Does anyone else like Dog Years?

[Schmoo]

Hey Ghostwriter. Thanks for reading my insanely long post!

 

I guess to each his own. I just think the lyrics are clever, and as I have gotten older, the reality of how fast time goes by, and how we waste so much of our lives doing crap we don't want to do, has really hit close to home, and maybe that's why I like this song so much.

[GW2]

I completely understand what you are saying and where you are coming from, but wouldn't you agree that Time Stand Still says the same thing, only better?

[Cygnalschick]

QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ May 15 2006, 10:54 AM)

When I first sampled "Dog years" it went like this: ......... ........... ............ ................ ..........

Good one CT!

 

This song certainly isn't in the top 10 of my favorite Rush tunes (which changes all the time anyway ) , but it has its moments. Honestly, I probably haven't given it enough listens to even know how I really feel about it .

[Schmoo]

QUOTE (GW2 @ May 15 2006, 07:32 PM)

I completely understand what you are saying and where you are coming from, but wouldn't you agree that Time Stand Still says the same thing, only better?

Yes, I agree with that. The lyrics of Dog Years are more clever though, in my opinion.

[KenJennings]

Curious: Aside from Dog Years and Neurotica, does Rush ever curse in thier songs anywhere else?

[R.G]

really interesting post schmoo, definatly put a different light on things, i didn't get the reference to the movie for example, and that really helps understanding, very clever lyrics from neil when you present it like you do. Bravo sir.

[Wandering Hermit]

QUOTE (telegraphcreeklocal @ May 15 2006, 12:12 PM)

QUOTE (SalmonRushGuy @ May 15 2006, 12:29 AM) I love all of Test for Echo. Neil's "Work In Progress" DVD which features Neil discussing his drum parts on the entire album (including "Dog Years") make it a little more special to me. Exactly, man. A Work In Progress shows what Peart was working on for a year and a half, to see and hear the drum parts by it self should enlighten anyone how great Test For Echo is. When Peart starts up he is the best rock drummer in the whole world. Does he hit harder than anyone? Hell yes. I'm not a drummer and I never saw that DVD, so maybe I am a complete idiot on the subject, but the drumming on TFE is, to me, totally unremarkable, by NEP standards.   As opposed to, say, MP, Signals, GUP and PoW, which all amaze me in terms of the drumming every time I listen to them.   What am I missing? Seriously, name a drumming high point of T4E, which song, where in the song, and I will try to listen again with fresh ears.

[R.G]

QUOTE (Wandering Hermit @ May 15 2006, 08:04 PM)

QUOTE (telegraphcreeklocal @ May 15 2006, 12:12 PM) QUOTE (SalmonRushGuy @ May 15 2006, 12:29 AM) I love all of Test for Echo. Neil's "Work In Progress" DVD which features Neil discussing his drum parts on the entire album (including "Dog Years") make it a little more special to me. Exactly, man. A Work In Progress shows what Peart was working on for a year and a half, to see and hear the drum parts by it self should enlighten anyone how great Test For Echo is. When Peart starts up he is the best rock drummer in the whole world. Does he hit harder than anyone? Hell yes. I'm not a drummer and I never saw that DVD, so maybe I am a complete idiot on the subject, but the drumming on TFE is, to me, totally unremarkable, by NEP standards.   As opposed to, say, MP, Signals, GUP and PoW, which all amaze me in terms of the drumming every time I listen to them.   What am I missing? Seriously, name a drumming high point of T4E, which song, where in the song, and I will try to listen again with fresh ears. test for echo for starters, the drumming on that is very remarkable, its alos about his more flowing style on the record and the subtelty of it.

