“A Long Drive Home to Tarzana” If “Everybody’s looking for perfection”, as Ray sings in “Poetry”, then “A Long Drive Home to Tarzana” is perfection found - a perfect place to live, a heaven on earth. It’s a place that doesn’t exist of course (“once we get there we’ll see there’s nothing there …”), but the dreamy atmosphere of “Tarzana” evokes the irresistible lure of the idea that perfection can be attained in our lives. It’s epic scope, hypnotic tempo, ethereal, shimmering guitars, and slow, soothing, Ambien-drenched vocals are compelling and evocative, luring us to follow the dream it promises, but it’s a siren song - the lyrics, in subtle counterpoint, remind us that the promised dream is unattainable in reality: “it’s a long, long way … a never-ending lonesome drive … the never-ending search for perfection … it feels like an eternity … there’s nothing there”. And by the end of the song the criticism becomes more pointed, with the lyrics openly mocking the solipsistic idea that a city like Tarzana, CA could be envisioned as a paradise - the first hint being the double-entendre of “spaced out community” (and also how Ray intentionally “spaces out” the syllables of “com-mun-it-y”). Given that Ray seems to have spent most of his life living in big cities like London, NYC and New Orleans, it’s not surprising he would take aim at the thinking that one ought to “escape” city life for the open country. A brochure from the 1920s advertising Tarzana (which was originally a subdivision created by the author of the Tarzan stories) compels one to leave the city and its poor behind: “Do you know that you can buy one of these full acres for $1500, the price of a city lot in the poor district? Why hesitate? Come out into the open and see Tarzana!”. In an interview Ray claims that Tarzana was originally envisioned as an all-white community, but I wasn’t able to confirm that in any of the official accounts of the city’s history - perhaps an example of “future generations rewriting history”? In any case, after several minutes of earnest, straight-faced longing for paradise and perfection, when Ray sings “No more ghettos or urban sprawl”, the incongruity of these words in the established context are comical - the practical attainment of paradise is realized by fleeing the reality of “ghettos” and “urban sprawl”. And, now that paradise is finally found upon arrival in Tarzana, what is the reaction? A flat, dull “it’s fine with me”. It's completely absurd and bitingly ironic and makes me laugh out loud every time I hear it. I am curious if anyone else finds the long setup to this moment as humorous as I do. In my view, “Tarzana” is an excellent “deep cut” on the Americana album, a pleasurable, long, long drive, and ultimately a humorous one.
Americana has grown in my estimation over the last week or so. Not only is Ray in top form with many of the songs, the album holds together really well. Ray has managed to give it a unifying feel while delivering plenty of variety in the style of songs in addition to some spoken word tracks that do the same job. Rock 'n' Roll Cowboys picks up the theme of Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy in an appealing upbeat tune. My enjoyment is thrown slightly by the feeling that he uses one too many syllables in the line "or do you live in reality." Too many silly bulls for my liking. Change for Change is an attractive bluesy shuffle. Wisely, Ray simply lists some of the world's biggest problems through the mouth of a Tramp (The Tramp maybe?) rather than attempt any sort of commentary on them. The Man Upstairs/I've Heard that Beat Before is an amusing tune. Ray seems to be commenting on his relationship at the time through the ears of his neighbour. I like that. Mercifully, Ray doesn't overdo the acoustic ADAAOTN riff in the spoken word introduction. A Long Drive Home to Tarzana is just beautiful. It sounds to me like Ray's love letter to the road and a farewell of sorts. Edit: after reading the fine comments by @Luckless Pedestrian on this I fear my interpretation is off the mark. I'll have to listen to it some more. Ray is far more gentle on the citizens of Tarzana than was Nick Cave in his song about the perfect town ("God Is In The House").
“A Long Drive Home To Tarzana”: A very lovely song about attempting to find paradise at the end of a long road, kind of like what his brother in law did when he and his family left for Australia. One thing that puzzles me is that the very first line mentions “New” England instead of “Old” England. Is that a bit of a red herring from Ray to show that he’s not the narrator of the song?
A Long Drive Home To Tarzana: Woah, where has this sound been all my life? I guess Ray did this washy sonic thing once before on Creatures of Little Faith, but this really dives into the late 2000s indie rock sound. I definitely could hear Beach House backing him on this one, but the Jayhawks do it as well as anybody. His weathered vocals (along with Karen's) complement the feel of the track perfectly. This also makes me think of (in message if not sonic texture) "Heaven" by the Talking Heads. We all get to that point sometimes where we yearn for a place where nothing ever happens.
