Hotel Illness

Hotel Illness is off my favourite TBC album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. It's been played 328 times live, which is pretty high for TBC: higher than average, at least. I think Hotel Illness is the epitome of this album, too. Sure it's not my top song (Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye) on the album and it's not as popular as Remedy, but it's just amazing. I think the reason why I love TSHMC so much is because all the songs on it tell a story; all the songs are truly their own little novella. As Chris said in the iTunes exclusive, "All of Southern Harmony was, to me, was a real departure from where we started . . .," meaning from Shake Your Money Maker. And Hotel Illness is a prime example of that departure -- it's a story with the music (+ a lot of harmonica) rather than what defined SYMM (for me, rock syncopation and ballads).

My favourite line in Hotel Illness is hard choose because it's another one in which I love all the lyrics. I love the idea of leaving the medicine "outside with my etiquette," but I think my real favourite line is another one of those lines that is an aphorism: "No baby, love is not a punishment." It's so true.

Oh good heavens, baby where's my medicine?
I must have left it outside with my etiquette
The undertaker's rule of thumb
It's hard to talk with a novocaine tongue

This room smells like hotel illness
The scars I hide are now your business
I can't seem to make hair nor hide of this
No baby love is not a punishment.

Hypnotized by your rotten behavior
This week's fashion is last year's flavor
I got a head full of sermons and a mouth full of spiders
The politics of the world's greatest liar

So tell me baby is it true all those things that they say about you...

Darling of the Underground Press

Crowesbase details that Darling of the Underground Press was "the b-side of the Remedy single, recorded during The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion sessions." Apparently, Darling of the Underground Press was "first recorded in 1991 during the same session that produced Words You Throw Away, Miserable and the first version of Thorn In My Pride." It's been play 61 times live, which is a lot for a b-side. The lyrics to Darling of the Underground Press are particularly great . . . and as you may have noticed, the address of this blog. So which lyrics do I find particularly apropos? Mainly this one line . . . "And those books that you've read have gone straight to your head." As usual, I have a hard time describing why I love this song but I think the best part is the beginning. This may be my favourite start to any TBC song, actually. When Chris sings "So the story goes / that you / sold your soul / for delusions of beauty and courage" . . . the versing is just perfect. His inflection is startling because it's a rare that a TBC song starts as more of spoken word than a melody.

So the story goes that you
Sold your soul for delusions of beauty and courage
While young at heart is a nice place to start
Can the truth hold all this baggage

So tell all your foes
Because my friends know
That your white flag ain't no sign for surrender
And those books that you've read have gone straight to your head
And made you the great pretender

I've heard that it's good to think before you speak
Though I've heard that it's good to bathe once a week

So tell me how it feels it if even seems real to be the darling of the underground press
Baby please can I see some ID
I don't believe you come from a royal family

I've heard that it's good to think before you speak
Though I've heard that it's good to bathe yourself once a week
Oh I've heard that it's good to look before you cross
No one, no one will ever find you if you don't get yourself lost.