[gaijin97]

QUOTE (Wandering Hermit @ May 15 2006, 03:04 PM)

QUOTE (telegraphcreeklocal @ May 15 2006, 12:12 PM) QUOTE (SalmonRushGuy @ May 15 2006, 12:29 AM) I love all of Test for Echo. Neil's "Work In Progress" DVD which features Neil discussing his drum parts on the entire album (including "Dog Years") make it a little more special to me. Exactly, man. A Work In Progress shows what Peart was working on for a year and a half, to see and hear the drum parts by it self should enlighten anyone how great Test For Echo is. When Peart starts up he is the best rock drummer in the whole world. Does he hit harder than anyone? Hell yes. I'm not a drummer and I never saw that DVD, so maybe I am a complete idiot on the subject, but the drumming on TFE is, to me, totally unremarkable, by NEP standards.   As opposed to, say, MP, Signals, GUP and PoW, which all amaze me in terms of the drumming every time I listen to them.   What am I missing? Seriously, name a drumming high point of T4E, which song, where in the song, and I will try to listen again with fresh ears. I would say that one remarkable aspect of the drumming on TFE is that NP recorded it with a fundamentally different style than what he had used for the prior 20+ years (re: the Freddy Gruber influence). While it may not be so noticeable to me as a listener, as a drummer I think it's pretty impressive.

[Margana]

I agree with GW2 on this one.

I think the word play in Anagram is brilliant and I recognised some of it in Dog Years, particularly "people look to Sirius (too serious) but although the music is great, the words don't seem to fit or they are sometimes clumsy or contrived (tortoise from Galapagos....)

As always, each to their own.

[Cygnalschick]

QUOTE (KenJennings @ May 15 2006, 02:00 PM)

Curious: Aside from Dog Years and Neurotica, does Rush ever curse in thier songs anywhere else?

One of the closest I can think of is in the song Heresy, "All the crap we had to take...."

 

But I don't really consider that much a curse word

[tangy]

QUOTE (Cygnalschick @ May 15 2006, 09:50 PM)

QUOTE (KenJennings @ May 15 2006, 02:00 PM) Curious: Aside from Dog Years and Neurotica, does Rush ever curse in thier songs anywhere else? One of the closest I can think of is in the song Heresy, "All the crap we had to take...."   But I don't really consider that much a curse word   If you want to hear a real curse word from a member of Rush, try " Don't Care" from Victor on for size.   Oh yeah, I for one like dog years and find the song to be more appealing and more relevant the older I get!

[Kudzu]

QUOTE (TheMeek @ May 13 2006, 09:38 PM)

QUOTE (Kudzu @ May 13 2006, 11:22 PM) The lyrics are exceedingly corny. The instrumentation is good, but the lyrics are truly cringeworthy. Same with "Virtuality". I suppose you're one of those people who say the same about the trees? "The Trees" uses a clever metaphor that doesn't involve tortoises from Galapagos or spans of geological time.   "Dog Years"...ehh...not so much.   As for the message, this song says the same thing as "Time Stand Still" and "Available Light", which are both much, much, much better songs, IMO.

[MiriyaB]

QUOTE (Schmoo @ May 15 2006, 02:16 PM)

QUOTE (GW2 @ May 15 2006, 07:32 PM) I completely understand what you are saying and where you are coming from, but wouldn't you agree that Time Stand Still says the same thing, only better? Yes, I agree with that. The lyrics of Dog Years are more clever though, in my opinion. All depends on whether you like your statements heartfelt or humorous: I'm glad Rush can do both!   Time Stand Still and Available Light mean a great deal more to me than Dog Years, but I don't see that as a reason to sneeze at DY and its approach. (And I enjoyed it a lot more once I felt that Neil's tongue was firmly in his cheek for most of the song--c'mon, surely he's having fun when he pens lines about "doggie heaven"!)   And I agree with Kudzu that TSS and AL are "much, much, much better songs"--but that's okay with me! (They're among my favorites, and I can't think of anything on T4E that I like nearly as much as either of 'em.)

[Kudzu]

True enough...after all, look at "Stick It Out" - verging on self-parody, according to the band, which seems accurate enough - and the similarly themed, much older "I Think I'm Going Bald", which was never intended to be taken seriously either.

 

I do think it's a waste of a hell of a rocker though. If only there was an instrumental version...but alas, no.

[Schmoo]

QUOTE (R.G @ May 15 2006, 10:04 PM)

really interesting post schmoo, definatly put a different light on things, i didn't get the reference to the movie for example, and that really helps understanding, very clever lyrics from neil when you present it like you do. Bravo sir.

Thanks!

[LonelyHiker]

QUOTE

Curious: Aside from Dog Years and Neurotica, does Rush ever curse in thier songs anywhere else?

