"Born Alone"- This is the second song in a row that has climbed a few notches amongst my favorites on the album. I love the poetic punk stream of lyrics and how it chugs along almost like another early Elvis Costello song. This is an expertly crafted Tweedy tune. Another song where I was blown away by the live performance. His vocal is great and it has a little more straight ahead rock n roll energy. John really is one of the best modern day bass players. They all seem to have a lot of fun playing it and that's what it's all about. So far this album has pretty much been flawless. 4.5/5
Easily my 3rd favorite song on the album after "One Sunday Morning" and "Art of Almost," I like everything about "Born Alone." A bonafide Wilco Classic. And yes, we are all born alone, and of course we also die alone. Thankfully we have Wilco in between. 5/5
"Born Alone" is another great song. The lyrics are something of a mishmash, but there are a few good phrases scattered around. I like the melody and the tempo here and, while I wouldn't place this one in the same category as "Black Moon", it's still very good. The ending is rather unsettling, like the sonic counterpart to dirty water circling the drain in a bathtub once the plunger is pulled out.
@Rainy Taxi summed up my thoughts pretty well. I love the random lyrics filled with amusing little couplets all over the place, including a nod to the Battle Hymn of the Republic (Mine eyes have seen...) And the music is this wild cacophany with organ flourishes reminding you of 60s pop, melding into the concluding Shepard Tone that just descends forever. If you’re not familiar with these (Shepard tone - Wikipedia ) they’re a common trick of drone artists. Check out Godspeed You Black Emperor’s first album as an example. It’s interesting how Jeff has gone from using drone in a confrontational way on Less Than You Think, to integrating it into a pop format here. It was great when I first heard it on the ACL performance. I think this is also part of why here was such a noisy atonal solo on Dawned On Me. When Whole Love gets poppy, they never let it go fully into Summerteeth territory. We’re also about to hit a very country-ish tune and it seems that Wilco is happy to flirt with their past glories while also subverting them at the same time. Which is cool by me!
I just came her to post about the reference to "Battle Hymn of the Republic." "I have heard the war and worry of the gospel Ferried fast across the void . . . Mine eyes have seen the fury / so flattered by fate" "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword" In "Born Alone" we begin with specific references to war and gospel, and then a direct quote from "Battle Hymn of the Republic," which was penned by abolitionist Julia Ward Howe after she heard the Civil War marching song "John Brown's Body" sung by the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Massachusetts militia. That song took it's inspiration from John Brown and his raid on Harper's Ferry - "ferried fast across the void." "His truth is marching on." What is Jeff's truth? "I have married broken smoke charging spoke wheels / Spit and swallowed opioid / I am the driver at the wheel of the horror / Marching circles at the gate." And this from the marching song, "Battle Hymn," "I have seen him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps." But Jeff isn't really a warrior. "I would rather choose the middle mind of mystery / Reverse a riddle for my health." There he "believe(s) (he's seen the Finger / Divine extremity, meaning the finger of God, of course. He invites a fly to join him near a "feather smooth" lens--of what, a camera? His reading glasses? Something nearby as he contemplates life and death and its meaning, wondering whether the fly will weather the cold before he dies, though the fly, whose life is so short lived, may be "more aware of it than me," it being the presence and nearness of death. "Sadness is my luxury," I can sit here and contemplate these thoughts in the comfort of my home rather than around a campfire eating hardtack and trying to dry out my wet boots. "The kids are unabashed," they have nothing to fear, and loneliness can be postponed. But his belief that he's seen the hand of God, or at least the finger, is a lie he tells himself: "Mine eyes deceiving glory." He's unlike the Civil War soldier, except in two key respects. Like them, and us all, he was born and will die alone.
Wow, "Born Alone" is great. It's the Wilco-est of Wilco tunes. I may have already said as much, in a different way, about the other songs on this album we've covered so far. And the end is so heavy.
