Across the Sea: Difference between revisions
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"Across the Sea" is generally considered a fan favorite. It is the midway segment between ''Pinkerton'''s first half (the dropped ''[[Songs from the Black Hole]]'' material), its second half, the material written at Harvard. Cuomo remarked: "When I got the letter, I fell in love with her. It was such a great letter. I was very lonely at the time, but at the same time I was very depressed that I would never meet her. Even if I did see her, she was probably some fourteen-year-old girl, who didn't speak English." The song was written about a letter that Rivers received from a Japanese fan girl. In many ways, "Across the Sea" is symbolic. | "Across the Sea" is generally considered a fan favorite. It is the midway segment between ''Pinkerton'''s first half (the dropped ''[[Songs from the Black Hole]]'' material), its second half, the material written at Harvard. Cuomo remarked: "When I got the letter, I fell in love with her. It was such a great letter. I was very lonely at the time, but at the same time I was very depressed that I would never meet her. Even if I did see her, she was probably some fourteen-year-old girl, who didn't speak English." The song was written about a letter that Rivers received from a Japanese fan girl. In many ways, "Across the Sea" is symbolic. | ||
The first reason, is because, as mentioned above, "Across the Sea" represents the median between an album that can be considered two parts: hypothetical angst (part 1) and narrative angst (part 2). Much like it's placement in the album, ''Pinkerton'' also was the turning point (as Karl recalled) in ''Pinkerton' | The first reason, is because, as mentioned above, "Across the Sea" represents the median between an album that can be considered two parts: hypothetical angst (part 1) and narrative angst (part 2). Much like it's placement in the album, ''Pinkerton'' also was the turning point (as Karl recalled) in ''Pinkerton'''s development. When Rivers wrote "Across the Sea", it was when he began to scrap the concept of the Black Hole. Likewise, it ended Rivers' period of intense writers block. This is represented by the 20 intro piano/clarinet intro before the distorted F# chord comes in, which is assumed by many to be the symbolism of Rivers opening the letter. | ||
In the first verse, Rivers reportedly describes the letter almost verbatim. So close, in fact, that the girl who wrote the letter gets royalties. The song is one of the more personal of all the album. In the chorus, Rivers reveals his obsession with the letter. Being so distraught at Harvard, and so lonely, Rivers exclaims, "I need help and you're way across the sea." Each chorus ends with the phrase "I've got your letter, you've got my song." | In the first verse, Rivers reportedly describes the letter almost verbatim. So close, in fact, that the girl who wrote the letter gets royalties. The song is one of the more personal of all the album. In the chorus, Rivers reveals his obsession with the letter. Being so distraught at Harvard, and so lonely, Rivers exclaims, "I need help and you're way across the sea." Each chorus ends with the phrase "I've got your letter, you've got my song." |