I Saw Red
I just read that Jani Lane, former lead singer of the hard rock/pop metal band Warrant, was found dead at age 47.
It's extremely sad and it's tragic, not because I think there were 'great' songs or great music left in Lane but because he struggled so long in the years that followed his short but substantial success in popular music.
"Down Boys", "Heaven", "Sometimes She Cries", "Cherry Pie", "I Saw Red", and "Uncle Tom's Cabin"... all legit rock and pop hits on MTV and radio and that is 6 more hits than a lot of would be rock stars will ever get. And as silly as "Cherry Pie" is there is not a karaoke bar singer or a Guitar Hero player that hasn't taken that song for a ride with a smile on their face ten miles wide.
It's easy to poke fun at the hair bands but the simple fact is it was fun, over the top music at a time when much of American pop culture was swimming in over the top excess. Jani Lane wrote songs of that moment. And, hell, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was pretty different, with actual storytelling at it's center. I liked that one.
But this one was my favorite. It was like the sadder side of their massive #2 Billboard hit "Heaven", which celebrated love in lighter-waving fashion. "I Saw Red" was the other side of the coin. Love turned on it's ear into a bittersweet ballad. And that "Oooh it must be magic" line at the beginning and the end was cool. :)
RIP, Jani. And thanks for the good times.
J
It's extremely sad and it's tragic, not because I think there were 'great' songs or great music left in Lane but because he struggled so long in the years that followed his short but substantial success in popular music.
"Down Boys", "Heaven", "Sometimes She Cries", "Cherry Pie", "I Saw Red", and "Uncle Tom's Cabin"... all legit rock and pop hits on MTV and radio and that is 6 more hits than a lot of would be rock stars will ever get. And as silly as "Cherry Pie" is there is not a karaoke bar singer or a Guitar Hero player that hasn't taken that song for a ride with a smile on their face ten miles wide.
It's easy to poke fun at the hair bands but the simple fact is it was fun, over the top music at a time when much of American pop culture was swimming in over the top excess. Jani Lane wrote songs of that moment. And, hell, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was pretty different, with actual storytelling at it's center. I liked that one.
Click to viewBut this one was my favorite. It was like the sadder side of their massive #2 Billboard hit "Heaven", which celebrated love in lighter-waving fashion. "I Saw Red" was the other side of the coin. Love turned on it's ear into a bittersweet ballad. And that "Oooh it must be magic" line at the beginning and the end was cool. :)
RIP, Jani. And thanks for the good times.
J