I don't have anything perceptive to add, but I just love, love, love "Born Alone." The melody, the way that the guitar mirrors the vocal, the descending Shepard tone (thanks for that @jalexander ), the punctuations from the organ, Glenn's drums... it's all bliss. I guess it's kind of like the "I'm Always in Love" of this album. I like all of the upbeat songs from the album even better on the 2011-12 live recordings, but they did a great job on the studio masters, too. Some of the best rockers they'd done in quite awhile, and one of the best A-sides they ever put together--which is saying something for a band that usually frontloads its albums. They played a few songs from The Whole Love, "Dawned on Me," "The Whole Love," and "Born Alone," as well as "War on War," when they did a set for NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts in 2011. I particularly like Glenn's makeshift tiny drum kit.
Also searching for performance clips of "Born Alone" turned up this 45-minute set for Dutch TV in 2012. 1: I Might 2: Dawned On Me 3: Impossible Germany 4: Born Alone 5: Jesus, etc. 6: The Whole Love 7: I Am Trying To Break Your Heart 8: Art of Almost
Great analysis. I think it’s important to highlight Jeff’s slow unveiling of his worldview as he navigates sobriety and moves to a much more positive place in life. Much earlier in this thread I suggested Jeff’s atheism and was corrected and the fact is I don’t know one way or another his beliefs. That said, On and On and On is a stark contrast to Everlasting Everything, and there’s a reason - in the more optimistic of the two he’s voicing his dad’s hope to be reunited with his wife in the afterlife. When he’s voicing his own perspective, though, Jeff seems to side with a “treasure the love you have in this life because it’s all so fleeting”. And that perspective of the transitory, perhaps meaningless nature of life, comes out in this song. And despite being cloaked in I Am Trying style nonsensical lyrics, it’s another religious subversion, turning a hymn on its head.
Interesting analysis of Born Alone, everybody! Open Mind Jeff Tweedy: vocals, acoustic guitar Nels Cline: lap steel, loops Pat Sansone: electric guitar, piano, vocals Mikael Jorgensen: keyboards, synthesizer, Guzheng samples John Stirratt: bass, vocals Glenn Kotche: drums, percussion Things slow down again for another beautiful ballad, this one more in the classic Wilco country-tinged weeper vein. I love this side of the band and I love that are never far from it, re-embracing these kinds of lovely, sincere songs on nearly every one of their albums. 'Open Mind' has one of my favorite melodies on the album (I think the chorus is just gorgeous in both sentiment and sound: "I would love to be the one to open up your mind") and more of that tender playing from the band that is there to provide support for the song and the emotion rather than to show off or to fill the song with lots of sounds. It's just a simple, sweet song. The opening line is one of Jeff's best ever as well: I would throw myself underneath The wheels of any train of thought 'Open Mind' is another one that has rarely been played live, but I put it in the same category as greats like Far, Far Away and At My Window Sad and Lonely. Another song it is easy to take for granted and overlook, but that shines when listened to attentively.
Open Mind Here we have a nice country waltz. This is a smooth and flowing track that works well. A good album track.
Wait, an almost straight love song? From Wilco? Although it seems like the affections aren't returned, and there may be something else going on here. Nevertheless, Open Mind is a lovely song, and in a perfect spot on the album. Incidentally, I really lke the Jean-Luc Ponty album Open Mind. I never see him mentioned on this forum.
Open Mind: A nice, middle-of-the-road country (as Mark says) waltz. Nice but not a stop-in-my-tracks oh-wow song. I’ll forget it in fifteen minutes but will like it again when I hear it again!
