"So what’s the strangest place that [Rob] Thomas has ever heard "Smooth” being played over the years?
“One time my wife and I were walking into a sex shop, and it came on. That was pretty cool!”
Most people would preferred to have asked what they were doing in the sex shop?!! ha. What - it's a valid question!! I thought this line would grab your attention from Rob's interview for the New York Post back on 26th April when the new album was released.
“I think I just heard one too many people talk about the idea that they hate getting older, and I don’t think they’ve really thought that through, because the alternative to getting older is to stop…We’ve lost some friends over the years that died before their time, and I think that you comprehend as you get older that it’s a privilege that isn’t afforded to everyone.” On his song One Less Day (Dying Young) which in some ways could be reverse psychology in some respects. People talk of another year older but don't really see how lucky they are to get that extra year. Another year older is seen more as not doing what they wanted when they had the chance, when younger. On losing out on so much. Yet compared to those who have gone before, gone too soon, the older you are, the more you have achieved in terms of life. That's it, it's plain and simple: just life!
Rob: "it sounded like such an ’80s song anyway [with] the production and the guitar," on Timeless. It's not just that song though. Others on there sound akin to an 80's vibe running through them. Other faves of mine include Tomorrow, The Worst In Me, Can't Help Me Now, It's Only Love. It's that kind of an album and even if no one agrees, it definitely is one that makes you sit up and listen, not just the music but also the lyrics. Rob has written some of the most wondrous lyrics over the years, although I admit some of the words have been used over (see below) which has been one of the highlights of listening and rediscovering his songs for me. Yeah rediscovering as there was a period where I had other stuff going on and returning to them when my father passed in 2004, especially with Bent and a few others such as Leave, When You're Gone. Real songs that far from having the feel-good factor (and many do) they were more those that make you wallow in self pity and make you forget the real world for a brief moment. But also return you to that heart breaking point in time when you realize you'll never see your loved one(s) again. Only in dreams!
It's Only Love is so breath taking and yeah it's true; give me a song title, lyric, poem and I'll string a few words together and come up with something else! I love doing that, but don't get to do that quite often.
An example:
It's only love, when I looked at you for a second time through all the modern trappings of materialism I saw I'm not a material girl
I now chant
it's only #ephemeral
Seriously it's a haunting melody summing up what was, could be, could have been, everlasting, if only...it's only love...
Now Comes the Night is a haunting melody. The piano intro is reminiscent to me of Somewhere In the Night - Scott Bakula. And no I didn't make a connection with both songs having 'night' in the title either, not right away! I know it was used in the final ep of Stargate Universe and was apt for this ep, especially since we didn't get anymore. It was great they went for one of Rob's songs and making him a little more familiar and known to others around the world, who hadn't heard of him before.
Many songs remind me of Rob's songs & vice versa. Take Lonely Anymore is akin to Rihanna's Unfaithful song. Though Rob's came a year earlier. It has a similar beat to me for the chorus part only.
So it didn't come as a surprise to me that Rob brought out an entire album Chip Tooth Smile which has Timeless, an homage to great '80's music. But that there are quite a few songs which are reminiscent from the '80's and artists from that era. Yeah we deffo had the best music going back then! Not that some isn't good these days, but not consistently good, unless you like a specific artist. Generally there's a market lacking for consistently exceptionally crazy good music and lyrics too. As well as upbeat rhythm and music for our times to bring us through the doldrums of what we as an entire world are experiencing right now.
Let's see. How Far We've Come has connotations of Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire. Heck we need a follow-up for this song since there's plenty of material out there, esp right now when the world is going to pot in a hell basket all over again! With some Dire Straits sliding in subtly with the 'cool' lines.
Hand Me Down is a little Beatles Let It Be vibe and some Bryan Adams' Everything I Do I Do It For You.
Trust You has a Poker Face feel to it
The rock theme, some are heavy heavily rock orientated like Long Day, Push, conjures up an image of a goth puppet being manipulated cos "I can." Still Ain't Over You reminds me of The Doors with that rocking rhythm and the title in particular especially as Rob sings it.
