I am pretty much totally on board with the opera theory, and I can see the logic in all your other song theories. But with Voodoo you lose me, so I'm going to talk about about why. I am not bothered by the interpretation, but in how you came about it.
1. Bayou Bob--how do you know Adam knows anything about him? I agree that "moonshine" refers to an elixir of some sort, but I think it's an unnecessary stretch to link it to Bayou Bob's. Some people have said that moonshine has wicked connotations, and I understand that you bring Bob in to offset that, but why bother with either? From my interpretation of the lyrics and also of the way Adam sings them, he sounds fascinated by it, so whatever it is, he doesn't seem to mind being in its control.
2. Basing a huge chunk of your argument on a lyric that *you* heard, despite Adam tweeting something else. Yes, he did tweet the wrong lyric at one point, but he corrected it. He didn't correct any other lyrics. I don't believe he was in a rush, as you suggested, because if he was in a rush, he wouldn't be typing out lyrics, would he? So, back to point 1, using as evidence things that Adam may not know: do you have any evidence that Adam is aware of the song you think he's referencing in the lyric that you heard that he didn't tweet?
For convenience, here is a screencap of his tweets:
I have listened to the song multiple times this evening and compared the song to different lyrics sites. I hear what Adam has tweeted. I actually read the lyrics on the sites before I read Adam's tweet, and I was able to hear the correct lyrics even if the site had them wrong. I noted that you used the fact that many lyric sites have the "bazaar" line as evidence that it was the correct line. Actually, this is only evidence that the lyrics sites steal from each other. It happens all the time. My friend used to keep a website that was all the lyrics for a single artist and he did them in a very specific way so he could see if they were being copied. And they were. He found them all over the web on these lyrics sites. I'm a huge Robbie Williams fan and there was a commonly misheard lyric in "Sexed Up", "loose lips sink ships" that was incorrect on all the sites for years until he finally released it as a single and people saw the printed lyrics. So, it's not uncommon for the wrong lyrics to be out there. I rarely trust lyrics sites any further than I can throw them.
So, that's why I don't like how you came to this interpretation. I think you went into it wanting to prove a theory that you already had, and in doing so you over-reached and used things to suit what you wanted. Whether or not "love bizarre" works for you, it's what Adam tweeted, and you can't discount that because you think it doesn't fit.
I will present my interpretation in the next comment, which I think is a simpler way of reaching pretty much the same conclusion that you had, but without so much usage of Wikipedia. I'm just going to use the song.
IMO, the most important line is "I was looking for love all over". It might seem like a throwaway, but consider this: Adam has said that he is usually the pursuer. When asked what the best pick up line someone had used on him was, he couldn't answer because he is the hunter.
So the next line is "You're the hunter and I'm your prey." The switch there is stunning. He's out looking for someone to pursue in love and finds himself pursued instead.
And then: "Now I'm lost in a love hangover. I try to leave but I have to stay." I think this refers to his past relationships not lasting very long, but now he's in one that is lasting longer than he expected, and he's a little off because of it, maybe a little freaked out and wanting to run, but the pull of being in a relationship is keeping him where he is.
Now here we have the lyric that we disagree on (but that Adam uses) "Swamp sings of a love bizarre." You're going to hate me for this b/c my interpretation is so simple. Literally, the swamp sings. Think of hundreds of frogs croaking and birds, crickets, etc. All singing a song with their various animal sounds of a strange, unexplainable love that is what Adam is feeling right now for this person.
"Every time I try to break this trance, I'm afraid I'll miss my chance to be bewitched, bothered by you."
I think this is actually quite a hopeful line. I know I said I would only stick to the song for my interpretations, but the phrasing of 'bewitched, bothered (and bewildered)' is a well-known song from Pal Joey that has been covered so many times that I have no trouble thinking of Adam knowing it, especially with his theater background. This was actually one of the incorrect lyrics on a lyric's site I saw, and it was a lyric that I guessed before looking at Adam's tweets, just because it is such a common phrase. It's a song about a person under a lover's spell and perfectly happy in being so. I think Adam using a portion of the phrase here not only helps to show that he is actually pleased (if a little in over his head) about the voodoo he's under, but also feeling a touch of the innocent romantic about it, too.
