An immediate favorite at the time and a true Wilco classic for me. It has one of the most idiosyncratic melodies and grooves they’ve ever come up with. The phrasing changes in the verses (“listen to my e-eyes” ; "I'll curve my flight") are exquisitely musical, and the chorus, well, this has to be one of the best chorus in the catalogue, right ? More importantly, it’s a pure Wilco song. Solo Jeff can’t do it justice, and it seems he knows it (he almost never plays it on his own as far as I'm aware of). Listening to one Ghost Is Born song per day is another fantastic adventure in this thread. It helps me realize that it may be the one Wilco LP where the intricacy, invention and richness of the band playing and arrangements really elevate most of the tracks far beyond Jeff’s solo reach, whereas most songs from the other LP’s are just as fantastic when he’s on his own. The Pure Bug Beauty track on the Wilco Book gives insight as to how they created the arrangement, by experimenting with sounds, percussions, synths and noises, to build this fabulous syncopated rhythm track. I like Wilco when they channel favorite bands, I like Wilco when they introduce me to more obscure places in music, I like Wilco to have a timeless American(a) quality, I like Wilco to sound like Wilco, but this song is something else, it is something more, because it sounds like nothing else outside or inside their cannon, without being opaque or difficult. On the contrary, it’s one of the most accessible and inspired tunes they’ve ever done. Originality + immediacy = genius. This is the trickiest formula in rock, but they pulled it off.
Company In My Back is a Top 10 fave for me. For guitar players out there, this song is really fun to play.
I found Jeff's original poem online: Pure Bug Beauty I attack with love folded, my wings crawl up to you and your afternoon I’ve been puking you move so slow a steady crushing hand over my body a company in my back hide your soft skin your sorrow in sunshine listening to my eyes they are full of bloodful tunes you learn so slow old fleshy beauty I curve my flight under your bent knee I will always die so you can remember me ----- Just some small changes to the words. "I curl my lips" is added to the song. "You move so slow" is changed to "I move...," and "over my body" is removed. "Fleshy beauty" is changed to "radiant beauty." "Bloodful tunes" is changed to "hissing radiator tunes." And then he adds the profanity to the chorus. It's not very rock n' roll of me, but I could do without the profanity; it seems crude and unnecessary, but also the word never has a musical sound. A songwriter might slip it into a verse, but in the title line of the chorus? It takes me out of the song. I'm not sure what "a company in my back" means, but I suppose that he's addressing his wife and/or his children. He could be thinking of a baby. Maybe "company" is just a word for family; a steadying influence, but also a crushing responsibility. Why "in" his back, instead of "on" or "at"? Does he just mean that his family is pushing him? Or is it like a tumor?
"Company In My Back" is one of my favorite Wilco songs and is probably my favorite on A Ghost Is Born (or tied with "Muzzle Of Bees"). The music is sublime, with all of the instrumental flourishes that appear periodically but which never overwhelm the song. The lyrics, while relatively inscrutable, to me paint a picture of a man at the end of his rope. The "company in my back" are the many voices in his head and the people (including his family) making demands on him or having expectations of him at a point where all he wants to do is find a hole to crawl into and cover up. The gorgeous melody is really what draws me into this song.
"Company In My Back"- Another highlight of the album. After "Wishful Thinking" this may be my next favorite song on the album. It's so fun to sing along and Jeff is in fine vocal form. I like this concept of the songs being named after bugs and animals. He got half way there. I never read much into the lyrics. On the surface, I hear it as being about a bug or a bee being a nuisance. It starts out with an "Attack with love" but ends in death. The company in my back is a bug crawling up his shirt or landing on his back. The lines "I will always die so you can remember me" can mean that the bug gets smashed by a crushing hand or dies after it bites you. You will always remember the sting after the bee/bug dies. I'm sure this is a metaphor for a deeper meaning and it could relate to several different relationships in his life. There are some more excellent musical parts that mimic the sounds of insects. Also, another killer bass line by John. Everything in this song works for me. Top notch Wilco! 5/5
"Company in My Back" is the second song in the album's running order to feature hammered dulcimer, a traditional folk instrument, this time by Glenn Kotche. You can hear the sound of the hammered dulcimer between the conclusion of the chorus and the next verse. It's a high-pitched sound, tuned strings struck by small wooden curved hammers. I'm originally from Kentucky and grew up with and around folk musicians, so I was pretty excited to see my favorite band incorporate this instrument into its work. It's even more integrated into the recording of "Less Than You Think." "Company in My Back" was first performed at Otto's in April, 2003. I saw the second-ever performance of the song the next night in Lexington, KY. Over the years, I've seen it at 4/13 shows; this is another one that hasn't been performed too often since the A Ghost Is Born tour. I never knew what to make of the phrase, "holy ****, there's a company in my back." It follows the line, "I move so slow / steady crushing hand," and so maybe it's about opiates. The company being a pharmaceutical, the steady crushing hand his addiction, fed by the negligence of the company in pushing out a steady stream of opiates for routine pain management. More artfully, company can mean a group of things; perhaps the company in his back is a group of wings. "Holy ****" implies he's surprised to find the company in his back, suggesting to me a kind of Gregor Samsa-like awakening to realize he's an insect, as in Kafka's Metamorphosis. But who knows? These are just two possible interpretations of a line I've always been a bit confused by.