All That I Am is a classic anthem of love, life, transcending the mundane. An homage to Native American spirituality, in my opinion; as echoed in the haunting theme.
Trust You has a Poker Face feel to it
The rock theme, some are heavy heavily rock orientated like Long Day, Push, conjures up an image of a goth puppet being manipulated cos "I can." Still Ain't Over You reminds me of The Doors with that rocking rhythm and the title in particular especially as Rob sings it.
All That I Am is a classic anthem of love, life, transcending the mundane. An homage to Native American spirituality, in my opinion; as echoed in the haunting theme.
The use of similar or same words in many songs: broken, mean... I'm not knocking it, it's kinda sweet like a recurring trend almost providing a theme running through them, a link even. Which is different. I don't think I've come across that in many songs/artists' music. Duran Duran to name one band tend to do that too in some songs.
Snowblind: focus
Ever the Same, Mad Season, Bent, We Were Beautiful: broken
Gasoline, Disease: beautiful girl
She's So Mean, If You're Gone: mean
Absence of Affection, Pieces: everybody wants you pieces
You get the gist. Yet where else could you get such great lines as:
"Everything is alright until it ain't right
And we all know that we ain't alright right now" (Tomorrow)
where you turn your insides out trying to use those same words and come up with something even so remotely coherent and fail dismally. That'll be me then on occasion!
Snowblind: focus
Ever the Same, Mad Season, Bent, We Were Beautiful: broken
Gasoline, Disease: beautiful girl
She's So Mean, If You're Gone: mean
Absence of Affection, Pieces: everybody wants you pieces
You get the gist. Yet where else could you get such great lines as:
"Everything is alright until it ain't right
And we all know that we ain't alright right now" (Tomorrow)
where you turn your insides out trying to use those same words and come up with something even so remotely coherent and fail dismally. That'll be me then on occasion!
The Worst In Me deffo a Billy Joel vibe running through this.
You know those misheard lyrics people speak of, well mine for this on the line "...hanging on a moment wouldn't stop" sounds like "hanging on the morning doing stuff!"
Which is funny as I have an ear for EVPs, not the same thing I know but still involves listening! ha.
Early in the Morning is so Phil Collins, it's uncanny!
No, no this isn't a piece on comparing and contrasting and it isn't meant to be read as such. Rob has his own distinctive style and mood to his songs and music. Always changing the sounds to coincide with changing times and shown by decades of success. But more than that by bringing us classy, engaging music to make sure we get by each and every day. Some escapism as in Little Wonders.
As shown by some of my silly tweets:
Tomorrow: seconds out and we're down for the heartbreak.
We Were Beautiful the innocence of youth, loss, coming to terms, endearing the past, growing up, longing for yesterday; are the sorts of thoughts and sentiments this conjures up for me.
Can't Help Me Now: a chanson for doomed love, haplessness, going it alone, needing to find someone else to see you through cos the old friend/confidant/lover ain't working or helping.
Snow Blind invokes being lost in a blizzard imagery and can't get out of an endless circle of sameness and nothingness. Stuck in a loop.
Pieces a ballad of infinitesimal haunting memories. Written for Rob's lovely and courageous wife, Marisol, it's also hopeful in a foreboding sort of way. Fate is out of our hands, but fighting will bring us through the darkness. Never give up!
You know those misheard lyrics people speak of, well mine for this on the line "...hanging on a moment wouldn't stop" sounds like "hanging on the morning doing stuff!"
Which is funny as I have an ear for EVPs, not the same thing I know but still involves listening! ha.
Early in the Morning is so Phil Collins, it's uncanny!
No, no this isn't a piece on comparing and contrasting and it isn't meant to be read as such. Rob has his own distinctive style and mood to his songs and music. Always changing the sounds to coincide with changing times and shown by decades of success. But more than that by bringing us classy, engaging music to make sure we get by each and every day. Some escapism as in Little Wonders.
As shown by some of my silly tweets:
Timeless
who's this Thomas, Thomas you hear in the first two timeless in the chorus.
#MisheardLyrics !
Wrote this and then thought woopsie, it's your name!! ha
But squint your ears and it does sound like Thomas!
