ELS (Every Little Song)

I can remember the first time I listened to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot back when I was in high school.  I came home, listened to it straight through, and immediately went online to look for live clips of the songs.  The first one I searched for was “Jesus, Etc.”  I found a really great version from an appearance the band made on Letterman, and then there were the billion other recordings people had done.  Tweedy solo performances…  Crappy quality audience shots…  And then there was the violin-less version that the most recent incarnation of Wilco has been playing.  The slide guitar in the intro doesn’t have the same effect on me as the violin, but I understand that they can’t reproduce everything just like they recorded it.

I’m not really sure why this seems to be the quintessential Wilco song to so many people.  I can’t deny that it’s great, but I find it a bit odd that so many people connect with it.  Why not “Ashes of American Flags” or “War on War?”  I think the answer all lies in how the song is presented.  All of those feelings people were experiencing in early 21st century America were in this recording.  Sadness…  Fear…  Uncertainty…  This song did what The Smiths did back in the 1980s: it reached out to this group of people who felt disconnected and resonated more than anything else had. 

This symbol of strength that so many people turn to (Jesus) has to be comforted by the narrator because things are so bad.  He’s talking to Jesus like they’re just a couple of guys hanging out.  A couple of very thoughtful/emotional guys, but you get what I mean…  The narrator manages to have just a little bit of optimism, however.  Notice how the lyrics change from “each one is a setting sun” to “each one is a burning sun” in the last verse.

Well, that does it for the blog.  I’ve had a really great time, and if there are any b-side/outtake requests, I’d be glad to take them on.  I’ll probably post on here now and again, but you can find me over at www.starlitediner.wordpress.com posting about Ryan Adams from now on.

Thanks for reading,

Bryn