The Shrine of Dig represents music that has made indelible impressions on our lives, both musically and personally. We plan to enshrine works and artists that stand out for any number of special reasons, from those glorious moments we first heard something captivating and new, through the continuous impacts of the music upon our lives. The induction ceremony involves multiple posts where we will both explore and pay tribute to the words and sounds which have been so important to us. In doing so, we share with you some music we believe is damn near infallible and absolutely worth listening to. View all
Pavement – Shady Lane
The Shrine of Dig represents music that has made indelible impressions on our lives, both musically and personally. We plan to enshrine works and artists that stand out for any number of special reasons, from those glorious moments we first heard something captivating and new, through the continuous impacts of the music upon our lives. The induction ceremony involves multiple posts where we will both explore and pay tribute to the words and sounds which have been so important to us. In doing so, we share with you some music we believe is damn near infallible and absolutely worth listening to.
I have mentioned several times this week that one of my favorite things about Pavement is their lyrics. "Shady Lane," from the album Brighten the Corners, has some real gems.
The music is great too. It emphasizes a simple but memorable guitar part that occasionally corresponds to the vocal melody and repeats itself over and over like "Here," and has that mysterious, wistful mood that draws in a listener emotionally like "Gold Soundz." The song has a very compact structure that takes us on a journey, one which ends all too quickly. I know that's made me put this on repeat a time or fifty.
This is one of the rarer Pavement songs that blend a more coherent approach to the narrative with the usual non sequiter, stream of conscious wordplay. I call this Stephen Malkmus short story songwriting. Another great example of this type of song is "Ed Ames" from the Slanted and Enchanted reissue. The verses of "Shady Lane" are ostensibly about a fighting couple. For instance, take a particular line I love at the end of the second verse: "Tell me off in the hotel lobby right in front of all the bellboys and the over-friendly concierge." It is vividly detailed, as is the meal of "oysters and dry lancers," after which the couple went "dutch (dutch, dutch dutch)."
However, I think it's a mistake to assume there is only one single story to be interpreted and that all the other lines must somehow fit this theme. Yes, maybe "You're so beautiful to look at when you cry" could, but it is also stunning on its own. The cleverness of "A redder shade of neck on a whiter shade of trash" totally blew my mind when I first heard it. Maybe that prevents me from wanting to piece it into a larger narrative framework, but maybe it's just meant to be a witty way to describe a hick. It may not even be the coolest lyric in the song, because you cannot count out "You've been chosen as an extra in the movie adaptation to the sequel of your life." Gets me every time. A salute to your creativity, Stephen Malkmus.
Ambiguity gets brought home in the chorus, when the article before shady lane goes from "my" to "your, his, her, everybody," and more so with the notion of wanting (and needing) a shady lane. The very idea of this to me is completely open to interpretation. Only we know if the shade is foreboding or comforting, and where the road leads towards or where it has come from.
Regardless of what I, you, him, her, or anyone (see what I did there?) thinks the song might mean, its greatness is universal. Have a listen.