And then of course he goes into hex and sexiness, and I think there he might be trying to shake off some of that romanticism and go straight for the crotch, as it were, maybe to reclaim his idea of himself as pursuer. But of course, it's too late for that. We've seen him for the hopeless romantic he is. As he's said, he used to be the caretaker, but now he might need someone to be on more equal ground with. He loses his footing in this song and it shocks him, but in a very good way.
Re: my interpretation--note on atmospheric lyricsamproofJune 3 2010, 04:46:26 UTC
Something that I didn't really mention b/c it doesn't matter too much for the interpretation of the song, is how atmospheric it is, and how the atmospheric phrases are layered in with other meanings.
I think that "moon shine on the bayou" (spaced as Adam typed it) is meant to have a double interpretation. Moonshine the drink, which as we have agreed is possibly the source of the spell he's under.
But also the moon shining down over the bayou, which sets up the atmosphere. So that now we can imagine the hunter and prey running through the bayou, cast in the sparsely lit yellow rays. Then the other atmospheric line "swamp sings" gives us a soundtrack for the setting as well. Snake bites (easy to come by in a bayou) and aligning stars (in the sky) are probably intended to have double meanings, too. They contribute to setting the scene as well as offer the meanings that you picked out.
Re: my interpretation--note on atmospheric lyricsdanajsparksJune 3 2010, 05:28:24 UTC
OK, and I see that you agree that "snake bites, aligning stars" could be about a sign that they're meant to be together. So, even if we disagree on the one line, we still agree on what the song is about overall.
Grrr, I seem to be having LJ issues. I'm sorry if you're getting this multiple times.
I didn't just base the line "over the bazaar" on the lyrics sites. I actually read through discussions that people were having in various places about the song. Despite what Adam tweeted, there's a fair amount of disagreement over what he is singing there.
Even if the line is "of love bizarre" it doesn't necessarily invalidate my whole argument. "Snake bites, aligning stars" could still be about Adam seeing a sign that they're meant to be together. Do you have other ideas about what snake bites and aligning stars might be?
As for "moonshine on the bayou".... If I was having problems with the wicked connotations of "moonshine," it wasn't conscious. Bayou Bob's vodka seemed like something that Adam could have easily encountered, given the social circles he travels in and his interest in some areas of new age spirituality. It seemed like the type of thing that could have shown up at Burning Man for instance. Furthermore, the fact that it is supposedly an elixir seemed to work well with "potion." Usually alcohol, even illegal alcohol, isn't described as having magical properties.
I'm interpreting him to be saying that Kris's love is like a magical healing elixir that he can't get enough of.
Of course, the song could also be interpreted as Adam was drinking illegal alcohol in the swamp and when he had the revelation that he and Kris are meant to be together. :-)
Either way, I think we agree with the overall meaning and purpose of the song, even if we disagree with the interpretations of specific lines.
That's what I was saying--I generally agree with your overall view of the song, but that's b/c I reached it via my interpretations. I can't bring myself to accept your thought processes with it b/c for 2 of your points there is no actual connection to Adam. It's just your conjecture that he's heard of Bayou Bob or of "The Tea Party", and since most of your argument (or at least most of the text of your argument) is based on those things, it makes it shaky to me.
I don't know that you were having problems w/ the possible wicked connotations of moonshine in the creation of the theory, but it came up in the ddot and you responded by bringing up bayou bob to show that it could be a positive force, so that's why I mentioned it. :)
I purposely did not speculate on which boy (if any) Adam is singing about. I will leave that open for people to put in who they like. :) Tbh, I thought of Brad b/c he was Adam's first love, but I don't see why Adam can't be singing about more than 1 boy.
