Lethean Mist It's possible that Ghost was this song's "companion" which he mentions in the beginning of the recording. Maybe that gives us a little insight to the meaning behind Ghost.
Possibly Jeff's best song lyrically IMO. It's such an interesting concept, having "the one" die and then being alone in this world forever. Makes me wonder if my "one" was buried in the ground.
"My dream girl don't exist/At the age of 5 she slit her wrist" has to be the most striking opening couplet in all songwriting. I can't think of another that instantly grabs the listener quite like that.
This one is great too: "Penitentiary chances the devil dances, and eventually answers to the call of autumn, all of them falling for the love of balling"
The original lyrics say she worked at a Mcdonalds in Wisconsin. Whoever this guy Jeff loved when he was younger just didn't have enough love or didn't wanna be open about it. Now she's all washed up in Wisconsin, thats how most loves work out sadly(or not so sadly). Don't forget art. This guy's art was lost until about a few years ago, now its one of the most inspirational albums ever
Chase Wellman I looked into it and well I dong quite know what is guy is on about but I found that he’s referencing a version of this song on the “invent yourself a shortcake” demos, which does in fact mention his dream girl working at a McDonald’s in Madison Wisconsin
From the original version of the song: My dream girl don't exist She's working at a McDonald's in Madison, Wisconsin She could've been cool but the system got to her She forgot about art and just flips hamburgers
My dream girl don't exist And at the age of five she slit her wrist She didn't know that I'd be hanging around So her parents buried her in the ground And this day I can still hear the sound Of a life in outer space My dream girl don't exist It just you and I and this TV And this illness seems to feel so strange Like a henchman that's about to hang The moon up like a ball and chain And set its sands ablaze And the weight is waiting off Feel the world so real and strong My dream girl don't exist Just a photograph in a history book And I believe she had a voice and name Three children on the coast of Maine And her life was in a hurricane Of love and real embrace My dream girl don't exist And at the age of five she slit her wrist She didn't know that I'd be hanging around So one day she took a stroll to town And walked in front of a greyhound bound For New York Central State And the weight is waiting off And the weight is waiting off Feel the world so real and strong She goes, and now she knows She'll never be afraid
Rabid dog erections painted for the Fourth of July. Your aunt dressed in a child’s onesie, waiting at a truck stop restroom. And McDonald’s just ran out of soft serve.
One time in 2006 two of my friends sang this and When I Come Around by Green Day at the same time and that's been stuck in my head non-stop for 14 years.
You're all pretty daft for fighting over who stole what, this songs has the same exact four chords as: Don't stop believin' - Journey, Glycerine - Bush, When I come around - Green Day, Let it be - The Beatles, Soul to squeeze - Red hot Chili Peppers, Dammit - Blink 182, Self Esteem - Offspring, and a bunch of others. If you want to get technical, everyone stole it from Pachbells Cannon in D.
Even more abstract, the chord progression isn't owned by anyone. It's a set of notes. Ownership of music besides a recording or full composition is dubious.
I hate to be the well actually guy, but, so as not to confuse people who are learning to hear harmony, I wanted to point out that none of the songs listed have the same chord progression as Pacobel's Canon in D. Two contemporary rock songs that I can recall which do contain the Canon chord progression are Basketcase by Green Day and Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying by Belle and Sebastian, but I'm sure there are many, many other examples. (Even Basketcase has one minor difference at the end. Canon: [I V] [vi iii] [IV I] [IV V] Basketcase: [I V] [vi iii] [IV I] [V V] "The Four Chord Song": [I V] [vi IV] ...) Your point, though, is spot on. It is curious to me how often this particular sequence of four chords is pointed out as being frequently used, when the chord progressions of the majority of rock songs are extremely common within that genre. There's a lot more that distinguishes a rock song than just the chord progression (to listeners of the genre, anyway. I imagine to someone who has only heard avante-garde jazz and twentieth-century classical music for their entire life, this fact might make many rock songs sound very similar.)
How can anyone think Jeff magnum was not incredibly innovative in his singing style? He has a voice that, sure takes some getting used to, but its so incredibly powerful. If you can't respect that then you don't understand music. Even if you don't like his music you have to appreciate his talent.
