SONG OF THE DAY
“Spoon” by Dave Matthews Band featuring Alanis Morissette on backing vocals and Bela Fleck on banjo (Before These Crowded Streets, RCA Records, 1998). Written by David J. Matthews [I love a good David J.]
WHY TODAY?
This was the song on repeat that I was humming incredibly loud yesterday while strapped face down to the operating room table in a failed attempt to distance myself through song/ meditation from the spinal epidural procedure that was happening for my herniated C5. This was as good a song choice as I good ever make in this situation: easy to hum, easy to hum loudly, very cyclical, easy meditative/ trancy. But it didn’t work. I fidgeted and freaked like the worst of them. They’re gonna have to knock me out next time fo sho, ’cause I injured the nurse with how hard I was squeezing and then she wasn’t nice to me anymore, plus the doctor was all up in here with “Stop moving!”. I can’t help it, the DMB isn’t working!!!!
INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– The song is thought to describe the thoughts of Christ as he is pinned to the crucifix. Throughout the song, Christ contemplates such ideas as whether the human race is worth “saving” and whether his father is God, as he ponders his own existence.
– Dave Matthews used Peter Gabriel’s song “The Passion” as an inspiration for this song.
РThe song features Alanis Morissette on background vocals and B̩la Fleck on the banjo.
– A 1:30 reprise to “The Last Stop” is featured as a hidden track following a minute of silence after the song.
– “Spoon” has been performed live as early as 1997, where it was played acoustically as a solo by Dave Matthews, or an acoustic duet with Tim Reynolds.
– The song debuted live by the band in the summer of 1998; however, drummer Carter Beauford did not perform as he was bothered by a large amount of crickets crawling around the stage. The song was only played two more times that year by the band, and then a handful of times more the following year during acoustic shows by Matthews and Reynolds.
– Since then, the song was not played until late 2003, where it was performed only ten times, lastly on September 14.
– A live performance from 2003 was featured on the pre-order disc for The Central Park Concert.
– 1791 days after being last played, “Spoon” returned on August 9, 2008. The show would later be released as Live Trax Vol. 15 on June 2, 2009.
– It was played again on September 10 at the Stand Up for a Cure concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
– Ingrid Michaelson, who played as the opening act, guested with the band.
– Before These Crowded Streets is the third studio album by Dave Matthews Band.
– It is the last official album by the group to be produced by longtime producer Steve Lillywhite and their first album recorded at The Plant Recording Studios in Sausalito, California.
– The album title is taken from the lyrics of the song “The Dreaming Tree.”
– It is one of only two Dave Matthews Band albums released on vinyl; the other being Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.
– It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts after selling 421,000 units in its first week of release, which in turn knocked off the Titanic soundtrack from the top spot after a run of 16 consecutive weeks at #1.