Love :: Alone Again Or
Love is a famous band, this song is famous, and it’s from a famous album. A simple google of “Love (the band)” will tell you everything you ever wanted to know and more, so I’ll be brief. Wes Anderson, as you might recall, used Alone Again or in Bottle Rocket to great effect. That precious bastard, his taste is impeccable! Some would argue his creations have become too self-conscious these days, but shit like this makes you remember where he started and forgive him his over-developed acumen.
The song begins beautifully then urgently bursts into a pop chorus with lyrics as dark they are bright. It’s sarcastic and vague, but celebratory. It’s melancholy that you can dance to. I’m a sucker for the Moody Blues, (I could listen to Nights in White Satin a hundred times in a row and never tire) and Alone Again or captures that orchestral sound and emotional weight without getting too sappy. The addition of a mariachi band (borrowed from a Tijuana Brass album), injects exuberance to an otherwise heavy-hearted song. Those horns and that pling plang plung of the guitar remind me of being a kid in New Mexico, when mariachi equaled party time: bonfires, good food, dancing, staying up past your bedtime.
Meaty chunks of nostalgia are packed in so tight with this song that I couldn’t not love Love. The happy little ranch girl meets the sullen sentient and everyone’s pleased. Pick your point of view and listen accordingly.
Alone Again Or
Love (wikipedia)
a clip from Bottle Rocket, The Damned, covering
claire said on thursday, may 29th, 2008
joshua said on thursday, june 05th, 2008
My fave cover is Calexico’s.
(Tho I’m sad to see they stole my vines-on-a-mic-stand idea)
arthur lee forever—awesome, dude!