Thrown Down

sparky · #1 03-07-2003, 02:26 AM

Hi Everybody

Sparky here. I just joined after reading furiously for the past few days. The SYW frenzy has caught me up and here I am knee deep in the hoopla.

I hope it's okay to start a thread on a "file shared" song. At the risk of public evisceration I am going ahead. I have listened to Thrown Down a number of times and my head is about to explode if I don't comment about it.

First off, I was quite surprised to see that this song was included on the record. After hearing the demos from TISL, I was not inspired. IMO, every other song was stronger. Space Needle, in particular, sends chills up my spine. That is one of the most direct, brutally honest Stevie songs I have ever heard. (Even though the reference to The Space Needle still doesn't completely make sense to me yet, but I digress...)

Thrown Down, to me, just didn't go anywhere musically. Or lyrically. I didn't see what could be done with it.

Lindsey did an amazing job on this song. The music is rich in texture, and the tempo has got a great gallop to it. The minute the vocals start and the guitar picking starts, I was filled with a deja vu of Heart's Dreamboat Annie. The picking is very similar. The filler riffs in between vocals lines are genius. Lindsey's sense of melody and ability to link sections of a song are about unparalleled in producers. Only John Leventhal (who has produced Shawn Colvin and Rosanne Cash) comes close. Lindsey is a master in creating the glue that can hold a song together and enrich the atmosphere. He has a magic touch in decorating a song with these beautiful guitar flourishes that not only accent a song but help weld it together. His work on this song really transformed it from the demo version.

It is a fascinating and illuminating thing to watch and experience.
Even though the demos are not complete - and not really meant for public consumption - I love them. As someone who writes and records they have taught me volumes about writing and production. Comparing demos and final versions is like studying for a PhD in production.

Back to the song.

The guitar solo is powerful and works as a great bridge. The great extra drumming from Mick is a fantastic touch.

I have to say that the backup vocals at the end are suspect. It will be interesting to find out who they are. They don't really blend. They're innocuous, but are out of left field. Perhaps they'll grow on me.

As much as I like it, I don't think this is a great song. I just don't think it is Stevie's best work. It almost redeems itself in the end. But I wanted it to say more. My favorite Stevie songs possess an almost cinematic, epic quality. Their subject matter is intimate and emotional, then they are framed in grandeur and myth.....and BOOM, a classic. This song doesn't seem high stakes, and somehow misses the mark. Especially in the chorus. But, time may change my opinion. Her songs, and delivery, are frequently so flat out beautiful that with time they become as important to me as they probably were to her when they were written.

My jury isn't quite back.

I am dying to know what others think.

Sparky

p.s. Forgive me, I don't always go on this long.

Mac Fan · #2 03-07-2003, 02:57 AM

Hi Sparky, welcome to the board. I would comment on Thrown Down, but I've only heard it once.(I hate commenting on a song after first listen)

CarneVaca · #3 03-07-2003, 09:25 AM

Sparky, welcome. You enthusiasm and love of the music are evident, and you have just joined a bunch who is very passionate about this music.

We had some discussions on Thrown Down a couple of months ago, and as I recall, pretty much everyone was in agreement on the arrangement and production of the song. Lindsey's playing is top notch, as usual and his knack for throwing in little licks and hooks is unmatched. The musical texture of the song is what makes it interesting. Some folks didn't like the harmonies in the end too much. A lot of folks loved Stevie's delivery and the lyrics.

I was among the minority who found the lyrics uninspired. It's taken me a long time to get used to Stevie's new voice, but I find it especially hard when the lyrics are, in my humble opinion, inferior. For someone who has written gems like Gypsy, Sara and Landslide, Thrown Down is, well, a letdown from a lyrical standpoint. The song has grown on me, but it'll never be one of my favorites.

Alison · #4 03-07-2003, 09:50 AM

I really like throwndown. yes the lyrics are thin. But Lindsey has done his magic again. He brings the song to life.
I think the chouris is very catchy and its something that gets stuck in your head. I do like the clip of Stevie sings by her self, she sings it there with a lot of passion.
The backing harmonies I do like, to me that is one of my favorite parts. Boy do I ever need a spell check on this ledge.

strandinthewind · #5 03-07-2003, 10:42 AM

Hi Sparky -

I too am holding out for Space Needle!!!!!!!!

estranged4life · #6 03-07-2003, 02:56 PM

to "the Ledge" sparky...

I find it interesting that Stevie was just quoted that she will start on her next solo album after the FM tour ends...Anyone wanna bet that we may still see "Space Needle" appear on her next solo effort? Brian J.

stefan · #7 03-07-2003, 03:23 PM

Especially since Lindsey said in the Acoustic Guitar Interview, that he would like to go on with new FM stuff after the tour:

"When we do this again—and I hope we do, in a year or so—and we write from the ground up, I hope we do them as two-part harmony songs."

So another Stevie album and tour would mean a 2 year delay or so. I think it depends on how "Say you will" is received and how they get along during their time on the road.

BlueGrass · #8 03-07-2003, 03:29 PM

How different is the version of "Thrown Down" from last year's leak to the one on the site? I think the one on the site is just like a demo.

sparky · #9 03-07-2003, 04:02 PM

Thanks to all for your kind welcomes

CarneVaca, I suspected this had been discussed before. But the archive only goes back so far ! I am so with you on the lyrics. The instrumentation is so cool during the chorus, with the desending little riff, it really moves. Well, it has to. The lyrics and melody aren't really doing anything *ducking*. I thought maybe Steive would jazz up the melody a bit. But it is the same as the demo.

When you say you have had trouble adjusting to Stevie's new voice, do you mean her actual singing voice or her songwriting voice ? I think that her delivery much more powerful than it ever was. She knows better how to use her instrument. Her instrument has undeniably changed through the years, but I think she is now a better singer.
Her songwriting voice can be a little detached these days. I ask myself sometimes, "Where's the sturm and drang ? Gimme the passion !"
But, I suspect life at 54 might be a lot less dramatic than life at 33. Especially minus substances. For my own sake, I hope life gets less dramatic. Strife was fine in my twenties, now it exhausts me. LOL.

BombaySapphire3 · #10 03-07-2003, 08:02 PM

Considering that most Rock artists seem to do their seminal work before they are 30 I am happy that Stevie is still writing decent songs at all and occasionally a great one TISL and IMO Bombay Sapphires although I know many don't share this veiwpoint.Space Needle would also fit into this category and I am bummed it didn't make the cut for SYW,maybe the mysterious Amazon second disc?For a sad example of songwriting skills evaporating after 30 I would have to cite Heart/The Wilson sisters IMO they have not penned a decent song in 20 years.