“My Wife and My Dead Wife”
by Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians
6 thoughts on “VOLUME 11.3.1”
AM – When this song came out back it the day, it was an instant hit. I would consider her more on the pop side but I picked up the album anyway. it was top shelf. unfortunately for me now, these songs were so overplayed, by the radio, by my sisters, by my friends and by me. I have no desire to ever listen to this album again… that aside, it was one damn good album at the time.
RB & the EG – Uh? What? interesting. a pop rock? version of the Dead Milkmen? never heard of the band before.
Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know
This song is kinda spit out vinegar. I can get tired of the staccato vocals, but there’s enough here for me to warm back up to – after all, the track is pretty familiar. Some nice bass – a bit buried? Maybe not. A good one.
Robyn Hitchcock – My Wife and My Dead Wife
I’m a long time fan – finding songs like Balloon Man ever endearing.
Poppy little tune with quirky lyrics and a voice that perhaps takes a little getting used to.
Little details in the lyric like the living wife not taking sugar help paint this strange portrait.
Bouncy bass and a little tickle of percussion added – sounding a little “bony” – are the icing on a taught, tangy cake.
“You Oughta Know”/ Alanis M. Uber-90s, no? Alanis is just a smidge bitter on this one. Sorry to bother you at dinner … about totally fucking up my life! Jagged little pill indeed. Holds up pretty well, though as much for the way it reps an era of pop as on its own merits as a track, if that makes any sense.
“My Wife and My Dead Wife” / Robyn Hitchcock etc. Quite an original, is our Robyn. (I saw him perform once, way back in the late 80s, and recall enjoying his surreal between song patter as much as I did the tunes.) “Quirky” does not begin to describe his perspective. So here, is he a remarried widower haunted by his first spouse? A married man imagining his wife dead even as he carries on a relationship with her living incarnation? Are both the wife and the dead wife imaginary? Does it even matter? In any case, neither the theremin, nor the vibes, can confirm the truth, only accompany us on this idiosyncratic ride.
Alanis- Interesting to revisit this song. Obviously it was a massive hit and radio staple gaining some notoriety for its lewd content, radio censoring and mystery man (who was later to be revealed as Full House alum Dave Coulier; the mystery was also the subject of a funny Curb Your Enthusiasm episode).
On relistening, there is lots of god stuff here. Super tremelo guitar in the chorus (almost How Soon is Nowish) and powerful drumming contrasted with the laid back groove in the middle—courtesy of Taylor Hawkins who later shows up as the Foo Fighters drummer. The song is really about Alanis’ voice which I still find moderately annoying. The occasional witty and crafted lyrics and phrasing (“Mr. Du-plicity”) is only occasional for me as most of the time I find her phrasing laborious which hampers my enjoyment. She definitely puts forth an energetic and even raw performance though I think if it came up on the radio, I’d switch channels before the end of the song.
Robyn- Hmmm. A weird, supernatural, cheeky ditty from Robyn Hitchcock….whoda thought? He definitely has a way with this type of song. It is a worthy vehicle for his voice, in a register that screams novelty. It is a nice little ride and he kicks it into a higher gear in the third act where things turn a little darker.
“My Wife and My Dead Wife”by Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians: That was a strange song indeed. You got to love Robyn Hitchcock. Always takes you on a journey with a xylophone and a theremin sound at the end too.
“You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette – Ah, yes. Jagged Little Pill. Most of the obvious comment have already been made!
This album was a mid-90’s phenomenon and you can’t deny it’s potency. While your average listener will be quick to point out her hits – if you haven’t given her most recent album, “Such Pretty Forks in the Road” released last year a spin yet – please do.
“My Wife and My Dead Wife” by Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – Brit Pop/Rock? I can’t help but compare it to Eric Idle or anyone in the Monty Python camp… But mostly Eric Idle. From the album “Fegmania!” released in 1985. Totally agree with the comments above. Very creative usage of the xylophone. However, that fade at the 4:20 minute marker leads the listener to believe that something spectacular is about to happen?