Jeff claims he doesn't write anymore because he already said all he had that was worth saying. I wonder if that's possible, and how can someone get that realisation. I'm not an artist at all, I'm a numbers person, but I admire art passionately (maybe because it's magical, mystical to me). How does a poet comes to the conclusion that the body of his work is complete?
Well, usually people who make art of Jeff’s caliber do so because they have a sort of need to express themselves. When they feel like they’ve finally put a certain feeling or idea into song form in the best way they could have, they can finally let go of part of the feeling that inspired them to write the song. Once that happens, the thing that drove you to make art in the first place is gone, and you don’t see a need to make anything anymore. It’s something like closure, I think.
I don't know about realizing you're entire work is finished but I once suddenly realized I should end a story I was writing for English class. You see, I was sitting there, 20 pages in, when suddenly it hit me: a ruler the teacher threw because she was reading more than what I had already written.
Most awesome comment I've personally ever seen on RU-vid. The original comment was ten years ago, and odds are, this gentleman is no longer with us. But, he's one of my new role models! I want to be discovering music that's new to me at age 90, learning new things, engaging in my life's passions! My best friend's aunt just passed away at age almost 82, and only six months ago, this fine lady had more energy than all of us who knew her combined. Running circles around all of us. Another role model. Age in many ways doesn't necessarily mean what society makes it out to be.
My dream girl did exist, and I got to be with her on and off for 7 years. She died from heroin on February 13th this year. It really hurts my goodness gracious I'm gonna die and be reborn or something if this PAIN keeps up. Send help all ye ascended healers I really need it thanks
Found this song when I was feeling super crappy. It's so sad and lonely, but I feel like it gives others hope. Like, you have a dream girl/guy so you should stay around until you meet them.
right. and in a way that's what i LOVE about this song, because i was a huge green day fan back in jr high, so when i first heard these chords, i expected that song to pop up in my ears, but instead he's riding the same chords in a totally different way and i think that's really beautiful. i think that's the whole thing about what makes art so special. we all take the same tools and make totally different things with them. so there, youtube! yeahh.. lol
Thanks for the upload, another amazing, inspiring, moving, uplifting, thought provoking simply brilliant tune from the one and only neutral milk hotel :)
[Verse 1] My dream girl don't exist At the age of five she slit her wrist She didn't know that I'd be hanging around So her parents buried her in the ground And this day I can still hear the sound Of a life in outer space [Verse 2] My dream girl don't exist Just you and I and this TV And this illness seems to feel so strange Like a henchman that's about to hang The moon up like a ball and chain And set the sands ablaze [Chorus] And the weight is waiting on Feel the world so real and strong [Verse 3] My dream girl don't exist Took her photograph from a history book I believe she had a voice and name Three children on the coast of Maine Her life was in a hurricane Of love and real embrace [Verse 4] My dream girl don't exist At the age of five she slit her wrist She didn't know that I'd be hanging around So one day she took a stroll to town And walked in front of a Greyhound bound For New York central state [Chorus] And the weight is waiting on And the weight is waiting on Feel the world so real and strong She goes and now she knows she'll never be afraid
I feel like it's Holland 1945. In that song it says "The only girl I've ever loved was born with roses in her eyes. but then they buried her alive One evening 1945 with just her sister at her side". I think those lyrics are probably the most relevant to this song
+refineries147 Sorry I don't know what I was getting at when I posted that. And you are right, though I've only been kissed by a boy so far, but it was ok, slightly real-feeling.
This was out in 91. When I Come Around was out in 93. So no, it was not, in fact, taken from Green Day. I can pretty much assure you Jeff has no clue who Green day is. And even if he did, he wouldn't give two shits about them, and even less think to take one of their riffs. Just because someone made something popular, doesn't mean they were the first to do it.
holy shit you mean to tell me that 2 people out of 7 billion somehow came up with the same chord progression? thats just statistically impossible. Just like the probability that Im being sarcastic. thats right, nonexistant
The Chord progression might be similar to When I Come Around, but Boulevard of Broken Dreams has similar chord progression to Wonderwall, and in turn Noel Gallagher of Oasis has plagiarized many tunes and put them in his songs. The Cycle will go on forever
I think this song is about his fasination with Anne Frank. How he's creating this narrative around her life from the little information we have about her. And with this narrative he comes to the conclusion that she isn't what he believe's she is and no women is. He'll never find that girl that he feels he has a connection with. On the other hand is Jeff Mangum so it could just be jibberish...