And now I have listened again and again and now I'm hearing 'swamp sings under a bazaar'." (edit: now I'm hearing "of love bizarre" again) arghhh!! However, it's a pretty mumbly song, so idk. I'm still inclined to go with my interpretation of the lyric he gave. I suppose he could be tweeted and asked to clarify the lyric. That's the only way I can think of to settle this. But despite the disagreement, we still reached basically the same conclusion. :)
Yeah, I can see what you mean about the argument being shaky based on what I presented. So I'm glad that you shared your thoughts so that the argument is still valid even if I'm wrong about some of my interpretations here! Thanks!
OK, I listened to the line multiple times at half speed, and I'm still hearing "over the bazaar." If the line was "of love," it would be two syllables, but I hear three syllables at that point in the song. I also don't hear a "la" sound in the middle or a "v" sound before the "b" of bizarre/bazaar.
1. Bayou Bob--how do you know Adam knows anything about him? I agree that "moonshine" refers to an elixir of some sort, but I think it's an unnecessary stretch to link it to Bayou Bob's. Some people have said that moonshine has wicked connotations, and I understand that you bring Bob in to offset that, but why bother with either? From my interpretation of the lyrics and also of the way Adam sings them, he sounds fascinated by it, so whatever it is, he doesn't seem to mind being in its control.
2. Basing a huge chunk of your argument on a lyric that *you* heard, despite Adam tweeting something else. Yes, he did tweet the wrong lyric at one point, but he corrected it. He didn't correct any other lyrics. I don't believe he was in a rush, as you suggested, because if he was in a rush, he wouldn't be typing out lyrics, would he? So, back to point 1, using as evidence things that Adam may not know: do you have any evidence that Adam is aware of the song you think he's referencing in the lyric that you heard that he didn't tweet?
For convenience, here is a screencap of his tweets:
I have listened to the song multiple times this evening and compared the song to different lyrics sites. I hear what Adam has tweeted. I actually read the lyrics on the sites before I read Adam's tweet, and I was able to hear the correct lyrics even if the site had them wrong. I noted that you used the fact that many lyric sites have the "bazaar" line as evidence that it was the correct line. Actually, this is only evidence that the lyrics sites steal from each other. It happens all the time. My friend used to keep a website that was all the lyrics for a single artist and he did them in a very specific way so he could see if they were being copied. And they were. He found them all over the web on these lyrics sites. I'm a huge Robbie Williams fan and there was a commonly misheard lyric in "Sexed Up", "loose lips sink ships" that was incorrect on all the sites for years until he finally released it as a single and people saw the printed lyrics. So, it's not uncommon for the wrong lyrics to be out there. I rarely trust lyrics sites any further than I can throw them.
So, that's why I don't like how you came to this interpretation. I think you went into it wanting to prove a theory that you already had, and in doing so you over-reached and used things to suit what you wanted. Whether or not "love bizarre" works for you, it's what Adam tweeted, and you can't discount that because you think it doesn't fit.
I will present my interpretation in the next comment, which I think is a simpler way of reaching pretty much the same conclusion that you had, but without so much usage of Wikipedia. I'm just going to use the song.
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So the next line is "You're the hunter and I'm your prey." The switch there is stunning. He's out looking for someone to pursue in love and finds himself pursued instead.
And then: "Now I'm lost in a love hangover. I try to leave but I have to stay." I think this refers to his past relationships not lasting very long, but now he's in one that is lasting longer than he expected, and he's a little off because of it, maybe a little freaked out and wanting to run, but the pull of being in a relationship is keeping him where he is.
Now here we have the lyric that we disagree on (but that Adam uses) "Swamp sings of a love bizarre." You're going to hate me for this b/c my interpretation is so simple. Literally, the swamp sings. Think of hundreds of frogs croaking and birds, crickets, etc. All singing a song with their various animal sounds of a strange, unexplainable love that is what Adam is feeling right now for this person.
