Tag Archives: Overanalyzing Pop Culture

The Annotated Decemberists No. 4: “Angel, Won’t You Call Me?”

Posted on August 15, 2011 by

The narrator’s relationship to this “Angel” is not explained in detail and therefore left open to interpretation, but basically we have a fairly straightforward musical love letter—albeit one couched in plenty of self-deprecation. Continue reading →

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Nitpicking the Hits: OneRepublic hopelessly endures the ‘Good Life’

Posted on August 1, 2011 by

This song somehow found its way into the top tier of the Billboard Hot 100 this summer despite the fact that it was released in 2009. As with so many things, its popularity can be traced back to the Canadian police drama Rookie Blue. Continue reading →

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The Annotated Decemberists No. 3: “My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist”

Posted on July 1, 2011 by

As related to Sean Nelson for a detailed article in the Seattle alt-weekly paper The Stranger, “My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist” was inspired by a particularly awful family canoe trip. Continue reading →

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Fun With Charts: The true cause of America’s fiscal problems REVEALED, and it involves the ’60s folk revival, obviously

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

As you can see, America’s debt didn’t start skyrocketing until those no-account Bay Area troublemakers in the Kingston Trio charted with “Greenback Dollar” in 1962. Continue reading →

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Nitpicking the Hits: Pitbull wants you to “Give Me Everything,” and by “everything” he means “access to your vagina”"

Posted on June 13, 2011 by

Pitbull advises all the dudes in the club to live for the moment and find a sexual conquest to take home, echoing the famous biblical passage Isaiah 22:13 (and I’m paraphrasing here): “Eat, drink and rub your junk up against a sexy lady on the dance floor, for tomorrow we die.” Continue reading →

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The Annotated Decemberists No. 2: “Shiny”

Posted on June 1, 2011 by

In his typical, understated fashion, The Decemberists’ songwriter Colin Meloy has said little about this ballad other than, “This is a song about a gypsy.” In it, a dejected narrator pines over a young carny with tan skin, vintage footwear and strangely bewitching eyes. Continue reading →

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The Annotated Decemberists No. 1: ‘Oceanside’

Posted on May 17, 2011 by

I don’t want to dwell too much on the song’s title because it might just be a pretty word, but there’s something odd about trying to get someone to come “oceanside” when they’re already at the beach. Continue reading →

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Nitpicking the Hits: Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull want everyone “On the Floor”–especially you, Dale!

Posted on March 16, 2011 by

In this new feature, I’ll be examining the lyrics to a current Top 10 hit in excruciating detail for no reason other than to mock it. The hit: “On the Floor” by Jennifer Lopez, featuring the stylings of Miami rapper … Continue reading →

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For anyone who has wondered how grindcore connects to crossover thrash, The Map of Metal is your ultimate extreme reference guide

Posted on February 16, 2011 by

Having covered music in smallish Michigan towns has given me a considerably deeper understanding of the various subgenres of heavy metal than I might have otherwise. I’ve done my share of profiles of bands that identify themselves as metalcore, folk … Continue reading →

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Look, everybody! I got a comment from somebody who thinks I know something about William Butler Yeats, Greek mythology and The Decemberists

Posted on February 3, 2011 by

Hey, this Internet thing works after all. Someone out there in the inky void of cyberspace stumbled across my Decemberists Glossary and posted a comment asking my opinion—me!—on a lyrical detail from the Portland band’s new single, “Down by the … Continue reading →

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