So for those above if this song was written 91-93, wasn't Green Days "when i come around" released in 1994? however i agree that the chord progression is common but perhaps Green Day have been influenced here??
no there's another version where he talks about a girl he likes just stop caring about him and his passion to instead work at McDonald's and become just like everyone else
This seems like it was made before The King of Carrot Flowers Part 1 was finalized on In the Aeroplane... Similar chords, lyrics, and the exact same outro.
@airbreathingengine Thanks for sharing that. By horrible coincidence, I've been supporting my wife's sister who has been battling a brain tumor for the last two years. Through your story, NMH will now be forever linked to that for me.
I'm pretty sure that he means it simply just won't come out because he doesn't plan to release it, not because it sounds like Green Day. Plus, a ton of songs have the same chords because there are only so many. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea has the same progression as Flowers in December by Mazzy Star, for example.
I get it. I was just trying to make an apt comment on a depressing song that references suicide. talking about it and being open about self harm is something that I think needs to be encouraged. In sarcastic and snarky ways and in serious ways as well. hang in there maze walker. I simply love Jeff's voice and the body of his work. it's all very dark, so I hope my initial comment wasn't too off color.
Hey Green Day fans -- this song came out in 1991. Dookie was released in 1993. I know you all were listening to Dookie back when you played with Pogs, and you didn't hear anything by Neutral Milk Hotel until your freshman year in college when you were trying to broaden your musical taste in hopes of scoring with that hot indie chick in residence who didn't think you were cool enough, but that doesn't mean there's any way Jeff Mangum could have heard a song that hadn't come out yet.
xxxWolFangxxx I tend to take Mangum's lyrics at close to face value. For me, it's a reflection on how, if everyone has their one true soulmate, chances are that soulmate isn't alive at the same time as them. They could have been born at the same time as you but died or committed suicide since then, or they could have been born a hundred years ago. The illness that seems to feel so strange is depression, I think, and the moon up like a ball and chain evokes the idea of imprisonment. The time and space in which you live is a limit to what you can do, and who you meet.
Elliott Johnson What a great interpretation! Thanks for taking the time to answer. I think you may be correct, though I think the only person who can truly understand Mangum's lyrics is the man himself haha :P
@@zoedixon2344 oh absolutely, their best album is In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, but dont get me wrong On Avery Island has some bangers too. Let me know what you think after you listen some more!
+Dillon Willliams and "aeroplane..." uses the I vi IV V progression -- aka the chord progression for every doo wop song in the 50's. we only got so many chords, it's all about what you do with them.
+Billiam Anonymous My music theory might be a bit rusty, but this is how it works: If your song is in the key of, let's say, C, then your chord #1 would be notes C, E and G. Chord #2 would be D, F and A, and so on forth that key. The way you figure out your chords based on your key is this way: whatever key you're in, that's gonna be where you start your chord #1 or I, and then the second key on that first chords is gonna be 4 half steps higher from that first note (in a piano, one half step would just mean moving over one key) and the to figure out the third note you move 3 half steps higher. A I V vi IV (1, 5, 6, 4) chord progression would mean just that. Playing those chords accordingly, which A LOT of pop songs use. Given, you could make things more interesting by inverting chords (instead of playing C E G, you would play G, C, E, with the G being an octave lower which would make it a first inversion), you could make some of those chords 7th chords etc.
The first version of this song that I'm aware of is from Invent Yourself a Shortcake (1991), predating When I come around by years. but the chord progression is very similar (and pretty common)
a mechanic riding a flying toilet jumped in my room singing this i just said sorry pal but mudhoney's outta honey n full'o mudriiiiiiide so burn it clean bud
