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I'm curious about Gord changing the line "he said I'm fabulously rich" in grace too.
Obviously I get why he changed it - it just sounds right to open up with it as an intro.
I'm curious as to how long he's been doing that. He does it on the Saturday Night Live performance which was fairly early on. Has he always done this?
Also, I've heard/seen other performances where he leaves it as "fabulously rich", most notably on "That Night In Toronto". The thing that's notable about that is the song is not placed as a set-opener.
Is that the difference?
As I type this it seems like a silly thing to concern myself with. Just a dull day I suppose!
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Songs as they are recorded on an album are simply snapshots of themselves in a moment in time. The song continues to live and evolve and change as the years go on.
I heard a band member say this once, not sure who, and I'm paraphrasing of course.
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Watch this cool interview about the SNL experience:
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"We're forced to bed, but we're free to dream"
Dana
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Gord talks about this happening on SNL around the 44 min mark.
[youtube]wF25AyovpTE[/youtube]
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'Hip' rhymes better with 'lip.' So that's a plus. (I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about sloppy off-rhymes - having much respect for songwriters like Cole Porter or the later Bob Dylan, who rarely need them).
It's a good line on its own terms, but of course there's something a bit sketchy about a band referencing its own name in a song like that; it's a form of 'author intrusion.' Ultimately, therefore, I prefer 'fabulously rich.'
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I listened to a lot of live shows back in that day and the SNL performance was the first time I heard that lyric change.
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That is a great interview.
Damn...he may have been an abusive, violent pig, but Ghomeshi sure could run an interview. *Wistful sigh*
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I notice he said "fabulously rich" in Vancouver on Sunday.
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IMHO "Grace Too" holds the #1 spot for best opening track on an album and best opening song at a concert, hands down. Not just The Hip, but EVER, period. The bass line intro just sets an indescribable mood.
Some songs did grow a little stale over the years or overplayed, but this is one track where they could play it 22 times straight at a show and I'd still be happy.
I've always compared it to The Stones "Gimmie Shelter" but only for the reason it has the same affect on me.
