RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growing Up?
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 7/28/2008 8:36:33 AM
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mapachito13
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Rufas2000
Speaking of "Pieces of Eight" (and to blow a hole in my teenybopper theory) am I the only one that thinks "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" is about becoming a male prostitute? I would explain the symbolism I'm thinking but would rather not violate TOS.
I think the meaning is that he's a guy that's found himself unemployed and he's stating that no "respectable" work is beneath him ("make me respectable, man") and that he would work hard and even work the night shift, in essence, he would work any job. I just think he doesn't like to live on hand-outs "he's not a charity case" and he feels that he's getting paid for doing nothing (unemployment) and that doesn't sit right with him. He's proud to be a blue-collar man and is proud to work for his living and he hopes that his hard work will be the keys to success and a better life.
Don't read too much into it Rufus, I think this one is pretty straightforward.
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 7/28/2008 10:11:54 AM
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Rufas2000
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quote:
Don't read too much into it Rufus
But its fun.
quote:
I think this one is pretty straightforward
Maybe ...
quote:
and that he would work hard and even work the night shift, in essence, he would work any job
uh, yep
Aren't most traditional blue collar jobs during the day? Moreso in '78 than today? I'm sure they brought up the "long nights" intentionally. I don't think a blue collar job at night is much worse than one during the day*, especially since he has no kids (he explictly mentions "my mother and father, my wife and my friends", kids would be a better word rhyme wise than friends, I don't believe in accidents in song writing). So I think "night" means more than a time frame.
The thing is I worked nights for years (including the time when I pondered the meaning of that song). I don't think its that big a deal, certainly not worth the drama and anguish expressed in the song. But maybe Tommy Shaw (or whoever wrote the song but many times in Styx the lyric writer sang the song) never worked nights or did so very briefly so it seemed like a miserable existance to him.
Actually, the first meaning I ascribed to it may be a long shot. Maybe he's involved in a criminal enterprise instead. The symbolism in the song screams "underworld" to me, like something isn't on the level ("eye in the keyhole" like a thief, "back to the world" like someone who is rejecting its moral judgments). And that he's aware that what he is doing is wrong, not simply unpleasant. Remember, Styx's hometown of Chicago was home to one of the most romanticized criminals in American history, Al Capone. Rock stars love to play the outlaw. And two songs later Tommy's running from the law! ("Renegade") 
* There is the matter of adjusting your sleeping patterns but that usually isn't a killer. I have friends who work late night jobs and by and large they don't mind that much. Yes they would switch to a day shift if given the opportunity but on a list of stuff they would change it wouldn't be at the top of the list. Most of their reservations are because of kid & family issues (kids are not a factor in this song).
< Message edited by Rufas2000 -- 7/28/2008 10:20:30 AM >
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 7/28/2008 11:39:18 AM
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mapachito13
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Rufas2000
Aren't most traditional blue collar jobs during the day? Moreso in '78 than today? I think that depends. In LA there were always blue collar jobs that had night shifts. quote:
I'm sure they brought up the "long nights" intentionally. I don't think a blue collar job at night is much worse than one during the day*, especially since he has no kids (he explictly mentions "my mother and father, my wife and my friends", kids would be a better word rhyme wise than friends, I don't believe in accidents in song writing). So I think "night" means more than a time frame.
Usually a night shift job was for the newbies and you had to work up to being on day shift. So even among blue collar people working the night shift was "undesireable" or indicative of being at the bottom of the job food chain which is probably what he wanted to relate in the song. Remember 1978 was a time of high unemployment as Jimmie C was putting our economy in the toilet. Like GWB is doing now! So I think he was trying to make a poignant statement about the desperation that he felt to feel useful and not like freeloader.
quote:
The thing is I worked nights for years (including the time when I pondered the meaning of that song). I don't think its that big a deal, certainly not worth the drama and anguish expressed in the song. But maybe Tommy Shaw (or whoever wrote the song but many times in Styx the lyric writer sang the song) never worked nights or did so very briefly so it seemed like a miserable existance to him.
Drama is part of art! Look at how Hollywood treats historical subjects on film. Musicians are no different.
quote:
Actually, the first meaning I ascribed to it may be a long shot. Maybe he's involved in a criminal enterprise instead. The symbolism in the song screams "underworld" to me, like something isn't on the level ("eye in the keyhole" like a thief, "back to the world" like someone who is rejecting its moral judgments). And that he's aware that what he is doing is wrong, not simply unpleasant. Remember, Styx's hometown of Chicago was home to one of the most romanticized criminals in American history, Al Capone. Rock stars love to play the outlaw. And two songs later Tommy's running from the law! ("Renegade")
Again I come back to the "make me respectable" line. Also the phrase is "back to the wall" not world so that also hints at desperation in his financial plight of being unemployed.