ON a serious note I love the way you sing "Major Tom" so very #Bowiesque sounding!
When you've a song in your head that doesn't quite fit what you're after til coming across Her Diamonds @ThisIsRobThomas Perfect for the ending of this mess! [Pic of my book in the tweet]
Tomorrow is one of those songs you are looking to listen to when sad, at the same time it's rather uplifting and bittersweet in its sentiments and rhythm. I've found that with many of Rob's songs, no matter how sad, sombre; they always make me laugh a little and think, well there's a song for how I'm feeling and I can really cry along with it, sing along or "God damn it's never easy..." but just go with the flow and see where you end up and where each beautifully written line leads you. Down some path of no return, craving more music and his subtly sublime voice in many songs. Whilst having that punky rock, throwaway cockney style too in songs such as Push, Bent, Long Day. Like who needs perfectly proper posh language all the time!
Wow what a great fit for this! If only it actually became a reality & not just stuck in dreams.
This was a tweet for one of my books and darn it if this song doesn't fit it!
If we're talking tweets this was too damn, well something or another. And yes, the out of focus one looks better. Resembles the Cradlesong pic a bit! No?!
I hear ya chuckling and I don't blame ya!!
This was a tweet for one of my books and darn it if this song doesn't fit it!
If we're talking tweets this was too damn, well something or another. And yes, the out of focus one looks better. Resembles the Cradlesong pic a bit! No?!
Tomorrow: seconds out and we're down for the heartbreak.
We Were Beautiful the innocence of youth, loss, coming to terms, endearing the past, growing up, longing for yesterday; are the sorts of thoughts and sentiments this conjures up for me.
Can't Help Me Now: a chanson for doomed love, haplessness, going it alone, needing to find someone else to see you through cos the old friend/confidant/lover ain't working or helping.
Snow Blind invokes being lost in a blizzard imagery and can't get out of an endless circle of sameness and nothingness. Stuck in a loop.
Pieces a ballad of infinitesimal haunting memories. Written for Rob's lovely and courageous wife, Marisol, it's also hopeful in a foreboding sort of way. Fate is out of our hands, but fighting will bring us through the darkness. Never give up!
And have there been dreams, why yes of course, that goes without saying! One example!
Funny dream ended up in a place where they were letting people sing Karaoke
but it was like in individual booths, only people could still hear you.
Was there with a friend who looked familiar like you.
Then I said well I'm not trying that, I don't want people to hear me,
esp when I don't reach the high notes.
Some guy was having a go and there was a holographic Rob behind
a glass screen. The guy was singing a song from the new album
cos it was one I hadn't heard before.
It was It's Only Love. Then said to him, don't stop you're really great!
Did a double take & saw it was Rob after all! WTH?!!
Not that any of your songs wouldn't be good for Karaoke or anything!
Chip Tooth Smile in my opinion is one of Rob's best albums to date! Heck it's better than his best. It's inspiring in many ways and so grounded in stability and positivity displaying an uplifting beat. The '80's were one of the best decades for music for those of us around then and especially growing up and this reflects that time of innocence and just finding our way as teens for most of us! I feel Rob was making up here for not writing such brilliant stuff in the '80's (you know what I mean) and it's great knowing that all his other writing and albums were culminating in this work of art. Destined to outshine that gone before and sparkle in a wilderness of music we had lost for a very long time. Or thought we had, but was always around in some form or another with this exceptional treat to our ears, hearts and souls!
Chip Tooth Smile in my opinion is one of Rob's best albums to date! Heck it's better than his best. It's inspiring in many ways and so grounded in stability and positivity displaying an uplifting beat. The '80's were one of the best decades for music for those of us around then and especially growing up and this reflects that time of innocence and just finding our way as teens for most of us! I feel Rob was making up here for not writing such brilliant stuff in the '80's (you know what I mean) and it's great knowing that all his other writing and albums were culminating in this work of art. Destined to outshine that gone before and sparkle in a wilderness of music we had lost for a very long time. Or thought we had, but was always around in some form or another with this exceptional treat to our ears, hearts and souls!
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