Regardless if it's a song, it is music. It is very much art. Laurie Anderson defies description and this whole album sort of proves that. The song 'O Superman' not only made me fall in love with experimental and art music, but it saved my life. There is something so true about her lyrics. Sometimes I don't even know what she means. Give O Superman a listen. A week after 9/11 she performed in New York. In this song she sings, "here come the planes". During the performance she dragged that lyric out. Laurie Anderson (along with David Bowie and Björk) seems like a complete alien down the the way she talks, but her lyrics and her music is profoundly human.
a while back i did a deep dive into her discog , and it was some of the most mind bending , life affirming shit ive ever heard lmao . her catalogue is surprisingly varied , but its consistently surreal . once you spend some time with her stuff , her humility and sharp sense of humor really starts to shine through .
From "Another Day In America" And you know the reason I really love the stars is that we cannot hurt them. We can't burn them or melt them or make them overflow. We can't flood them or blow them up or burn them out But we are reaching for them We are reaching for them
she is the first and only artist in residence at NASA. She is a Master of performance art, Queen of Avant Garde. Try Beautiful Red Dress.Very different.
I have been a big fan of her and her work for 40 years now. I've always taken this song to be about a relationship that doesn't work out. It starts with meeting a guy. Let X = X means to let anything be anything, to look at things from a new angle. "It's a sky-blue sky, satellites are out..." - even at night it's still a sky-blue sky. The break-up with the "X, X, X, X, zero-zero-zero-zero" (also reflected in the final she said/he said number of lines) and "I feel -> I gotta go". The she/he said is the Tango of why they break up. "Your eyes...." is how hard it is to look at him now. But that's just me.
I have this Album and love it. I couldn't tell you why I love it, I just do, it makes me feel good. That's probably why I love it. It's also fascinating.
I appreciate you taking time to analyze this track. Not the track I would've suggested for a first listen but never the less. Laurie Anderson's music saved my life and I'm constantly fascinated and intrigued by her work. To be fair, even she has described her music as "difficult listening". She is a unique and extremely smart individual and we very likely won't be graced by an artist like her again.
Looking here for what he seeks is foolish. Like looking for the Ace of Spades on a Bingo board, or trying to place Boardwalk on the Chutes and Ladders board. I recall when the National Security Administration confiscated her sampling stick instrument. Amazing artist and, as here, very underrated. 01111001 01100101 01110011
Thanks for the reaction - not a simple one to analyze by any means. This still seems Avant Garde 40 years after it was performed. For fun check out here first ever single "Its not the Bullet that Kills You (Its the Hole)" ruclips.net/video/-zA6LL78KYU/видео.html
My favorite lines from various interviews with Laurie Anderson are "never say you're going down the road. Say, 'you're going down A road,' which opens up more possibilities," and "very dangerous art can be made with a pencil."
I hadn't heard this track before, I really like it though I don't get the lyrics. I love Anderson's voice, it has a lovely warm sound to it. Glad I clicked as ever.
Never heard of Laurie Anderson, but I really enjoyed this. So quirky and unique. Reminded me a lot of David Byrne (Talking Heads) in a way. As experimental as it is I found it strangely comforting, catchy, and humorous. Something about that synth pedal tone, the hand-claps as percussion, and then the sporadic punctuations of other instruments and the rather hypnotically rhythmic vocals. Only criticism is that it gets a tad too repetitive in parts (especially towards the end), but even then it's a very comfortable kind of repetition. Looks like another artist going onto my list!
This seems to me like the type of music you'd have already explored so it's neat to hear that you've never heard of her before. Apparently she's made her own instruments and is also a multimedia artist, working not just in music but film and sculpture too.
@@CriticalReactions Surprised I haven't heard of her too! There's just so much music out there that one can spend a lifetime searching for new stuff and still not hear of even all the major artists!
Maybe the two 'song' thing is a similar affectation to Karlheinz Stockhausen's 'Helikopter-Streichquartett' where the quartet had to play in helicopters. Just as an affectation (in my opinion). :D Also just looked at her Wikipedia page and - this makes a lot more sense to me now - she was the partner of Lou Reed for 21 years. I wonder who influenced who?
by all means never investigate others that have pushed the boundaries of poetry/performance art/music: brian eno, talking heads, the doors, simeon ten holt, erik satie, velvet underground/lou reed, john cage, douwe eisenga; oh yeh js bach, mozart, beethoven...
Uhh....might be a bit too late with some of those. I've already checked out multiple Talking Heads' tracks as well as The Doors. And I looked at a Bach piece just yesterday 😅
Love your reactions. Yet, Laurie is a different flavor. ..Here, .kinda each line us separate from the last: small equations. X=X.... East is a different time zone, I.e., the future.
I’ve heard just a few things by Laurie (O Superman, etc.), but I’m aware that she’s a significant artist across multiple disciplines. I like this a lot. It’s quirky, gentle, and amusing. Listening to it on a long bus journey, for which it’s perfect.