Anyway we're going off subject but if you want to discuss it further you can start a new thread or PM me.
God bless!
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"I would argue that the most serious threat to the United States is not someone hiding in a cave in Pakistan or Afghanistan, but our own fiscal irresponsibility."-David Walker, fmr comptroller general of the US
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 7/28/2008 11:49:02 AM
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Rufas2000
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quote:
Anyway we're going off subject but if you want to discuss it further you can start a new thread or PM me.
Nah I think we've both presented our cases. I see your point (the world to wall change does make a difference). We'll let the readers decide. 
quote:
Also the phrase is "back to the wall" not world
OK, I wish the CD had a lyric sheet. Then I wouldn't make such mistakes.
My best lyrical misinterpretation was what I thought was said in Styx's "Miss America" (as a teen). The line "Not you, Miss America" I thought the first word was something much different. Can't say what it was but even though I didn't and don't use such language in this case I thought it made the song much better. But I was always the rebel back then.
< Message edited by Rufas2000 -- 7/28/2008 11:58:12 AM >
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 7/28/2008 4:28:26 PM
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SuspenseWriter
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Okay, the strangest side-B ever? The flip side of They're Coming to Take Me Away, Hah-Hah, by Napoleon the XIV (strange enough in its own right), was basically nothing but the A side recoreded backward.
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 7/29/2008 11:02:13 PM
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humbleinspirit
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I like the B-side to Don McLean's "American Pie!" 
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 7/30/2008 12:52:07 PM
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Row1
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Don McLean:
American Pie / American Pie, 2nd half.
when I hear it on the radio, I can almost hear where it would fade out at the end of side 1, and pick back up on side 2.
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 7/30/2008 5:27:26 PM
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Rufas2000
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Speaking of the "American Pie" split (I was going to ask what was on side two) what 45s hopelessly butchered the original version of the song by cutting it.
I have one, "Could it Be Magic" by Barry Manilow. It was a absolute masterwork (and Manilow, while entertaining, doesn't have an abundance of those) and the butchered it into a three minute "highlight package". When I first heard the whole song I was shocked at how good it was.
BTW Humble: it was on a late 70s station out of Boston. A top 40 one that broadcast at 2 (or 3 or 4) in the morning. I used to listen to it softly at that hour. Always a vampire, thats me.
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 8/1/2008 7:24:59 PM
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humbleinspirit
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Row1
Don McLean:
American Pie / American Pie, 2nd half.
when I hear it on the radio, I can almost hear where it would fade out at the end of side 1, and pick back up on side 2.
Now I going to see if anyone would catch on to what the flipside was at all.
quote:
ORIGINAL: Rufas2000
Speaking of the "American Pie" split (I was going to ask what was on side two) what 45s hopelessly butchered the original version of the song by cutting it.
I have one, "Could it Be Magic" by Barry Manilow. It was a absolute masterwork (and Manilow, while entertaining, doesn't have an abundance of those) and the butchered it into a three minute "highlight package". When I first heard the whole song I was shocked at how good it was.
BTW Humble: it was on a late 70s station out of Boston. A top 40 one that broadcast at 2 (or 3 or 4) in the morning. I used to listen to it softly at that hour. Always a vampire, thats me.
Its the station still around? As far as "butchered" 45's, that could be a topic for a whole new thread!
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 8/2/2008 12:30:27 AM
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Rufas2000
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quote:
Its the station still around?
You would probably know better than I would. I haven't heard a station from Boston in 25 years, having moved from southeast New Hampshire (Somersworth) to near Tampa, Florida.
All I remember is that it was from Boston, broadcast 24 hours or close (not a given in the early 80s) and was on the low end of the FM dial.
I'm sure the frequency is still used but probably for a completely different format.
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RE: Did You Used To Play the B-sides of 45's When Growi... - 8/2/2008 12:32:03 AM
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humbleinspirit
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Rufas2000
quote:
Its the station still around?
You would probably know better than I would. I haven't heard a station from Boston in 25 years, having moved from southeast New Hampshire (Somersworth) to near Tampa, Florida.
All I remember is that it was from Boston, broadcast 24 hours or close (not a given in the early 80s) and was on the low end of the FM dial.
I'm sure the frequency is still used but probably for a completely different format.
In all likelyhood. If you remember Magic 106.7, they won the soft rock war here.
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