C.F. Payne's illustration of TP got me thinking again of the song,"You Got Lucky!" That smirk that he painted on Tom brings to mind how many of his songs had a twist to it. Of all the great songs in his catalog of songs, "You Got Lucky" is one that really is my favorite. It exposes the main character's weakness very subtlely.
Seems on the surface, the guy is telling his girlfriend where to go... lyrically. But, the synthesizer and the warped guitar ride tell a different tale. Also, I'm a sucker for a minor chord and this song is full of them.
Male braggadocio... "You got lucky babe, You got lucky babe, When I found you!"
It's not so much that the man's ego and pride is hurt as it is his unwillingness to accommodate his lady's needs/ concerns. It comes off as a "take it or leave it" approach to a relationship.
I love the nuances in this song and always look to hear what the music is saying long before I understand all the words. Lou Reed's, "Take A Walk On the Wild Side" is another great example. Randy Newman is another one who loves turning the tables both lyrically as well as musically.
But, I've never read anything about those underlying themes in any rock critique, which leads me to believe that I am alone in this kind of interpretation.
I mean, just listen to Mike Campbell's wammy bar wacked out guitar ride. Maybe, it's just me!
Copyright Ben Bensen III/ 2017
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