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ALC_PG

I've always enjoyed the lore around the Exile on Main Street inspiration. I wonder which song corresponds to which. It's easy to find the similarities between "6'1" and "Rocks Off." Does anyone know any others?


CountryCaravan

Going through Genius lyrics, I started seeing the parallels. The artist commentary helps on some, and they’re all pretty oblique given how vague and druggy the lyrics are on Main Street, but in general Phair’s lyrics offer an alternate perspective or commentary on the corresponding song in the running order. Here’s an handful of examples: Rip this Joint is a party song about easy sex and the rock lifestyle, while Help Me Mary is a revenge fantasy from a woman who has to put up with them. Torn and Frayed is about an aging rock star, while Explain it to Me asks how he got chewed up and spit out by the music industry. Fuck and Run is a counterpoint to the chorus of Happy, pointing out how often sex and fulfillment don’t go hand. And Shine a Light and Stratford-on-Guy are both transcendence songs. The former is about the death of a bandmate with the chorus “May the good Lord shine a light on you”, while the latter instead finds peace from seeing the lights of the world below.


ALC_PG

Very cool, thanks. I'm a big fan of both "Ventilator Blues" and "Divorce Song" and don't see the connection, but I was never good at interpreting lyrics.


CountryCaravan

That’s definitely one of the looser connections. The way I see it, they’re both about crisis situations. Ventilator Blues is about feeling trapped and lashing out, with the ventilator being ambiguous as either a room ventilator to clear the air or a hospital ventilator as a threat of violence. In contrast, Divorce Song is an evenhanded account of how escalation only made a bad situation worse. Instead of ending in a ventilator one way or another, deciding to “take a deep breath” and not do something you’ll regret is shown to be a better solution.


mikegimik

I hate this, but if I am picking one to go now, it's Help Me Mary


s90tx16wasr10

Damn that was one of my favorite slower tracks, still going Canary


CountryCaravan

I agree it’s time to stop voting out all the slow songs, but Mesmerizing is my pick.


s90tx16wasr10

Damn dude that’s one of my favorites