I don’t think so. My take is that the car journey begins on the east coast and ends on the west coast. I don’t take this individual track to mean Ray’s personal life history/journey.
A Long Drive Home To Tarzana This is my favourite song on the album. A lovely ballad, and I don't find a problem with Ray's voice here, he sounds fine to me. His voice is working perfectly with what he has in harmony with The Jayhawks and Karen. The musical backing is perfect for this. Five minutes long - it goes by too fast so I'm playing it again. 'A long, long way to paradise, isn't it?' 'I am in paradise'.
One of the coolest things about Americana and the Jayhawks collab is how we get to see Ray stretching his legs with the kind of songs he writes. His first two solo albums, while great, were pretty conservative in terms of sticking to his typical oeuvre. Here, we get high quality dreamy pop and western swing (ok, I'm cheating a bit, I know that wasn't written for the Jayhawks) alongside the sounds we know and love. I definitely didn't appreciate that as much prior to this thread - it really makes this album special.
It's interesting you bring this up - I've had the same reaction to the narration on the Storyteller album, hearing those stories once feels like enough and I'd prefer to just get on with the music. But I don't feel that way about the spoken word bits in Americana, and I think it's because, at least with "The Man Upstairs", there's so much here that's being unsaid: "Touring Relationships" - that's a pretty open term. Is he talking about relationships with a girlfriend, or wife? Or his band, a groupie, roadies, managers? "Once we rented an apartment together ..." but who? Girlfriend, one of the wives, Dave?? Why was it "also" a disaster? What happened before, and what happened now that caused it to be a disaster? What's the deal Ray? But he won't spell it out for us. So for me this ambiguity, which I assume is intentional, is a little puzzle that triggers my imagination each time I hear it, keeping it fresh even after many listens - as opposed to hearing the same old story about the Green Amp again. And when we get to Act II, the narration becomes more integrated with the song, which works even better IMO (with the exception of one rather dull passage on well-known Kinks history that goes on a bit too long ... but we will get there).
A Long Drive Home To Tarzana I'm growing to like this moving song quite a bit. Parts of the guitar melodic line remind me of Till Death Us Do Part. I also did wonder if Ray intended the "because..I told you lies" line to sound like the Abbey Road song. Lyrically, though, that line seems like it's referring to his regret at telling Genevieve never ending lies. Musically maybe not so much, but feel-wise and thematically the song had me thinking of Heaven too @Jasper Dailey. I said "growing" to like this song quite a bit, because I seem to remember having some reservations about it when I first heard the track years ago. I liked the dreaminess of the song, but I think I was bothered by the idea that all this was about getting to.....Tarzana?. I'm sure I looked up Tarzana after hearing the song, and thought Ray is thinking of suburbia as paradise. What? I guess I see it more as a metaphor for life now, Ray reaching the end of his journey. Paradise is always over the next rise in the road.
A Long Drive Home To Tarzana I love what he's doing with his voice here, it's almost *little boy* sometimes, he doesn't go for the croaky weathered old man thing, he uses his limitations differently and to great effect. I do get the dry, dry humor at the end of the song, per @Luckless Pedestrian, but knowing RD I don't think it contradicts the idea that the elements suggested by @mark winstanley (exit sign, etc) refer to the end of his life's journey. I like this lots and assume it will continue to be a grower because it's RD. (Was just at a party at a friend's house in Tarzana. Nothing like paradise, not exactly hell. Maybe more of a purgatory-type place).
(I saw the first episode of Bewitched several months ago. My image of Tarzana is a new town development that is similar to the place where the Stephens purchased their first home.)
Avid Zeki, this sign appears on the front of 5 Chestnut Street, which just sold for nearly $1.6 million:
"A Long Drive Home To Tarzana" Yes! The backing track has early 70s Elvis written all over it. Especially at the 30 second mark when the guitars come together. It has that 70s tone. It sounds like I have heard it before, but couldn't find the song. Maybe @mark winstanley knows what Elvis song it sounds like? At first I thought "Twenty Days and Twenty Nights", but I don't think that's it. It's driving me crazy. I know it's out there! This is a pretty song. Everyone is commenting on how his voice sounds fine. It does work on this song, but doesn't anyone else notice the strong lisp on a lot of this album? It sounds like he never did spit out that chewing gum! This is another of my favorites on the album.