If you want to hear something different but interesting ( imho ). It's not to everyones' taste but it would interesting to see what you think/make of it and that is the band Fad Gadget. They are not really widely known outside of Europe but are considered influential by those who know them. The easiest way in is the album Incontinent. At the very least I think be unique to react to.
"Let X=X" rolled over into "It Tango" and was recorded as one cut. The same thing happens in Heart's Little Queen album with "Sylvan Song" rolling over into "Dream of the Archer" - (definitely worth reviewing BTW). It's just one piece. The whole 2nd side of The Tubes' Love Bomb record is recorded like one cut for 5 or 6 songs that flow into each other.
"Linger on over here. Got the time?" - which is later when you got "over here" than when you started to "linger on over"... hence "seeing" the future...
This feels like that part of a concert where the band gets to a part of a song and just keeps repeating it while the singer talks for a bit about how wonderful it is to be there that night and introduces the other band members who all do something flashy, except minus the band members doing something flashy or the concert experience; it just keeps meandering in no particular direction. I’ve never felt edged by a song before, but here we are.
Would it be cynical to say it was created as weird for weird's sake, and intentionally ambiguous? I could see 'high brow' arty-farty types loving this. Not going to say it was horrible, but each to their own. Hmm. Going to skip to her next song, the lake, before playing catch-up some more. This/ the next generation will probably their cars are non-binary. 'They/them' needs a repair.
I don't think it would be cynical strictly because it is a rather eclectic song. But nature of experimental music they push against the envelope for the sake of pushing against it -- though sometimes there is a little bit more to it than that such as self-expression. Weird segue into the non-binary car thing, especially since most people already refer to cars as the non-binary 'it'.
Naw, not a troll pick at all. But it is surreal and, at least for me, difficult to parse. And despite my questioning if this was "music" at the end, it's certainly art.
Regardless if it's a song, it is music. It is very much art. Laurie Anderson defies description and this whole album sort of proves that. The song 'O Superman' not only made me fall in love with experimental and art music, but it saved my life. There is something so true about her lyrics. Sometimes I don't even know what she means. Give O Superman a listen. A week after 9/11 she performed in New York. In this song she sings, "here come the planes". During the performance she dragged that lyric out. Laurie Anderson (along with David Bowie and Björk) seems like a complete alien down the the way she talks, but her lyrics and her music is profoundly human.
This is a gorgeous piece of art. She does some wonderful musical performances.
a while back i did a deep dive into her discog , and it was some of the most mind bending , life affirming shit ive ever heard lmao . her catalogue is surprisingly varied , but its consistently surreal . once you spend some time with her stuff , her humility and sharp sense of humor really starts to shine through .
From "Another Day In America"
And you know the reason I really love the stars is that we cannot hurt them. We can't burn them or melt them or make them overflow. We can't flood them or blow them up or burn them out
But we are reaching for them
We are reaching for them
When I bought Big Science, in 1983, I found it at Tower Records, in the rock section.
she is the first and only artist in residence at NASA. She is a Master of performance art, Queen of Avant Garde. Try Beautiful Red Dress.Very different.
I have been a big fan of her and her work for 40 years now. I've always taken this song to be about a relationship that doesn't work out. It starts with meeting a guy. Let X = X means to let anything be anything, to look at things from a new angle. "It's a sky-blue sky, satellites are out..." - even at night it's still a sky-blue sky. The break-up with the "X, X, X, X, zero-zero-zero-zero" (also reflected in the final she said/he said number of lines) and "I feel -> I gotta go". The she/he said is the Tango of why they break up. "Your eyes...." is how hard it is to look at him now. But that's just me.
I have this Album and love it. I couldn't tell you why I love it, I just do, it makes me feel good. That's probably why I love it. It's also fascinating.
Let x=x let the unknown remain unknown
80's performance art at it's finest. Try Langue D'amour from her Mister Heartbreak album.
I appreciate you taking time to analyze this track. Not the track I would've suggested for a first listen but never the less. Laurie Anderson's music saved my life and I'm constantly fascinated and intrigued by her work. To be fair, even she has described her music as "difficult listening". She is a unique and extremely smart individual and we very likely won't be graced by an artist like her again.
Looking here for what he seeks is foolish. Like looking for the Ace of Spades on a Bingo board, or trying to place Boardwalk on the Chutes and Ladders board. I recall when the National Security Administration confiscated her sampling stick instrument. Amazing artist and, as here, very underrated. 01111001 01100101 01110011
Thanks for the reaction - not a simple one to analyze by any means. This still seems Avant Garde 40 years after it was performed. For fun check out here first ever single "Its not the Bullet that Kills You (Its the Hole)" ruclips.net/video/-zA6LL78KYU/видео.html
This deserves more views
He is now baffled by the line "the future is a place 70 miles east of here " and trying to dismantle it literally. Moving on...
Would love to see a follow up where you've thought about it more
(and maybe talked to your women friends)
My favorite lines from various interviews with Laurie Anderson are "never say you're going down the road. Say, 'you're going down A road,' which opens up more possibilities," and "very dangerous art can be made with a pencil."
