Hi Everyone! I l've been listening to Peter Gabriel I aka Car today. I have a question(maybe dumb) about the lyrics in "Excuse Me" : You got the money back, that's okay Who needs a Cadillac anyway I got the medicine, make you see the light Call me in Alaska if it all turns out right (Allright) Also I recall the same lyrics in Lou Reed's "Caroline Says II": Caroline says while biting her lip Life is meant to be more than this and this is a bum trip But she's not afraid to die all her friends call her "Alaska" When she takes speed, they laugh and ask her So what does it mean: "To call "Alaska"? Is there any connection between these two albums except the same production team and musicians? Or maybe I just don't understand the language right and it's a cliche expression (remember I'm not a native speaker)
In these examples, the usages differ but the symbolism is likely related… by distance. I just read the entire lyric of each song to better understand the context. With Gabriel, “Excuse Me” pertains to a need or desire to be alone. In American geography, of the states that can be reached by car, Alaska is the most alone, the most distant. Gabriel asks to be called in Alaska, which can be taken literally, in the U.S. state, or figuratively, poetically, in a state of aloneness. Since the word is capitalized, it suggests the U.S. state. With Lou Reed, “Alaska” is a nickname… pretty good, too, referring to color (of the drug, the stereotypical image of the U.S. state covered in snow, and likely of the woman in the lyric) as well as how distant she is from the others when she is zoning on amphetamines. I have never heard of speed (amphetamines) called Alaska, nor the word as a cliché. And, no, the question isn’t dumb, not in the least. In fact, it is admirable to learn more than one language and to pay attention to such nuances in the lyrics. Cheers
In "Caroline Says II" and its source song "Stephanie Says" the key line for me is "It's so cold in Alaska". To mean it means that she is already cold and lifeless.
Thanks for your explanation, George. Symbolism, Poetry.... You Know, when you live in the country covered with snow for the most part of the year you don't usually pay attention to white color. Now I see the referrence)). And yes, I forgot that Alaska is somewhat distant from other U.S. states But it's a pity that these songs aren't related. I supposed if Gabriel listened to Reed's Berlin around 1977 when he recorded album with Bob Erzin he maybe used kinda link to Reed's song. I heard Gabriel used to improvise with lyrics a lot during recoding process. And he also covered "The Power of the Heart" in 2010.
Thanks, extravaganza. It's more likely to be that meaning but then in "Caroline Says II" I guess it also could be a wordplay
