Judith (Danny Lohner Remix)
I'd like to do this once a week or so; analyze a song that I really like.
A Perfect Circle - Judith (Danny Lohner Remix)
This week's song is called "Judith (Danny Lohner Remix)" by the modern alternative metal group, A Perfect Circle.
I picked this song because I started listening to it the other day and got a bit obsessed. I'm a huge fan of good remixes, and the fact that this was mixed by Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails (although it's called the Danny Lohner Remix) makes it all the better.
The song starts off with a constant string section in the background, moving and rolling so that it almost sounds like waves. That's what I always think of when I hear this song; it reminds me of the ocean. Despite what other layers are added to this song, the string section stays constant and gives the song a sense of stability.
Maynard's voice is perfect in this. It's wistful, yearning sound in his voice as he pleads with you to understand him is perfect. That's one thing that I always liked about his tone; he always sounds like he's on the verge of breaking because of how strained he makes each and every one of his words.
Another thing that makes this song special is the way that it builds. Like I said earlier, it starts off low and quiet, with the strings, then adds Maynard's voice which is accompanied by a static-y synthesizer beat that builds and builds. It builds with these contrasting and irregular sounds until it reaches a definite climax at about 2:45 when everything goes silent for a split second and Maynard's voice is muted and slightly altered as he screams "Fuck your god!" At that point, everything that the song is building to overflows when he shouts those words. You get the point of the song in that moment. It peeters off, once again to be dominated by the low, rolling string part, which was so steady all through out the song, but is now broken by the occasional synth beat.
That leads me into the final part of my analysis; the lyrics. This piece is definitely about how so much blind faith is put into God and Jesus Christ, that it turns destructive on the believer. The singer believes that people should make their own destiny and follow their own beliefs rather than what past figures have laid down for them. He starts this off with the lines: "You're such an inspiration for the ways that I will never ever choose to be, oh so many ways for me to show you how your savior has abandoned you." He touches on the factor of guilt that keeps so many people believers. "It's not like you killed someone. It's not like you drove a hateful spear into his side." The purpose of doing this is to show his frustration at these beliefs that you should pray out of guilt and "Never think to question why." What I love about the lyrics is how they flow into each other. Maynard always writes things so that they sound poetic while, at the same time, placed on completely irregular beats. Again, the intensity of his words, and especially the climatic line, "Fuck your god" is perfectly placed in just the right place to hit you like a slap in the face.
All in all, this is one of the best remixes I've ever heard, and definitely worth giving a listen.
Lyrics
Next review due: Jan. 12
A Perfect Circle - Judith (Danny Lohner Remix)
This week's song is called "Judith (Danny Lohner Remix)" by the modern alternative metal group, A Perfect Circle.
I picked this song because I started listening to it the other day and got a bit obsessed. I'm a huge fan of good remixes, and the fact that this was mixed by Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails (although it's called the Danny Lohner Remix) makes it all the better.
The song starts off with a constant string section in the background, moving and rolling so that it almost sounds like waves. That's what I always think of when I hear this song; it reminds me of the ocean. Despite what other layers are added to this song, the string section stays constant and gives the song a sense of stability.
Maynard's voice is perfect in this. It's wistful, yearning sound in his voice as he pleads with you to understand him is perfect. That's one thing that I always liked about his tone; he always sounds like he's on the verge of breaking because of how strained he makes each and every one of his words.
Another thing that makes this song special is the way that it builds. Like I said earlier, it starts off low and quiet, with the strings, then adds Maynard's voice which is accompanied by a static-y synthesizer beat that builds and builds. It builds with these contrasting and irregular sounds until it reaches a definite climax at about 2:45 when everything goes silent for a split second and Maynard's voice is muted and slightly altered as he screams "Fuck your god!" At that point, everything that the song is building to overflows when he shouts those words. You get the point of the song in that moment. It peeters off, once again to be dominated by the low, rolling string part, which was so steady all through out the song, but is now broken by the occasional synth beat.
That leads me into the final part of my analysis; the lyrics. This piece is definitely about how so much blind faith is put into God and Jesus Christ, that it turns destructive on the believer. The singer believes that people should make their own destiny and follow their own beliefs rather than what past figures have laid down for them. He starts this off with the lines: "You're such an inspiration for the ways that I will never ever choose to be, oh so many ways for me to show you how your savior has abandoned you." He touches on the factor of guilt that keeps so many people believers. "It's not like you killed someone. It's not like you drove a hateful spear into his side." The purpose of doing this is to show his frustration at these beliefs that you should pray out of guilt and "Never think to question why." What I love about the lyrics is how they flow into each other. Maynard always writes things so that they sound poetic while, at the same time, placed on completely irregular beats. Again, the intensity of his words, and especially the climatic line, "Fuck your god" is perfectly placed in just the right place to hit you like a slap in the face.
All in all, this is one of the best remixes I've ever heard, and definitely worth giving a listen.
Lyrics
Next review due: Jan. 12