Each day in November, I’m revisiting a song from the 90’s — a decade that was a sorta coming of age for me. In that span, I experienced high school, college and my time as a young single guy in New York City. It was a decade of ups and downs, and the music never stopped playing during that span. It was always there with me. #30DaysOf90sSongs
Based on their body of work, the Pixies and Nirvana are true masters of quiet-loud-quiet dynamics. But I would argue that Live belongs right up there in the discussion of bands who did it best. Practically the entire Throwing Copper album was a quiet-loud-quiet clinic. It was not only a great recording, it was also a great tour, as the band truly thrived in the live setting. When I saw them on the Throwing Copper tour, I was enthralled by these slow hushes that erupted into these fits. One of the songs that pulled it off most naturally was “All Over You”.
This song would practically lull you in the verses with those soft guitar arpeggios and high hat hits. But before you knew it, it flew into high gear in the chorus. Chad Taylor turned a simple chord progression into an ass-kicking guitar riff. Ed Kowalczyk sang like a Michael Stipe with some serious anger management issues. “All Over You” just had this intensity to it, making those quiet, brief lulls a seemingly necessary respite before going back into the chorus and getting our minds blown once again.
“Our love is like water.”