13: sixteen blue-- the replacements

two minneapolis bands from the same time period back-to-back. good planning. this was the first of the two minnesota bands to catch my eye (ear). the replacements album 'let it be' was a pretty big deal to me, though i am not exactly sure what inspired me to purchase it. but i'm glad i did. i thought it was a good mix of pop and rock and punk. the music was witty and very endearing in how it was so adolescent. i remember thinking that if i had a band and made an album, it would be a lot like this.

i, coincidentally, first heard this song at the age of sixteen, which may explain why i connected so strongly with it. at that time in my life, it just made sense. i remember thinking, yes, everything does "drag and drag" as paul westerberg sang that it did. the lyrics were nothing complicated but they seemed so confessional and seemed to strike on something that reached beyond one person's experience that i believed every word. westerberg's voice flawlessly carried the forlorn frustration that often accompanies those teenage years. then came the guitar solo. it sliced, screeched and while not very complex, it is probably the most beautiful solo i've ever heard. its tone and power serve as perfect complements to the rest of the song.

this song resonated with me because it captured what i was thinking at the time. it seemed to be the logical conclusion of the bottled up rage and angst that comes with adolescence. this song made me consider what makes people write music. what drives people to express themselves. it also made me seek out more music that really got at what i was thinking at the time-- something that has been a part of my understanding of music ever since.