An interesting, catchy, and very surreal song. It seems to be about how time ("mechanical hands") controls everything, alongside general personal insecurities which I imagine were more remarkable...
An interesting, catchy, and very surreal song.
It seems to be about how time ("mechanical hands") controls everything, alongside general personal insecurities which I imagine were more remarkable in 2005. Because of this, some people have thrown around that the meaning behind the song is that fitting in the proverbial societal box is bad and you will be happier not worrying about that. (Which, again, I imagine would be a lot more surprising and 'brave' in 2005.)
This is an old favorite of mine! There was a time in my life where I actively practiced nailing every word of the rapid fire bridge (and all on one breath too!). If you enjoy this, the rest of the...
This is an old favorite of mine! There was a time in my life where I actively practiced nailing every word of the rapid fire bridge (and all on one breath too!).
If you enjoy this, the rest of the album it’s on, Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum, is also stellar (well, except for maybe “Two Wuv”). Each song has a playful inventiveness to it combined with really solid pop songwriting.
I’ll call attention to “Haiku” specifically as a low-key standout. The premise of the song is that a guy wants to impress a girl at a party, so he tries to write her a meaningful haiku, but he can’t get the words right. Not too noteworthy on its own, but the song is written in groups of three lines with 5, 7, and 6 syllables respectively, representing “failed haikus” since the standard haiku format is commonly understood as being 5-7-5. Basically, the conceit of the lyrics is included structurally in the song, which isn’t something you would necessarily catch on first listen and a nice, cheeky easter egg.
An interesting, catchy, and very surreal song.
It seems to be about how time ("mechanical hands") controls everything, alongside general personal insecurities which I imagine were more remarkable in 2005. Because of this, some people have thrown around that the meaning behind the song is that fitting in the proverbial societal box is bad and you will be happier not worrying about that. (Which, again, I imagine would be a lot more surprising and 'brave' in 2005.)
This is an old favorite of mine! There was a time in my life where I actively practiced nailing every word of the rapid fire bridge (and all on one breath too!).
If you enjoy this, the rest of the album it’s on, Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum, is also stellar (well, except for maybe “Two Wuv”). Each song has a playful inventiveness to it combined with really solid pop songwriting.
I’ll call attention to “Haiku” specifically as a low-key standout. The premise of the song is that a guy wants to impress a girl at a party, so he tries to write her a meaningful haiku, but he can’t get the words right. Not too noteworthy on its own, but the song is written in groups of three lines with 5, 7, and 6 syllables respectively, representing “failed haikus” since the standard haiku format is commonly understood as being 5-7-5. Basically, the conceit of the lyrics is included structurally in the song, which isn’t something you would necessarily catch on first listen and a nice, cheeky easter egg.