AM – When this song came out back it the day, it was an instant hit. I would consider her more on the pop side but I picked up the album anyway. it was top shelf. unfortunately for me now, these songs were so overplayed, by the radio, by my sisters, by my friends and by me. I have no desire to ever listen to this album again… that aside, it was one damn good album at the time.
RB & the EG – Uh? What? interesting. a pop rock? version of the Dead Milkmen? never heard of the band before.
Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know
This song is kinda spit out vinegar. I can get tired of the staccato vocals, but there’s enough here for me to warm back up to – after all, the track is pretty familiar. Some nice bass – a bit buried? Maybe not. A good one.
Robyn Hitchcock – My Wife and My Dead Wife
I’m a long time fan – finding songs like Balloon Man ever endearing.
Poppy little tune with quirky lyrics and a voice that perhaps takes a little getting used to.
Little details in the lyric like the living wife not taking sugar help paint this strange portrait.
Bouncy bass and a little tickle of percussion added – sounding a little “bony” – are the icing on a taught, tangy cake.
“You Oughta Know”/ Alanis M. Uber-90s, no? Alanis is just a smidge bitter on this one. Sorry to bother you at dinner … about totally fucking up my life! Jagged little pill indeed. Holds up pretty well, though as much for the way it reps an era of pop as on its own merits as a track, if that makes any sense.
“My Wife and My Dead Wife” / Robyn Hitchcock etc. Quite an original, is our Robyn. (I saw him perform once, way back in the late 80s, and recall enjoying his surreal between song patter as much as I did the tunes.) “Quirky” does not begin to describe his perspective. So here, is he a remarried widower haunted by his first spouse? A married man imagining his wife dead even as he carries on a relationship with her living incarnation? Are both the wife and the dead wife imaginary? Does it even matter? In any case, neither the theremin, nor the vibes, can confirm the truth, only accompany us on this idiosyncratic ride.
Alanis- Interesting to revisit this song. Obviously it was a massive hit and radio staple gaining some notoriety for its lewd content, radio censoring and mystery man (who was later to be revealed as Full House alum Dave Coulier; the mystery was also the subject of a funny Curb Your Enthusiasm episode).
On relistening, there is lots of god stuff here. Super tremelo guitar in the chorus (almost How Soon is Nowish) and powerful drumming contrasted with the laid back groove in the middle—courtesy of Taylor Hawkins who later shows up as the Foo Fighters drummer. The song is really about Alanis’ voice which I still find moderately annoying. The occasional witty and crafted lyrics and phrasing (“Mr. Du-plicity”) is only occasional for me as most of the time I find her phrasing laborious which hampers my enjoyment. She definitely puts forth an energetic and even raw performance though I think if it came up on the radio, I’d switch channels before the end of the song.
Robyn- Hmmm. A weird, supernatural, cheeky ditty from Robyn Hitchcock….whoda thought? He definitely has a way with this type of song. It is a worthy vehicle for his voice, in a register that screams novelty. It is a nice little ride and he kicks it into a higher gear in the third act where things turn a little darker.
“My Wife and My Dead Wife”by Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians: That was a strange song indeed. You got to love Robyn Hitchcock. Always takes you on a journey with a xylophone and a theremin sound at the end too.
“You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette – Ah, yes. Jagged Little Pill. Most of the obvious comment have already been made!
This album was a mid-90’s phenomenon and you can’t deny it’s potency. While your average listener will be quick to point out her hits – if you haven’t given her most recent album, “Such Pretty Forks in the Road” released last year a spin yet – please do.
“My Wife and My Dead Wife” by Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – Brit Pop/Rock? I can’t help but compare it to Eric Idle or anyone in the Monty Python camp… But mostly Eric Idle. From the album “Fegmania!” released in 1985. Totally agree with the comments above. Very creative usage of the xylophone. However, that fade at the 4:20 minute marker leads the listener to believe that something spectacular is about to happen?