The Forgotten Chimpanzee .... ?!

[Livia]

At least Stevie didn't write Docklands - Trevor Horn and Betsy Cook did.

[Kelly]

Originally Posted by Sahara

That's interesting...! A lot of the lyrics seem very personal, though, "you have done so much for me" in particular... like Stevie had a real personal connection with the woman for whom she wrote it, although it doesn't seem to me that she had that with Jane Goodall.... Any thoughts?

Yes, I think many of the lyrics are not necessarily about Jane Goodall. I know why it was written and what Stevie has said about the song. A few of the lyrics just do not make any sense if they are supposed to be about forgotten chimps and one Jane Goodall. Some of the lyrics absolutely seem to be about what Stevie has talked about publically, of course. I do not really hate the song but it certainly is not a favorite.

[PenguinHead]

Forgotton? I can never forget that chimpanzee!

[AliceLover]

Originally Posted by Richard B

I blame the klonopin. The song sucks and so does that chimp lyric.

You can write a song about someone famous and not be glaringly trite. She did it with Gypsy (for Robyn) and Edge of 17 (for Lennon and her Uncle) without being ridiculous.

Many songwriters get the message to the lyric without blantantly banging it over your head. Metaphors are a good thing.

How is Gypsy about Robin? It was written for the BD sessions (maybe even before that). Robin dies in 82. The song may have taken on a new meaning when she died, but I never applied the song to her, personally.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by priestofnothing

Ah yes, I agree, Docklands.... let's go down to the LAUNDROMAT!
And throw our Frankenbocks in the spin cycle....

Stevie at her mystical worst. LOL!

But....
Me loves her still...

Notice that when she sang Docklands in concert (why??), she avoided the word laundromat and replaced it with the "river." Relatively, I guess you can wash clothes at both places.

[sparky]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

Forgotton? I can never forget that chimpanzee!

I suspect Electro Shock Therapy couldn't make me forget about the chimpanzee.
This is Stevie at her self involved worst. Only she could write a tribute to someone else and end up writing and singing about herself.
A classic Klonopin moment if ever there was one.
Great inspiration, trainwreck execution.

[catinthedark]

Originally Posted by AliceLover

How is Gypsy about Robin? It was written for the BD sessions (maybe even before that). Robin dies in 82. The song may have taken on a new meaning when she died, but I never applied the song to her, personally.

yeah. agreed. in fact, stevie has explicitly said gypsy is about herself, and her moving back to san fran, living in a basement apartment, with her mattress on the floor, the room decorated with paper flowers and lace.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by sparky

I suspect Electro Shock Therapy couldn't make me forget about the chimpanzee.
This is Stevie at her self involved worst. Only she could write a tribute to someone else and end up writing and singing about herself.
A classic Klonopin moment if ever there was one.
Great inspiration, trainwreck execution.

I agree, but in some strange way I actually like/appreciate Stevie's worst clunkers. Why? Because they are totally unique to Stevie -- no one else in the world could/would ever create some of the things she does.

In Jane's family I'd also include these members:

Two Kinds Of Love
Alice
Desert Angel
When I See You Again
Welcome To The Room Sara
The Nightmare

[sparky]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

I agree, but in some strange way I actually like/appreciate Stevie's worst clunkers. Why? Because they are totally unique to Stevie -- no one else in the world could/would ever create some of the things she does.

In Jane's family I'd also include these members:

Two Kinds Of Love
Alice
Desert Angel
When I See You Again
Welcome To The Room Sara
The Nightmare

The Nightmare and Alice are kinda listenable. The others are total clunkers.
I used to have an odd appreciation for them too. Kind of like a parent who remarks on the drawings a kid does on the wall, but adds the statement, "These are really odd drawings Junior did on the wall. They are POOP drawings, but kind of interesting, right? Junior is so unique and creative!"

Now I just want to wash the **** off the wall and go into another room, Sara.

[petep9000]

I think Stevie is, at best, an opportunist. In 1991 when the song was penned, I recall Greenpeace and Earth Day and PETA and all that was very hip and trendy. In 1990, she even made some Klonopined-out reference on the 'Behind The Mask' tour about how everyone should support Greenpeace because "if there are no more trees there is no more music" or something goofy like that. I don't recall anyone here or on Nicksfix commenting about her making environmental statements these days at her concerts.

Remember the first Gulf War, suddenly that moved Stevie to write 'Desert Angel', a song about war yet when I listen to it all I hear is "Me, me, me me and me".

9/11? Well, we got 'Illume'. Again, a whole lot of "me" with some candles and Nag Champra thrown in.

Second Gulf War? No new track (yet) but we did get a couple of high-profile visits to Walter Reed (and I bet they didn't take her to the back-wards where the roaches thrived and exposed asbestos was falling down on our parapalegic soldiers).

You can bet a song about the hideous Virginia Tech massacre is in the works though.

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by catinthedark

yeah. agreed. in fact, stevie has explicitly said gypsy is about herself, and her moving back to san fran, living in a basement apartment, with her mattress on the floor, the room decorated with paper flowers and lace.

Only the first part of the song is about that. Like alot of her songs there are afew people,or things that they are about. The "i still see your bright eyes.....bright eyes..." ect. is about Robin.

[Phoenix]

[QUOTE=petep9000;682059]
when I listen to it all I hear is "Me, me, me me and me".
QUOTE]

[BlackWidow]

Originally Posted by AliceLover

How is Gypsy about Robin? It was written for the BD sessions (maybe even before that). Robin dies in 82. The song may have taken on a new meaning when she died, but I never applied the song to her, personally.

Gypsy was not written about Robin.

[strandinthewind]

She has said that that time in her life - the lace, paper flowers, bed on the floor, etc. -- was before she was the star - - she has also said Robin was her only friend who knew her as that. So, it is possible that going back there included Robin. Personally, I think the bright eyes line likely refers to innocence, which she had back then and was trying to return to. But, that innocence certainly included her relationship with Robin, who knew her best.

Also - Jane haters can KISS IT

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by petep9000

I think Stevie is, at best, an opportunist.

Remember the first Gulf War, suddenly that moved Stevie to write 'Desert Angel', a song about war yet when I listen to it all I hear is "Me, me, me me and me".

9/11? Well, we got 'Illume'. Again, a whole lot of "me" with some candles and Nag Champra thrown in.

It can be viewed either way, certainly, but I've always liked the fact that Stevie puts herself in the shoes of who/what she's singing about. She finds the aspects of their life or their experiences that she relates to, and she builds the song from there... so, instead of the song taking the form of an observational social commentary, it becomes something more personal.