Not Make Believe

blinker12 · #1 03-11-2005, 11:39 PM

I just wanted to share with you all that I've been having a little love affair with "Not Make Believe" lately.
It all started the other week, when I had some friends over for dinner at my apartment. I had my I-Pod plugged into the stereo on "Shuffle," and NMB came on. One of my friends (a casual FM listener who doesn't have SYW) was like, "Wow, this is a good song." That kind of got me thinking about it again.
I think the melody is one of Stevie's catchiest of recent years, and Lindsey's production is interesting -- I like the bongo/drum fills. The only thing that keeps it from being classic are the lyrics, most of which are cliches or simply boring. Still, it's hard to believe this tune was left off the main album.
Anyone else have thoughts?

dissention · #2 03-11-2005, 11:41 PM

Oh, Joe will tell you all about my relationship with that song.

I absolutely *despised* it for months and months and months, but then one day it came on my car stereo, I started singing along, and fell in love with it. The lyrics are pretty wretched, but I could care less.

Should have replaced Silver Girl or Thrown Down or Say You Will.

golden braid · #3 03-11-2005, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissention

Oh, Joe will tell you all about my relationship with that song.

I absolutely *despised* it for months and months and months, but then one day it came on my car stereo, I started singing along, and fell in love with it.

Me too. I used to just listen to the first few seconds of the song and would cringe at the sound of Stevie's voice and then skip the rest of the song. Finally one day I decided to listen to the whole thing and the song has now actually grown on me and I like it.

dissention · #4 03-11-2005, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golden braid

Me too. I used to just listen to the first few seconds of the song and would cringe at the sound of Stevie's voice and then skip the rest of the song. Finally one day I decided to listen to the whole thing and the song has now actually grown on me and I like it.

I hear ya. She sounds so Fran Drescher-ish on many of the lines, but that song grew on me like a fungus grows on rotten fruit.

skcin · #5 03-11-2005, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissention

Oh, Joe will tell you all about my relationship with that song.

I absolutely *despised* it for months and months and months, but then one day it came on my car stereo, I started singing along, and fell in love with it. The lyrics are pretty wretched, but I could care less.

Should have replaced Silver Girl or Thrown Down or Say You Will.

Replace Thrown Down? With NMB? Surely you jest.

Behold, the wrath of La Paula - again.

I like NMB. But I ADORE TD!

dissention · #6 03-11-2005, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skcin

Replace Thrown Down? With NMB? Surely you jest.

Behold, the wrath of La Paula - again.

I like NMB. But I ADORE TD!

Surely YOU jest, La Paula! My disdain for Thrown Down is the stuff of legends.

CreepingDeath · #7 03-12-2005, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissention

Surely YOU jest, La Paula! My disdain for Thrown Down is the stuff of legends.

Even more then your disdain for When I See You Again?

Oh, and I love Thrown Down and Not Make Believe.

dissention · #8 03-12-2005, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreepingDeath

Even more then your disdain for When I See You Again?

Hmmmm, I don't know. Both make me want to stick my head in a gas oven, so...

But I do love the "wall of sound" version of Thrown Down.

CreepingDeath · #9 03-12-2005, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissention

Hmmmm, I don't know. Both make me want to stick my head in a gas oven, so...

But I do love the "wall of sound" version of Thrown Down.

Famliy Man gives me that suicidal feeling as well.

+10 for liking the "wall of sound" version of TD at least.

DownOnRodeo · #10 03-12-2005, 02:26 AM

Good to see NMB get some love!

I don't mind some cliched lyrics (Christine and Lindsey and Stevie are all sinners in this department!).... if they're nice and short, for me they're better than a whole string of phrases that make no sense whatsoever. But yeah, the production of the song is it's best point.

Still, I even like the TISL demo. By the way, they kept at least one excess cliche out that for the SYW version - "It's written on the wind"

Oh god... the wall of sound. That deserves another thread. A flaming thread!!

sodascouts · #11 03-12-2005, 02:33 AM

Sorry, I can't get over the line "Sometimes it was too heavy." Yikes.

DownOnRodeo · #12 03-12-2005, 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sodascouts

Sorry, I can't get over the line "Sometimes it was too heavy." Yikes.

Oh come on Nancy, I think we all feel like saying that sometimes... like, when we get back home from carrying the groceries around.

sodascouts · #13 03-12-2005, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DownOnRodeo

Oh come on Nancy, I think we all feel like saying that sometimes... like, when we get back home from carrying the groceries around.

lol! That still doesn't change the fact that Not Make Believe "hurts my everything." OK, I'll stop now.

blinker12 · #14 03-12-2005, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golden braid

Me too. I used to just listen to the first few seconds of the song and would cringe at the sound of Stevie's voice and then skip the rest of the song.

Really? I actually think it's one of Stevie's best recent vocals! Her voice has such a nice feathery quality in the first verse -- it reminds me of her 70s vocals. I forgot to mention that as another of the song's selling points for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sodascouts

Sorry, I can't get over the line "Sometimes it was too heavy." Yikes.

I can live with that -- what I'm not so fond of is the stuff she stole from other people, especially the Dickens quote and the song's title.