No Spoken Word

[Rod~A~Little]

Hello my fellow Priests and Priestesses of Nothing,

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me what or who NO SPOKEN WORD is about.
Also, anyone who has any speculation would be welcomed as well.

I love this song but she sounds a little angry at someone for some reason. (I can relate...lol)

Thanks,
Rod~A~Little

[sleepless child]

Maybe Joe Walsh?

[wheart]

I can't recall her ever speaking about this song. It's probably my favorite solo song by her. The anger in her vocal is intense. Love the lyrics, production, background vocals...pretty much everything.

[snroxman]

My bets are on Joe Walsh. I LOVED this song, both on the album and on the tours. In my area of the world at that time (Indiana), it got some decent airplay as an album track when the album first came out.

[Rod~A~Little]

Originally Posted by snroxman

My bets are on Joe Walsh. I LOVED this song, both on the album and on the tours. In my area of the world at that time (Indiana), it got some decent airplay as an album track when the album first came out.

That's awesome that it got airplay on the radio! It is a great track. I wonder if it was ever considered to be a single. I think Jimmy Iovine produced the track before walking away from RAL. You are probably right that the song is about Joe Walsh.

Thanks snroxman!

[svnwndrs]

My copy of the LP says it was produced by Keith Olsen (?) nonetheless, it is one of her more "agressive" songs. A favorite! And my bet is also on it being about Joe, although could it possibly be about Jimmy Iovine?

[Macfan4life]

Its one of the better songs on RAL and OMG she actually wrote it!!!!
The song is almost ruined by its constraints of programmed bass and drums. The live version is off the chain. If the album version had real drums and they let Waddy be Waddy on guitar and did not have all this programmed crap, it would have been so much better. The song is drowning in over produced mid-80s synth pop.
I don't think she has mentioned who this song is about but I agree Joe would be a good assumption.

Here is a demo that I think is much better. Some better raw guitar and some real drums layover. No backing vocals and I love it
I love her voice better. I LOVE all RAL demos than the album cuts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M15CO3SC8SQ

Best live version ever London 1989
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOgiRTXLcNc

[snroxman]

Originally Posted by Rod~A~Little

That's awesome that it got airplay on the radio! It is a great track. I wonder if it was ever considered to be a single. I think Jimmy Iovine produced the track before walking away from RAL. You are probably right that the song is about Joe Walsh.

Thanks snroxman!

Sure!

I loved that era. The station was an album-oriented rock station in Indy. It was a pleasant surprise to hear it on the radio alongside ICW.

Thanks for posting the link to the demo. Great version!

[Rod~A~Little]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Its one of the better songs on RAL and OMG she actually wrote it!!!!
The song is almost ruined by its constraints of programmed bass and drums. The live version is off the chain. If the album version had real drums and they let Waddy be Waddy on guitar and did not have all this programmed crap, it would have been so much better. The song is drowning in over produced mid-80s synth pop.
I don't think she has mentioned who this song is about but I agree Joe would be a good assumption.

Here is a demo that I think is much better. Some better raw guitar and some real drums layover. No backing vocals and I love it
I love her voice better. I LOVE all RAL demos than the album cuts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M15CO3SC8SQ

Best live version ever London 1989
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOgiRTXLcNc

Just finished listening to both. It's a great demo. I always scratched my head over why they picked some of the songs they did over some of the other killer demoed songs.

The LIVE version you shared is wicked good!!! The real guitars and drums are pounding and just intensify the song even more!!!

I really hope that we get a remaster of Rock A Little with bonus material.


Major thanks for sharing these Macfan4life!!!
~Rod~

[wheart]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Its one of the better songs on RAL and OMG she actually wrote it!!!!
The song is almost ruined by its constraints of programmed bass and drums. The live version is off the chain. If the album version had real drums and they let Waddy be Waddy on guitar and did not have all this programmed crap, it would have been so much better. The song is drowning in over produced mid-80s synth pop.
I don't think she has mentioned who this song is about but I agree Joe would be a good assumption.

Here is a demo that I think is much better. Some better raw guitar and some real drums layover. No backing vocals and I love it
I love her voice better. I LOVE all RAL demos than the album cuts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M15CO3SC8SQ

Best live version ever London 1989
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOgiRTXLcNc

see I love all the programmed stuff and synths on the album version. It's a big decadent mess but I'm very partial to the entire RAL album.

That live version is pretty cool, though I'm not a fan of her tranquilized vocals on that tour (and several others). I love that little spin she does at the tail end!

[24karatstevie]

I LOVE No Spoken Word! It's my favorite song on Rock a Little and one of my favorite songs of all time. I never get tired of it. Especially the "come around tonight indecent" part. My guess is that it might be about Joe. I love all her really angry rocking songs like this and Nothing Ever Changes.

[Nick]

Love this one too. I've always preferred the rockers when it came to her album tracks (non-singles) . This is up there with "Nothing Ever Changes" and "Kick It" for me.

[bwboy]

Nice to see the love for No Spoken Word. It's never been one of my favorites, but I like it and hearing how the demo differed from the RAL version was interesting. I read she played it during some Street Angel dates, but I saw her in Columbus for that tour and I really don't remember her playing it then.

[Rod~A~Little]

Originally Posted by Nick

Love this one too. I've always preferred the rockers when it came to her album tracks (non-singles) . This is up there with "Nothing Ever Changes" and "Kick It" for me.

I'm so glad to hear that you prefer the rockers! I've talked with too many people who think she should only stick to the "Landslide" sound. After all, she considers herself more of a rocker when it comes to her solo career.

Nothing Ever Changes was played all over the Rock Radio stations where I lived and probably could have been a single.
I think "You Can't Fix This" is another killer track!

Thanks for your comment!
Rod

[TheWildHeart67]

I think "You Can't Fix This" is another killer track!

I LOVE "You can't fix this." The version she did on Letterman was FANTAASTIC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEDoG2-0yMs