Weirdness Flows: The Songs of Dinosaur Jr (41-50)
And so we reach the heady heights of the top 50...
50 Goin Home
Where You Been (1993)
A gentle country-ish lilt, coloured with falsetto backing vocals, delicately picked acoustic and splashes of airy keyboards. It’s melancholy but inspiring in an subtle manner. The disconsolate lyric (‘I can’t get lower… I’ve been beaten’) is rounded off in a resigned yet optimistic tone: ‘People tell me that you miss me / and I guess I'm doin' fine.' The Wild West-themed video is not, perhaps, one their most inspired.
49 Little Fury Things
You're Living All Over Me (1987)
An in-your-face, raucous tornado of an intro gives way to dreamy, languid melody, which in turn morphs into a loose-limbed groove followed by a sprightly passage reminiscent of The Cure, although overall there's more of a Sonic Youth vibe to it (Lee Ranaldo contributes backing vocals). The rest of the song carefully merges these seemingly disparate elements into a satisfyingly cohesive whole. The lyric is deceptively unsettling (‘stuck my hand in / pulled real hard’) and intense (‘sunlight brings the rage right in your eyes.)
48 Centre Of The Universe
B-side to Two Things (2016)
A furiously energetic but melodic punky thrash; also very concise, just making it past the two minute mark. Features a frentic, almost symphonic multi-layered solo and is rounded off by a volley of hi-energy metal chords.
On the label of the 7", the title is given as 'Centre Of The Universe (2016)', presumably because this tune dates back to the mid-80s - there's a recording from The Milestone Club in Charlotte, North Carolina in June 1987 here. An instrumental version also appears on Lou Barlow's Bandcamp page.
47 On The Way
Where You Been (1993)
Impressively, thunderously belligerent with a memorable chorus line and packed with frantic soloing. Not subtle, by any means, but it sure packs a punch.
46 Goin Down
Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not (2016)
The very definition of a crunchy riff, a simple but memorable vocal refrain, Murph on fine, muscular form - Give A Glimpse… certainly hits the ground running with this opener. The skateboard-themed video is simple but endearing.
45 I Ain't Sayin
Where You Been (1993)
Sandwiched between two grandiose, yearning passages of soaring guitar lies a brisk, compact shuffle over which a particularly lively sounding J delivers a rapid-fire lyric that seem to concern the use of intoxicants (‘you're hooked, you just stopped dealin' / don't need walls, you'll need a ceiling / ‘cause you're floatin' off again’). ‘Goin’ Home’ might have been the more obvious choice for the album closer, but this actually makes for a great conclusion.
44 Said The People
Farm (2009)
Given J’s predilection for guitar solos (often of the expansive, meandering variety) and the clear influence of Neil Young on the band’s work, it’s perhaps surprising that so few of the songs on this list (eight, in fact) make it past the six-minute mark. ‘Said The People’ comes in at just under eight minutes, and is the third longest. Its length is partly due to the leisurely tempo, which, combined with the swooping tremolo and timpani flourishes, give it a stately and dramatic air. The chorus is given extra heft by a wall of sustained guitar which floats in the background, acting as a Hammond organ part might. The other factor in its length, of course, is a pair of fluid, lyrical solos, the second of which is especially anthemic.
43 Sure Not Over You
Hand It Over (1997)
What starts out as a tender, fragile acoustic ballad, embellished with twinkly splashes of piano, might have turned out a little lightweight and sickly without a change of pace. Thankfully, just over a minute in, the electric guitar is launched and propels the song into an achingly rousing chorus (‘Gotta all pull it together’). The whole process is repeated, with the second chorus being extended (‘And it's me that's flaking out’) for added emotional weight. Sat in the middle of the two halves is a charmingly lazy little bluesy solo. A beautifully balanced song.
42 Mick
Hand It Over (1997)
There’s a gratifying ebb and flow to ‘Mick’. It starts as a relatively poppy if slightly melancholy country-tinged two-chord lope, but moves through multiple changes in tempo and dynamics, giving it a restless and unpredictable quality.
41 Lost All Day
Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not (2016)
Sometimes it pays not to overcomplicate things. ‘Lost All Day’ is constructed of not much more than a simple arpeggio over which J laments ‘Oh baby, what went wrong… you and me, you and me,’ interspersed with a restrained chug (‘I can’t take myself…’) and a few delicate spots of charming tremolo. It’s rounded off with a typically yearning middle eight (‘on my block…’) and a refined country-tinged solo that weaves its way in and around the arpeggio. It’s a fine example of how J can wring a whole heap of emotion out of a simple line and the band’s knack of crafting a gem out of an uncomplicated song.
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