Mon Aug 06, 2007 10:27 pm
Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:53 pm
Sun Aug 17, 2008 1:02 am
Sat Jan 10, 2009 4:23 am
Sat Jan 10, 2009 5:33 am
One of my favorite albums that Elvis ever did, and my absolute favorite studio FTD.
Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:36 am
Cryogenic wrote:Even though I can sympathise with where it's coming from, I don't quite agree with the criticism for "Girl Next Door Went A Walkin'". I implore everyone to give this a closer listen. Wrapped up in this superficially sweet ballad is a savage piece of criticism. Elvis takes a relatively ordinary -- though, even in its pregant state, by no means meagre song -- and, backed and spurred on by that incredible band and personal thirst of his, transforms it into social protest. Or does he? Listen to the way he allows his baritone voice to sound fatigued and exasperated, especially on the line: "Settle down to life." He drags out the word "life" so it sounds more like: "liffffffe". The "fffff" sound conjures images of the singer turning away in a mix of distaste and sarcasm. He cannot believe that such a young woman -- the eponymous "girl next door" -- has gone off and gotten locked into a marriage so soon. Hasn't she paid attention to the rock 'n roll revolution -- *the* social revolution of the time (paving the way for others) -- that he has spearheaded? Hasn't she learnt anything from what's been happening around her? Indeed, the song ends with the line, "Settle down to life," where Elvis bears all his disdain, crystallising the record's theme, recited four times.
I really like "Girl Next Door Went A'Walkin". Another interesting feature -- again, in that all-important line -- is Elvis' ambiguity with the actual wording: is it, "Settle down for life," or, "Settle down to life"? Elvis seems to opt for the latter, but it's hard to say. The latter seems to carry greater irony -- how does one settle down "to" life? Does that even mean anything at all? Is it as meaningless as a rushed marriage? Of course, this girl may truly love "the boy she likes". The onus may be on the singer himself: he is the one "surprise[d]" that the girl thought that love was "paradise". Perhaps this has nothing to do with social criticism; perhaps the singer and the girl are merely different people. Perhaps we're only getting the biased interpretation of the singer's own appraisal of the situation. In any case, there is a frustrated idealism at stake here. Some of that same frustrated idealism and skewed perspective on marriage would come back to haunt Elvis later on. This song is more important to the culture of the time and the life of EP than it's credited for. Afterall, a piece's relevancy to culture and the artist is our compass for great music -- and I submit, without recourse to irony, that "Girl Next Door Went A Walkin'" is a great song on a great album.
Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:57 pm
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