I always assumed “Company In My Back” was about record label pressure, the other side of the coin from “I Love My Label.” I’ve never read Jeff’s lyrics for this one. Musically it’s awesome. I like the repetition that bookends the song. It calls to mind some sort of apparatus, like a music box or wind up toy.
I have also thought that "Company In My Back" could be about drugs like a monkey on his back, but instead it's a bee or a bug. When you quit drugs you could have withdrawal symptoms of itchy skin and the feeling of having bugs crawling on you. I know this is reaching a bit, but there are many different interpretations that make some sense.
Reading the comments, it appears I am in good "company" here as I flat out love this song. After we finish with this thread I plan on going back and pulling all the songs I have identified as being in my "top 10 Wilco songs," (there will probably be something like 50 of them), but this song is definitely there. Love the guitar "flourishes." Like @Parachute Woman said above (I think), this was also one of my favorite songs off A Ghost is Born the first time I ever listened to this record. I was surprised to read that this song has not been performed live all that many times. I have been very lucky to hear it a good bit. Its a song I am always happy to see in the setlist.
I don't know why, but the name "Sansone" stuck in my head in regards to the hammered dulcimer. I listen to a lot of Celtic music and very often blank on artist names. So I youtubed it, and found Celtic recording artist named Maggie Sansone who specializes in this instrument. Any relation to Pat? I don't know. Anybody? Always impressive when rock or folk musicians incorporate this into the mix:
I think it's in Ashes of American Flags that Jeff says something like, "Nels and Glenn are great, but they don't make it look easy. Pat makes everything look easy." Of course, for me and I'm sure some of you, part of the fun is watching Nels and Glenn make it not look easy. Ashes also has a bit where Nels explains that his contortions on stage are causing him back or neck problems. And Glenn just looks so cool behind the kit. The moves and hits are part of the show for me. Meanwhile Pat is the nonchalant multi-instrumentalist that could have been in any band from The Cars forward.
"Wishful Thinking" We start out with some atmospherics that quickly transform into an easy strummed acoustic, and into what might be the most comfy song on the album. One of Jeff's hopeful songs, I also really like the rhythmic colour that Glenn adds. Another favorite. "Company In My Back" This is such a well crafted song, with an easy to listen to melody, a great arrangement, another standout lyric from Jeff, and all that with a simplicity that's almost disarming. It's one of those songs that I always seem to want to hear again right after I just listened to it. Looking back now, I can't help but hear how sophisticated the band's sound had become.
Thread guide Introduction and Uncle Tupelo Mar 1995 AM I Must Be High Casino Queen Box Full Of Letters Shouldn't Be Ashamed Pick Up The Change I Thought I Held You That's Not The Issue It's Just That Simple - live Should've Been In Love - live 1995 Passenger Side - live 1996 Dash 7 - live 2010 Blue Eyed Soul Too Far Apart Outtakes Oct 1996 Being There Misunderstood Far Far Away Monday Outtasite (outta mind) Forget The Flowers Red Eyed and Blue I Got You What's The World Got In Store Hotel Arizona Say You Miss Me Sunken Treasure Someday Soon Outta Mind (Outtasite) Someone Else's Song Kingpin (Was I) In Your Dreams Why Would You Wanna Live The Lonely 1 Dreamer In My Dreams Blasting Fonda (outtake?) Live 1996 - televised version Snow Job 97 June 1998 Mermaid Ave (with Billy Bragg) California Stars Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key Birds And Ships Hoodoo Voodoo She Came Along to Me At My Window Sad And Lonely Ingrid Bergman Christ For President I Guess I Planted One By One Eisler On The Go Hesitating Beauty Another Man's Done Gone The Unwelcome Guest March 1999 Summerteeth I Can't Stand It She's A Jar A Shot In The Arm We're Just Friends I'm Always In Love Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again) Pieholden Suite How To Fight Lonliness Via Chicago ELT My Darling When You Wake Up Feeling Old Summer Teeth In A Future Age Candyfloss Interview 1999 May 2000 Mermaid Ave vol 2 Airline To Heaven My Flying Saucer Feed Of Man Hot Rod Hotel I Was Born Secret Of The Sea Stetson Kennedy Remembering the Mountain Bed Blood Of The Lamb Against Th' Law All You Fascists Joe Dimaggio Done It Again Meanest Man Black Wind Blowing Someday, Some Morning, Sometime Mermaid Ave vol 3 Loose Fur Laminated Cat Sept 2001 Yankee Hotel Foxtrot I Am Trying To Break Your Heart Kamera Radio Cure War On War Jesus Etc Ashes Of American Flags Heavy Metal Drummer I'm The Man Who Loves You - live b-side Pot Kettle Black Poor Places Reservations b-side The Good Part Blasting Fonda The Minus 5 2003 More Like The Moon ep Camera Handshake drugs Woodgrain A Magazine Called Sunset Bob Dylan's 49th Beard More Like The Moon June 2004 A Ghost Is Born At Least That's What You Said Hell Is Chrome Spiders Muzzle Of Bees Hummingbird Handshake Drugs Wishful thinking Company In My Back
Good morning... I'm a Wheel Jeff Tweedy: electric guitar John Stirratt; bass Glenn Kotche: drums Leroy Bach: electric guitar Look at that stripped down lineup. 'I'm a Wheel' is just a full-on rock assault, no bells and whistles, no frills. It recalls Jeff's punk days in a way that we haven't had since...Being There? It's fantastic. When I want a shot of adrenaline and just plain old rock 'n roll fun, 'I'm a Wheel' is always a go-to. It rocks. It's catchy as hell. Jeff's vocal performance is so great. He doesn't restrain himself at all and by the end of the thing he's practically squealing. The drums are excellent. Everything about this song is just plain cool and it is a much needed lift up at this moment on the album. The lyrics are very minimal but 'Once in Germany someone said nein!' has got to be a career highlight for humor from Jeff.
