Friday, May 21, 2010

Some Songs Are That Good: For You

I was up late one night feeling restless. Figured I'd peruse the ol' instant play Netflix cue and came across "You're Gonna Miss Me", a documentary about the legendary Roky Erickson.

Can't say the movie offered me a pleasant close to my night, but it was definitely worth watching. Given the content, and if you know anything about Roky's life, then prepare yourself for an all out bummer. I didn't know the whole story and after watching this felt all the more saddened by the hard luck that eclipsed such an amazing talent. Nevertheless it was a decently made film and sheds some light on the personal aspects of Roky's life.

My favorite moment of the film is a short live clip of Roky playing what seems to be a newly written song in the 80's, a time when Roky was living with his mother, who happens to be the one behind the shaky hand held camera. The song is called "For You".

If you wanna see a picture of a ghost and/or hear what a completely broken man sounds like then have a look below. After seeing this my heart didn't just break... it completely imploded.


The song is about as simplistic as a song can be. Universal in it's basic sentiment. His voice is so beautiful, quavering like a less confident Buddy Holly. A hopeless ode to an unrequited love. What really freaks me out is how the shots are spliced to seem like the song is about his mother!? That's her portrait hanging on the wall. At the end of the song he looks straight at the camera with the saddest eyes and a half smile. "How ya like it, huh?"

Like isn't really the word I was looking for.

I'm not sure what album this song comes from. I know there is a fully realized studio version, though I don't think it could compare with this. What could?

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