Skip to main content

The Posies - Definite Door

Definite Door is the Posies' final single from 1994's Frosting On The Beater. With it's psychedelic and fatalistic lyrics, matched with sugary sweet grunge guitars, the song stirs up a mix of somber, yet mystical bliss. It is the pinnacle of power-pop meets grunge.

The Posies, like Nirvana were part of the 90s Seattle music scene. Since Kurt Cobain died on April 8, 1994 and Definite Door was released shortly after (April 27), we can rule out the idea that the band was directly addressing Cobain's suicide. Music journalists at the time perceived the song as a statement of psychedelic escapism. Still, with lyrics like

"Say goodbye to your friends and family
Pack your promises silently
Funny how they forget to tell you
This is all you will ever be"

it's easy to interpret the song as a commentary on suicide's power to eclipse all of our memories of one's lifetime. Ultimately, there is no literal meaning provided for this tune. We are left to piece it together for ourselves.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Trending Tracks

Väsen - Björkbergspolskan

The deep freeze of winter has settled in. This morning, I poured a cup of coffee and took in the sight of the sun's lazy ascent through the surrounding woods. The temperature outside read -4º Fahrenheit. Bone chilling and stunningly gorgeous. I sat in silence. Eventually I began to brainstorm music to accompany the scene. As we venture into late December, the sounds of Celtic and Nordic folk music tend to make their way into my daily mix. Wintry landscapes go especially well with Sweden's Väsen, a folk trio that prominently features the nyckelharpa. This song, Björkbergspolskan, highlights the instrument's power. Like a cross between the hurdy gurdy and a fiddle, it creates an ancestral tone that stirs the Viking in my blood. This one's for you Great, Great, Great Grandmother Wiklund. Nyckelharpa
Post a Comment
Read more

Badfinger - No Matter What

Power pop bands could be ugly, short or totally forgettable. But, they always had good hair. It was an unspoken prerequisite for the genre - as much as the chiming guitars, harmonies and poppy lyrics. Simply put, I love Badfinger's hair. I picked up their greatest hits for a buck at my local thrift store last summer on the basis of the band's hairstyles. 23 songs. I was like, "O.k. I'm gonna become a massive Badfinger fan, dammit!" In the end, it came down to three for me: "Come and Get It", "Day After Day" and "No Matter What." These are as good as any pop songs ever written. "Without You," later made famous by Harry Nilsson ain't too shabby, neither. Badfinger were the first band signed to the Beatles' Apple Records in 1968. "No Matter What," released in 1970, reached number 8 in the U.S. and number five in the U.K. It was originally rejected as a single by the label. What were they thinking? The tune...
Post a Comment
Read more