: on the sidelines.

For years, Crow's universe revolved around her -- her multiplatinum records, her sold-out shows, her celebrity. But about a year ago, after deciding to take a break from recording, Crow went to Europe to explore a new relationship with Armstrong and a life that didn't revolve around work.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/03/sheryl.crow.ap/index.html

Why does CNN always do articles about has beens?

― Jonothong Williamsmang (ex machina), Tuesday, 4 October 2005 13:25 (twenty years ago)

She's had a lot to enjoy over her 12-year career. From her first album, the multiplatinum "Tuesday Night Music Club," the singer-songwriter has released a steady stream of best-selling albums and chart-topping hits.

― Jonothong Williamsmang (ex machina), Tuesday, 4 October 2005 13:26 (twenty years ago)

"my best work is ahead of me" = "i don't think this new album is very good."

― 100% WJE (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 4 October 2005 13:32 (twenty years ago)

I should start a thread to post all the awful CNN/AP music articles....

Is there a thread like this?

― Jonothong Williamsmang (ex machina), Tuesday, 4 October 2005 13:35 (twenty years ago)

I like this song. What's the final word on "45" though -- SPF, RPM, firearm or malt liquor?

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 4 October 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

yes.

― 100% WJE (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 4 October 2005 14:10 (twenty years ago)

I second the first half of "Globe Sessions," and add the creepy trip-hoppy first track (something about aliens) off her second album as the apex of her work.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, 4 October 2005 14:28 (twenty years ago)

I've always been sort of taken with the "my friend the Communist" line, although it's utterly cancelled out by "I've got a crummy job / it don't pay near enough." And the chorus is fucking obnoxious. But what REALLY sucks about this song is that prechorus where you picture her swinging her stupid stringly hair back and forth and going "Every time I turn around you're looking up looking down Something SOMETHING something SOME SOMETHING something CRAZY TOO!!!" By far one of the most obnoxious things on radio at the time.

BTW, the self-titled album is pretty much good all the way through, although it varies between "tolerable filler" good and "this is a really good song" good... other than that she's always kind of bored me. Search: Sweet Rosalyn..

― Doctor Casino, Tuesday, 4 October 2005 14:40 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

GOD, CNN HAS A FUCKING FORMULA FOR HAS BEEN ARTIST STORIES
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/15/music.madonna.ap/index.html

― Jdubz (ex machina), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 21:08 (twenty years ago)

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