Oh man, thanks, great catch, Where do the Children Play ! I couldn’t put my finger on it, it was killing me (and I’m quite jealous of you catching it!). Yes, this is supposedly the “simplest song” on The Whole Love. Whenever I listen to it, it does sounds simple. But whenever I try to understand it, it becomes damn complicated. For instance, I could never determine the time signature of this song. It’s not really a waltz, or is it ? I'm hoping @jalexander will help us on this. Same with the chords. There’s something about the way they reverse them or add some dominant root notes or whatever, that is extremely clever and creates the feeling of aching “openness” that brings the line “if you would let me be the one, to o-pen up your mind” to such emotional heights (you and o-pen being the key notes). Again, it sounds simple but it’s sophisticated as hell and just plain beautiful. There’s so much air in this song ! The way that faraway Mellotron ends up blending with the steel guitar is otherworldly. I hear the Band, I can hear Danko singing it, I hear something that could’ve been at home on the first Mermaid Avenue. It does share something with One by One, a song with no chorus but well-rounded verses, and a deceptive simplicity that hides a rich musicality. It’s another one where I’m convinced Jeff addresses his fans. Even though he presents it as a love song, he’d really like to be the one to open up the minds of those accusing him of “selling out”, if they’d only let him… Maybe he should’ve invited Feist once more to bring that message across!
It's a 6 beat, but the arrangement makes it feel like a 3 beat (hence the waltz). The accented parts don't come out of the 3 or 6 beat groove
Pretty much where my head is at with at least half the album. When I'm hearing the songs now, I think, "That's not bad." Then I ask myself, "Why haven't I listened to this in years?" I'm not rushing back to the disc to convert the tracks to sound files. I'm just thinking, "That's not bad. Why haven't I listened to this in years?" Then I order some new face masks on the Old Navy website. Not to be too flip. But there's so much music now, new and old, that I find it hard to focus on music that doesn't fully reach me. It's like in the old days when a hiphop fan would tell me, "Yo, you need to listen to the underground stuff to really hear the good stuff, the commercial stuff is whack, know-wham-saying?" My response was generally, "I don't have enough time to listen to music I love. One track into the underground track you recommended has me retching. When do I get off this merrygoround?"
Open Mind - well, I had pretty much forgotten about this song. After this morning's listen I say "pleasant enough", that's about it!
"Open Mind"- Beautifully recorded and performed. When this came out I remember thinking it reminded me of Beatle George. Now I'm not sure why. Maybe in the lyrics and the melody, or the sound and style of the electric guitar? Watching it live it appears to be Pat playing a Fender Telecaster. Nicely done Pat! It also has some more McCartney style bass playing. I'm coming out of all of this with a bigger appreciation for John. I think he is the unsung hero on all these records. I agree with Jeff saying there would be no Wilco if John left. I'm seriously shopping for bass guitars and amps to learn how to play along to some of these songs. He is such a melodic and thoughtful bass player and elevates every song he plays on. I watched that Tiny Desk concert last night. I loved that performance and couldn't take my eyes off John's playing. "Open Mind" is a lovely song. 4/5
"Open Mind" is a nice enough song. It doesn't reach the highs of the previous six tracks, nor is it one I seek out individually, but it works in the context of the album. This, along with the next song, is the only place where the album meanders a little for me. But when you're listening to it as a piece, it flows well and never induces skips. Jeff and co did such a great job sequencing the CD, which I prefer to the different order on the vinyl version — where they moved "Whole Love" up in between "Open Mind" and "Capitol City."
In addition to all that, the version of the vinyl/iTunes bonus track — "Sometimes it Happens" — had two different versions. The vinyl version fades out, while the iTunes version goes on longer. "One Sunday Morning," meanwhile, fades out on the CD but continues for a couple more minutes on the vinyl. Plus the track order is different on CD vs. vinyl. So as new label owners, Wilco definitely took a lot of liberties with their first release.
Which versions have “Whole Love” as the second to last song? I have always listened to it coming after “Open Mind”, but Wiki has it listed towards the end of the record. I’m guessing it’s the song we are discussing tomorrow?
'Whole Love' is before 'One Sunday Morning.' Tomorrow's track is 'Capitol City.' We're following the CD/streaming track order. I believe Whole Love was only moved on the vinyl.