I imagine that 'I'm a Wheel' would be a lot of fun to see live. For some reason, Wilcopedia has a very brief entry about this song and doesn't detail how often it has been played live. It wasn't included on Kicking Television proper but it was one of the bonus tracks included on the vinyl version. Here it is: A ton of energy! I'd be interested to hear about ya'll and your experiences seeing I'm a Wheel live.
I'm A Wheel This is a nice interlude, with the guys just playing a fairly straight forward rock song, with a hint of punk. It seems like the guys are just having a bit of fun here. The little white sound vocal near the end is pretty cool too.
I’m A Wheel I really like the songs Kicking Television and Just A Kid from this time period, but those uptempo rockers aren’t on the album and this one is. I like the short burst of energy we get with this track, but the whole “nein” thing in the lyrics just comes off as plain silly. I’m not sure what this song brings to the album and I wonder: did the album really need it? Did Wilco include this one just to ensure that it had a short radio-friendly single? I don’t know them very well at this point and I’m genuinely asking. This situation here reminds me of U2’s album No Line On The Horizon (2009) and the song “Get On Your Boots”. That song also had some silly throwaway lyrics, a decent but simplistic garage-band rock feel, and was hammered by many fans for not really fitting into the rest of the album. I’m A Wheel is decent, but it just seems out of character.
Funny that you think I'm a Wheel is out of character. I'm not disagreeing with you (certainly when it comes to the rest of A Ghost is Born) but Jeff grew up on punk and this song has a lot in common with his Uncle Tupelo roots. To me, it feels more like a callback and celebration of where he came from.
Not “out of character” for Tweedy in general. Just out of character for this particular album of music.
Yes, punk rock, extremely well done, fun and short, good singing, the various “turn on you’s” anchor the song’s structure and are further proof that Tweedy is now in full command of songwriting’s craftsmanship. Always a cool tune for the encores, I guess it’s been written with that in mind, but it also works fine as an interlude. I don't see it as "out of character" even for the album, on the contrary, it seems very deliberate, almost too deliberate for my taste. For whatever reason, Tweedy felt the album needed a punk rock track at this point (I even suspect he wrote TWO of those – the other being Kinking Television – in order to choose one). I’ll admit I’m a little less inclined towards these songs written on assignment, when Jeff seems to be doing genre exercises to fill a purpose or to keep the band in shape. Excellent rock & roll scream at the 2’00’’ mark, though. Always a great joy to hear that.
yes: “Too deliberate” But tell me more about this song, “KINKing Television” - it sounds interesting!
And for me it's crucial, absolutely crucial, to the pacing of this album, considering the tempos of the--oh I don't know--every track that comes before it. A fast-paced rocker was waaaaaaay overdue here, and I don't care what the lyrics are. Not that I have a problem with them. Another set of lyrics I should read right about now ... Oh, hold on You risk exciting me Once in Germany someone said nein 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 Oh, hold back Oh, don't invite me 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 Once in Germany someone said nein I'm a wheel I will Turn on you Oh, I invented a sister Populated with knives Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh I'm a wheel I will Turn on you Um... I'm a wheel I will I'm a wheel I will I'm a wheel I will Turn on you I'm gonna turn on you, turn on you Turn on you, turn on you, turn on you I'm gonna turn on you, turn on you Turn on you, turn on you, turn on you I'm gonna turn on you, turn on you, turn on you A song about our most important technological innovation. And all great bands (or some great bands) have solid songs about wheels. (See my avatar.)
"I'm A Wheel"- A little kick in the pants. I'm mixed on this song. On one hand I like when Jeff goes this direction and plays some punk inspired rock n roll. On the other hand, it suffers because it's surrounded by 10 better songs. Even though it may be the weakest song on the record, I never skip it, and sometimes I turn it up really loud. It would be right at home on Star Wars. I also like the song "Kicking Television". That has a strong Frank Black vibe and sounds like something that could have been on Teenager of the Year. Either song would have worked well in this end of the album slot for a shot of adrenaline. I thought I may rate this lower, but listening this morning several times and I accidentally poured beer on my cereal. Rock n Roll! 4/5