I can't spot a specific Elvis track, but it does have that kind of feel... I'm not really noticing a lisp... If the vocals were captured quite brightly, they may have used a de-esser... and when that isn't adjusted correctly it will give a lisp sound... I'm not hearing it, but I haven't had time to really listen closely at the moment.
I haven’t piped in in a while. Got behind. Read the comments but didn’t have anything insightful to say; you guys had already covered it. I’m finding the commentary on this record, one that I’m still having trouble warming up to, to be among the best, if not the best, on this now quite lengthy thread. Kudos all around. Tarzana. I really like this one. One of the standouts so far for me both musically and lyrically.
A Long Drive Home To Tarzana When I hear this song I hear echoes, in terms of mood rather than melody, of Kinks songs such as "Shangri-La", "Still Searching" and "A Long Way From Home". There is a sense of sadness and weariness in both the music and the lyrics, that the narrator still hasn't found that place which truly feels like home and fears that he may never actually find such a place. I get the impression that the narrator ponders having Tarzana as home but doesn't feel happy about it in a "all that strife and hard work for so many years, was it all just for this?". To my ears, the weariness isn't a self-pitying one, more of resignation perhaps. As such, the song feels very human and I find it hauntingly moving.
"It's a long, long way to paradise" -- quote from "Be My Lover" by former WB/Reprise labelmate Alice Cooper! I like this one. The background from @Fortuleo and @Luckless Pedestrian are aces! Such a great thread. What is this vague deal about road relationships? Tricksy Ray.
A Long Drive Home To Taranza As per usual I have only read Mark's post before my fumbling in the dark. It's certainly a road Ray continues to travel which begun way back with baby brother and traversed a "Big Country" that has me sometimes sing along "In winter 1963 we thought the world would freeze with John F. Kennedy & The B.........s" Other songs reminded of include The Beatles Because because Ray sings the word because just as the Beatles did but most of all the song explicitly recalls Til Death Do Us Part which in some ways may be coincidentally a theme this song is about and it seems in part to be very liberally borrowed! Is this the Great Lost Kinks...... frontman?
The Great Highway . I had this dream America Was always a very special place Heroes of the great Wild West Wild Bill Hickok and the rest The romantic on a reckless chase Till reality hit me in the face Hey, hey, hey, I am riding on The Great Highway All across America From New York to L.A. Hoping I can find my dream In New Hampshire or New Orleans Find a place where I can stay And once I'm there I'm never going away so Hey hey hey From Portland, Maine to San Francisco Bay All across America along The Great Highway Bright eyes like wishing wells Instamatic kiss and tell Optimistic self-belief College girls with perfect teeth Technicolor realism in 20-20 vision Animated multi-raced And always out there in your face Ooh la she'll be cruel if you upset her And life is not a road movie So wake up to reality And hey hey hey I'm driving on the interstate All across America, along The Great Highway And even if the dream goes wrong Still stay for the last song So hey, hey, hey From Portland, Maine to San Francisco Bay All across America along The Great Highway The great illusion it may be But always something else to see Always some little hick town To pick you up when you are down Another day another shake Malted with a slice of cake lah di dah di dah di dah (x2) At a juke box in a smoky bar A girl stands looking at the stars Dressed in denim wearing shades And outside is The Great Highway (I had this dream, America) She sips a coke walks away It's just a second in a day But all her culture's on display She might be a dreamer But maybe I'm a dreamer too Hey hey hey I'm riding on The Great Highway From all across America From New York to L.A. Hey hey hey (repeat) Written by: Ray Davies Published by: Davray Music Limited/Sony ATV Here we get Ray singing a tribute to finally getting to the US, and after being banned from the country on their first visit, I can understand the attraction. Here we get an old style... almost Louie Louie, type of rock riff, and it gives the album a kick in the pants at this stage. Ray runs through a series of thoughts that relate to the inspiration of what America is, and what his childhood mind saw, in the cowboy movies, and the legends that he was exposed to. There is a certain amount of sarcasm and reflection that meld together in this track, and the overlying theme is hey, I am here, I'm cruising down the interstate, in this country that held so much appeal for so many years. This is a reflection on what was, and what is, and how that all fits inside the mid of Ray. This is a fun rock song, it isn't going to probably be on anyone's greatest songs of Ray Davies playlists, but it is a fun and thoughtful reflection of sorts, and I like it.