"Every time I try to break this trance, I'm afraid I'll miss my chance to be bewitched, bothered by you."
I think this is actually quite a hopeful line. I know I said I would only stick to the song for my interpretations, but the phrasing of 'bewitched, bothered (and bewildered)' is a well-known song from Pal Joey that has been covered so many times that I have no trouble thinking of Adam knowing it, especially with his theater background. This was actually one of the incorrect lyrics on a lyric's site I saw, and it was a lyric that I guessed before looking at Adam's tweets, just because it is such a common phrase. It's a song about a person under a lover's spell and perfectly happy in being so. I think Adam using a portion of the phrase here not only helps to show that he is actually pleased (if a little in over his head) about the voodoo he's under, but also feeling a touch of the innocent romantic about it, too.
And then of course he goes into hex and sexiness, and I think there he might be trying to shake off some of that romanticism and go straight for the crotch, as it were, maybe to reclaim his idea of himself as pursuer. But of course, it's too late for that. We've seen him for the hopeless romantic he is. As he's said, he used to be the caretaker, but now he might need someone to be on more equal ground with. He loses his footing in this song and it shocks him, but in a very good way.
So. Um. *jazz hands* Ta da!
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I think that "moon shine on the bayou" (spaced as Adam typed it) is meant to have a double interpretation. Moonshine the drink, which as we have agreed is possibly the source of the spell he's under.
But also the moon shining down over the bayou, which sets up the atmosphere. So that now we can imagine the hunter and prey running through the bayou, cast in the sparsely lit yellow rays. Then the other atmospheric line "swamp sings" gives us a soundtrack for the setting as well. Snake bites (easy to come by in a bayou) and aligning stars (in the sky) are probably intended to have double meanings, too. They contribute to setting the scene as well as offer the meanings that you picked out.
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I didn't just base the line "over the bazaar" on the lyrics sites. I actually read through discussions that people were having in various places about the song. Despite what Adam tweeted, there's a fair amount of disagreement over what he is singing there.
Even if the line is "of love bizarre" it doesn't necessarily invalidate my whole argument. "Snake bites, aligning stars" could still be about Adam seeing a sign that they're meant to be together. Do you have other ideas about what snake bites and aligning stars might be?
As for "moonshine on the bayou".... If I was having problems with the wicked connotations of "moonshine," it wasn't conscious. Bayou Bob's vodka seemed like something that Adam could have easily encountered, given the social circles he travels in and his interest in some areas of new age spirituality. It seemed like the type of thing that could have shown up at Burning Man for instance. Furthermore, the fact that it is supposedly an elixir seemed to work well with "potion." Usually alcohol, even illegal alcohol, isn't described as having magical properties.
I'm interpreting him to be saying that Kris's love is like a magical healing elixir that he can't get enough of.
Of course, the song could also be interpreted as Adam was drinking illegal alcohol in the swamp and when he had the revelation that he and Kris are meant to be together. :-)
Either way, I think we agree with the overall meaning and purpose of the song, even if we disagree with the interpretations of specific lines.
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I don't know that you were having problems w/ the possible wicked connotations of moonshine in the creation of the theory, but it came up in the ddot and you responded by bringing up bayou bob to show that it could be a positive force, so that's why I mentioned it. :)
I purposely did not speculate on which boy (if any) Adam is singing about. I will leave that open for people to put in who they like. :) Tbh, I thought of Brad b/c he was Adam's first love, but I don't see why Adam can't be singing about more than 1 boy.
And now I have listened again and again and now I'm hearing 'swamp sings under a bazaar'." (edit: now I'm hearing "of love bizarre" again) arghhh!! However, it's a pretty mumbly song, so idk. I'm still inclined to go with my interpretation of the lyric he gave. I suppose he could be tweeted and asked to clarify the lyric. That's the only way I can think of to settle this. But despite the disagreement, we still reached basically the same conclusion. :)
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(probably not completely true.)
:)
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