When I See You Again Appreciation Post!

[dissention]

Originally posted by face of glass
“You talkin’ to me?”

Yes, I made that comment at the BuckinghamNicks.net message board. Here’s the necessary disclaimer right away: none of the following is meant to underestimate the tragedy that was 9-11.

I do think it’s humorous in its own odd way. I agree with Johnny in that it is the “best” song about those events, simply because it doesn’t address the things that happened as such. Take out what’s in the brackets (“9-11”) from the title and only the biggest fans of Stevie will be able to connect it to what happened. That makes it a good lyric.

But ok, Lindsey’s use of the goofy voices in there does appear to me as if he’s mocking Stevie’s lyrics. Especially the “ooh, it’s never-ending” bit; the voice there seems very sarcastic. Of course you may think that this is another of LB’s cheap shots and that it’s inappropriate to insert something into such a song. Just like it’s inappropriate to fart during the “Star Spangled Banner”.

I do think Les came up with a great explanation for the use of those voices. My interpretation is different; LB wanted to mock Stevie’s message momentarily. Let’s look at that particular bit in the lyrics:



You may cringe at the voices; I cringe at some of these lyrics and think that they would come off as somewhat preachy if it wasn’t for Stevie (and the manipulated voices) who sings them. She’s basically representing her own take on the whole catastrophe and it is very one-sided. She focuses on her own version of the tragedy; that of an American (or European, whichever you prefer) who now for the first time in her life faces some of the same struggles that people living in other parts of the world have suffered from for centuries. The using of words like “heartache” and “never-ending” definitely seems appropriate in a situation like that but when looked at from the viewpoint of those who are not as privileged as Americans and Europeans, it comes off as laughable. Yes, the things that happened may leave traces on her but none of them will be significant; she’ll carry on living for years to come.

LB’s using of those voices puts in a sarcastic slant; he wants to emphasize the fact that while a few thousand people may have died in New York, a lot more people died elsewhere that day and not because of “natural” reasons. On that particular day in September 2001 he must have thought along the lines of “I told you so”, like a significant amount of European newspapers did. He does not belittle the events themselves; he belittles Stevie’s experiences while knowing that most of those common Americans and Europeans who were so “shocked” by the events will once again be continuing their egotism. In short, they haven’t learned a thing.

Ok, that’s very far-fetched. But admit it, you definitely wouldn’t want to think that LB is laughing in the middle of such an “important” song. For me, though, it’s not the ultimate take on 9-11, it’s just another way of looking at it. And LB’s hints at sarcasm prove that there’s far more expressed in the track than just “common grief”.

Oh, no, someone on this board said it a while back.

I completely agree that it's the best 9/11 song because it doesn't pussyfoot around with cheesy patriotism like Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney; their songs made me gag and I doubt I'll ever recover because they were so bad. Throw in Toby Keith and we can forever banish the use of ipecac syrup.

But, I think your take on the voices is too much of a stretch for me to believe. They should've been left out because they cheapen the sentiment and make it sound more like an embarassment.