Talk about a dark horse coming on strong!The visual imagery conjured up by the lyrics of “I Live on a Battlefield” is stunning. But this track from The Distance, by Taylor Hicks, was not a first favorite.
On first listen, “I Live on a Battlefield” has a dark, morose feel from the first dreary drum rolls. Notes are bent all out of shape with “waaaaaahs” from nowhere. It’s a fierce lament of doom, desolation, and devastation…a scene of a vast field strewn with junk…a battlefield with sharp, jagged pieces of bygone love. It’s not the usual image of lost love in musical poetry. It is a dark scene.
“My new home is a shattered field…with tears and muddy waters and yes and bits of a broken heart…all around there is desolation, scenes of a devastation of a love been torn apart…
“I live on a battlefield, waaaaaaaaah…live on a battlefield, waaaaaahh.”
The mental pictures of this piece were so striking that they obscured the musical nuances. Like a shadowy dream you can barely remember but can’t put out of your mind, my first impression of this song was all a blur—a field strewn with debris not distinguishable, but sharp, jagged, and hurtful. I couldn’t get beyond it.
Then I saw Taylor Hicks perform the song and started listening to the sounds and not just the lyrics. The music began to grow on me. Taylor does amazing things with his voice—screams and cries, bending notes that tear through the darkness.
Suddenly, this was the song playing over and over in my head!
“I Live on a Battlefield” is a sensory experience. There is a building rhythm and intensity. After lyrics paint the painful images of destroyed love, suddenly the music takes over and takes off with guns blazing. An angry guitar sends pieces of broken heart flying and a pounding piano beat breaks through the smoke and rubble and you feel things coming together. The music fights back—a rocking band in the middle of the battlefield damning the doom. And if the hearts don’t mend, you forget to care. It is rabid revenge in a war of love.
What is touted as the traditional blues song on the album is what sounds like blues lyrics wrapped up in bent out of shape rock vibes! “Battlefield” struggles from cries of devastation to pounding rhythms and sounds that hang together, even if the hearts don’t!
“I Live on a Battlefield” is a dark delight that wends its way into the mind. It is not a song of the heart but of the senses. The sensual assault of the music and Taylor’s powerful vocals bring this song off a dark battlefield and onto a favorites’ playlist!
If you don’t like “I Live on a Battlefield,” give it a few more turns. Taylor Hicks knew what he was doing with this one.
This dark horse is on the track to stay!
“I Live on a Battlefield” is from Taylor’s album, The Distance, out now on Modern Whomp Records.
The music video for the current single release, “Seven Mile Breakdown,” from The Distance is No. 1 on AOL's “Most Viewed” music video list!
Click on our widget above to watch “Seven Mile Breakdown” on AOL.
Photo courtesy of Gabe Ulloa and Spence Nicholson Productions
Posts
9 comments:
Instrumentation gets me everytime. That is why I always enjoyed "I Live on a Battlefield" so much. Whether done by Nick Lowe & Paul Carrack or covered by Taylor Hicks , this "loveless song" is full of "good vibrations".
Life is a constant battle; why should the quest for love be any different????
Battlefield has been one of my favorites from the beginning. You describe it well, the mournful sounds and then anger at the end.
Loved Battlefield from the start. It takes awhile to absorb the lyrics. His voice just captivates you to going back and relistening each song on the CD. I liked all the songs on the CD from the first I heard them they were all unique sound and easy listening. After having the CD all these months have grown to love each song for its uniqueness and the enjoyment they all bring me.
JI
Thanks, Everyone, for your comments. I'm so glad I gave Battlefield a second chance. I was surprised when it started playing over and over in my head. The Distance album has an amazing variety--the instrumentation, vocals and lyrics. Taylor's vocals go from straightforward on "Maybe You Should" and "Nineteen" to screaming and bending notes on "Battlefield" and "Seven Mile Breakdown!" And there's everything in between.
The Distance is a smart music sensation! Taylor knew what he was doing!
Taylor truly knew what he was doing with 'The Distance'. A taste for everyone.
When I first heard 'I Live On A Battlefied', I did not particularly care for it. But, after listening a second~third~fourth~well, you all know; it became more revealing. At times in our lives, we all take our turn at living on a battlefield.
Taylor always has a way to remove the film from our first impressions so we can view the core of each song clearly.
Great Song on a Great Album!
What an incredibly vivid description for this song - I could HEAR the song in the background of my mind when I read this - KUDOS!
Thanks, hicksfan7. When "Battlefield" became a song of sounds and not only lyrics, I was hooked!
I learned a lesson...don't go by first listens! Music grows on you!
I actually LIKED Battlefield on the first listen, it was "Indescriminate Act.." that left me wondering, but unlike you - when I REALLY listened to the lyrics is when I fell in love with the song...if Tay wasn't so famous I could see him doing something to help someone like the concierge in the song did.
Both songs are so very unique in different ways.
I loved everything about Indiscriminate Act of Kindness. I was so disappointed when my Target didn't have The Distance on drop day! I knew this was the song I was waiting for!
It is great that we have different perspectives on music...sameness is boring!
Thanks for you comments!
Post a Comment