 

Some would consider "christ, what have you done?" from The Pass a curse - aside from that, I honestly can't think of any other instances.

[GW2]

In By-tor, hell is used more as the place than as a curse, so I don't know if you can count it.

 

BTW, since I'm not easily offended, I'd love it if Neil would throw an "f" word in a song on the next album.

 

One thing us Rush fans have never had is a parental advisory sticker on a Rush CD! I think that would be wild! (my apologies to you religious people out there)

[Alph Seeker]

I thnk Schmoo's post on the previous page is spot on. I have always liked 'Dog Years' - contrary to what some think, to me they are some of Neil's best lyrics.

 

If you don't 'get', the lyrics, or don't think Schmoo is accurate, then try turning 40. You'll get it.

 

This raises an interesting paradox. Who is better off? The person who recognizes that 'life is short', or someone who goes through life never even thinking about it? I think the person who is best off is he who appreciates that life is short, but does not lament over it.

[treeduck]

It's not one of their best songs i have to admit, but it's grown on me a little over the years, it's merely weird now...

[defrushfan01]

I like it, but i have to be in a certain mood to listen to it

[goose]

QUOTE (Gemari77 @ May 15 2006, 08:14 AM)

I love Dog Years. I always like it when bands that have an uber serious image, just have fun and get a little goofy on a song or two. The only lyric that I had problems with is the "tortoise from Galapagos..." part. It's like, despite the overall simplistic playful nature of the verses and choruses, Neil couldn't resist being Neil during the bridge--getting overly wordy.

This is exactly how I feel about the song. For me, the lyrics are solid - clever, as others have noted - except for this. It really weakens an otherwise great piece of work.

[telegraphcreeklocal]

QUOTE (gaijin97 @ May 15 2006, 01:18 PM)

QUOTE (Wandering Hermit @ May 15 2006, 03:04 PM) QUOTE (telegraphcreeklocal @ May 15 2006, 12:12 PM) QUOTE (SalmonRushGuy @ May 15 2006, 12:29 AM) I love all of Test for Echo. Neil's "Work In Progress" DVD which features Neil discussing his drum parts on the entire album (including "Dog Years") make it a little more special to me. Exactly, man. A Work In Progress shows what Peart was working on for a year and a half, to see and hear the drum parts by it self should enlighten anyone how great Test For Echo is. When Peart starts up he is the best rock drummer in the whole world. Does he hit harder than anyone? Hell yes. I'm not a drummer and I never saw that DVD, so maybe I am a complete idiot on the subject, but the drumming on TFE is, to me, totally unremarkable, by NEP standards.   As opposed to, say, MP, Signals, GUP and PoW, which all amaze me in terms of the drumming every time I listen to them.   What am I missing? Seriously, name a drumming high point of T4E, which song, where in the song, and I will try to listen again with fresh ears. I would say that one remarkable aspect of the drumming on TFE is that NP recorded it with a fundamentally different style than what he had used for the prior 20+ years (re: the Freddy Gruber influence). While it may not be so noticeable to me as a listener, as a drummer I think it's pretty impressive. The opening of TEST FOR ECHO Pearts cymbals, then his Bass drum onslaught then even more up and down changes flowing and then powerful then flowing again. What a ride!... for drummers, and those that appreciate the subtleties of Pearts drumming and genious. Here we go.... DRIVEN! You've seen it live! IN RIO shows intense drum parts, especially on cymbals. Get the DVD, "A Work In Progress" It may change your mind.

[Earthshine]

Yes I like it. I love dogs too!

 

 

I always wondered (and still do) if parts of this song are a jibe at

Rush Limbaugh. Especially being that in the mid-90's when people said "Rush", they were either talking about our boys (hopefully) or "the other one".

 

For example:

 

"With every scratch it reappears"

 

"For every sad son of a bitch"

" With his tail between his ears"

 

"In a dog's brain

A constant buzz of low-level static

One sniff at the hydrant

And the answer is automatic"

 

"It seems to me

As well make our own few circles 'round the block

We've lost our senses

For the higher-level static of talk"

 

Think about it!

 

[*Limelight*]

After really listening to dog years, it's a great song.

i like it alot.