Loved that semi-final thread.
So what attracts us to this song so much? One of my favs. Love when they play it live. So what is it exactly? Is it that we all have a relationship we can liken to drowning and dying a horrible death? What's up? Thoughts?
I'm not sure what it is. The music video is very emotional - it really grabs you. That guitar outro is just very powerful - not to mention that the lyrics are so descriptive, it's impossible to miss the imagery. The song just grabs me every time.
Jeff
Thats the song that got me into the hip. I was only a marginal fan at best in the mid 90's. The only cd I had was FC. My brother brought over the DFN cd and a printed out copy of the lyrics to Nautical. Right then and there I got it. I bought into the incredibly complext and lyrically imaginative poetry of Gord Downie. The song has it all...and to most outsiders (non hip lovers) it would be overlooked. There is no "hook" no chorus and most the words don't even rhyme! Could you imagine someone from American Idol saying..."Um Mr. Record Producer...I'd like to put a song on my cd that has no hook, no chorus and doesnt contain the word "love....ya right...never happen. :thumb:
Rolling Stone said something about it being weird to watch fans going nuts for this song with no discernable melody, no chorus, etc.
But it is a great song with a great lyric. The real art of that lyric is that so much is left open to interpretation. You have a dream, a phone call, and that final comment, and the possible interpretations are wide open. What was the conversation? What has happened here? You don't know.
The lyric seems immediately accessible but it's actually quite elusive.
And of course that outtro.
Why do I love it?
I have an ex-girlfriend named Susan. Who kept calling me, because she couldn't understand why we broke up.
It reminds me of that.
1 word....Magic...it is absolute poetry personified...some may argue Frost others Field....poem after poem we strive to hunt for a meaning...but when words ring true for so many in such diverse ways, combined with the power of music what remains is nothing short of a miracle...Perhaps I'm being a little dramatic, but for me, I cannot think of any one piece of "art" that evokes such emotion in me. Baker's outro guitar work, Downie's emotional words it is something that may never be equaled. Long live Susan!!!
Goulet.
To me, it's the epitomy of a Hip song because it was one of the first songs that was "born" in front of our eyes as part of the live show (inserted into NOIS). That and the darkness of the lyrics, the absolutely killer emotional outro (as Jeff mentioned) which hits me in my gut every time I hear it, and the video (next to Thugs, my favorite) and it's the total package...
Oh yeah, there's also the awesome production during the live show, with the "water" background and lighting... :thumb:
M.
Anyone know where I can get the video?
I was able to get it off Kazaa, but I was lucky. If you can't find it, and have MSN, give me a PM and maybe we can set up a time to exchange it over MSN. I've only got DSL so it might take a while.
Jeff
No seriously... what I love about this song... It reminds me of Nirvana.
Let me explain...
I once heard a quote or read an interview, whatever, from Cobain, who lamented the fact that as much as he tried to expand the boundaries of his music, he could never get past the verse-chorus-verse construct. I immediately thought of this song.
Granted... the majority of the Hip's songs still follow that construct. I think it's used so much because it works so well... but i think Nautical is one helluva example that you can craft a mighty fine rock song that is constantly moving forward...
The first time I hear Nautical was in like grade 9 and some guy attached it to a powerpoint he had done about the Halifax Explosion....i guess it just latched on to my me as a memoriam for people lost in war...a kind of epitaph.....in my opinion, it goes way beyond just dieppe...i think they tried to (and succesfully) conveyed the madness and insanity of armed conflict.
Here's a great quote from Downie talking about Nautical:
"That song came out very quickly from a circular bass line. I had to figure out where I was in the song and how to blurt this thing out. To this day if I get even remotely distracted, I'll forget the lyric. And if I forget a line I just can't pick it up again so the song might as well end. I find that very interesting; maybe the song's haunted."
If any of the Hip's songs would be haunted, that's the one. It's very complete, but yes, a very eerie sound.
Jeff
boot Wrote:i think Nautical is one helluva example that you can craft a mighty fine rock song that is constantly moving forward...
I'll second that as my reason for loving this song. There's no ebb and flow like the sea in which the song may take place, it's more like the constant rushing forward of a river...there's nothing cyclical, which is way I have loved this song since I first heard it and still love it more than most of the catchy verses and choruses of ABAC and Twist My Arm which have not stood up as pure art over time quite as well.