You are a VERY patient person.
Laurie Anderson and her husband, Lou Reed, takes their weird stories and mixing them up with electronic techno, ballads and funk. That's all.
I hadn't heard this track before, I really like it though I don't get the lyrics. I love Anderson's voice, it has a lovely warm sound to it. Glad I clicked as ever.
Never heard of Laurie Anderson, but I really enjoyed this. So quirky and unique. Reminded me a lot of David Byrne (Talking Heads) in a way. As experimental as it is I found it strangely comforting, catchy, and humorous. Something about that synth pedal tone, the hand-claps as percussion, and then the sporadic punctuations of other instruments and the rather hypnotically rhythmic vocals. Only criticism is that it gets a tad too repetitive in parts (especially towards the end), but even then it's a very comfortable kind of repetition. Looks like another artist going onto my list!
This seems to me like the type of music you'd have already explored so it's neat to hear that you've never heard of her before. Apparently she's made her own instruments and is also a multimedia artist, working not just in music but film and sculpture too.
@@CriticalReactions Surprised I haven't heard of her too! There's just so much music out there that one can spend a lifetime searching for new stuff and still not hear of even all the major artists!
Maybe the two 'song' thing is a similar affectation to Karlheinz Stockhausen's 'Helikopter-Streichquartett' where the quartet had to play in helicopters. Just as an affectation (in my opinion). :D
Also just looked at her Wikipedia page and - this makes a lot more sense to me now - she was the partner of Lou Reed for 21 years. I wonder who influenced who?
Isn't it just like a woman? It takes one to know one. She said it to no one. 🧐🤯💞
by all means never investigate others that have pushed the boundaries of poetry/performance art/music: brian eno, talking heads, the doors, simeon ten holt, erik satie, velvet underground/lou reed, john cage, douwe eisenga; oh yeh js bach, mozart, beethoven...
Uhh....might be a bit too late with some of those. I've already checked out multiple Talking Heads' tracks as well as The Doors. And I looked at a Bach piece just yesterday 😅
Love your reactions. Yet, Laurie is a different flavor. ..Here, .kinda each line us separate from the last: small equations. X=X.... East is a different time zone, I.e., the future.
The 2nd song begins where she starts saying the phrase It...Isn't it...isn't it just link a woman.
I’ve heard just a few things by Laurie (O Superman, etc.), but I’m aware that she’s a significant artist across multiple disciplines. I like this a lot. It’s quirky, gentle, and amusing. Listening to it on a long bus journey, for which it’s perfect.
If you want to hear something different but interesting ( imho ). It's not to everyones' taste but it would interesting to see what you think/make of it and that is the band Fad Gadget. They are not really widely known outside of Europe but are considered influential by those who know them. The easiest way in is the album Incontinent. At the very least I think be unique to react to.
check out her songs *The Ugly One With The Jewels* and *World Without End* and the classic *I Dreamed I Had To Take A Test*
"Let X=X" rolled over into "It Tango" and was recorded as one cut. The same thing happens in Heart's Little Queen album with "Sylvan Song" rolling over into "Dream of the Archer" - (definitely worth reviewing BTW). It's just one piece. The whole 2nd side of The Tubes' Love Bomb record is recorded like one cut for 5 or 6 songs that flow into each other.
It’s a work of art , if you try to work out yoko Ono. This song isa masterpiece
"Linger on over here. Got the time?" - which is later when you got "over here" than when you started to "linger on over"... hence "seeing" the future...
Next: The Residents!
This feels like that part of a concert where the band gets to a part of a song and just keeps repeating it while the singer talks for a bit about how wonderful it is to be there that night and introduces the other band members who all do something flashy, except minus the band members doing something flashy or the concert experience; it just keeps meandering in no particular direction.
I’ve never felt edged by a song before, but here we are.
Do Louie Anderson next
Your face at 2:27 pretty much summed it up 🤣
It was not the reaction I expected. Laurie Anderson is a creative artist. Not everyone will get it. Dont feel bad.
🙄
Would it be cynical to say it was created as weird for weird's sake, and intentionally ambiguous? I could see 'high brow' arty-farty types loving this. Not going to say it was horrible, but each to their own. Hmm. Going to skip to her next song, the lake, before playing catch-up some more. This/ the next generation will probably their cars are non-binary. 'They/them' needs a repair.
I don't think it would be cynical strictly because it is a rather eclectic song. But nature of experimental music they push against the envelope for the sake of pushing against it -- though sometimes there is a little bit more to it than that such as self-expression. Weird segue into the non-binary car thing, especially since most people already refer to cars as the non-binary 'it'.
Well I did listen to her other song and commented positively on it too
in the beginning i really hoped the rhythm or at least something would change every time they spoke. soon realised this is just a troll pick
Naw, not a troll pick at all. But it is surreal and, at least for me, difficult to parse. And despite my questioning if this was "music" at the end, it's certainly art.
Dude why do people keep giving you horrible music.......
🤣.
I really liked it, a ton. But, yeah.
Music is subjective, my dude. I really enjoyed this.