It seems like creative artists, like actors, singers, playwrights, and so forth, sometimes take an extreme, even visceral dislike to something they have crafted. The reasons why vary. The bottom line is that they often cannot be budged from feeling that way. American Songwriter explains the phenomenon like this.
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"Every musician, no matter how famous or not, seems to have written a song they have grown to despise. It's natural to do so, as taste and talent are ever-changing. This is especially true for arguably the best rhythm guitarist of all time, Bob Weir [of the Grateful Dead]."
What was the Grateful Dead song that turned him off so strongly? It was "Weather Report Suite." (There is a Prelude, Part 1 and Part 2.) The outlet disparagingly referred to it as a "kitschy love song." Maybe Weir felt the same way. Ouch!
Bob Weir Discussed 'Weather Report Suite' At Painful Length
He Wasn't Happy At All With The Final Product
This is how Weir explained his feeling about the song. "The fast part was one of the few times [John Perry Barlow] and I sat and wrote words and music simultaneously. The slow part was written completely separately. I liked the music but it sounded like a love song, which is not my forte."
Maybe it ended up being a bit too sugary for Weir's taste, too un-Deadlike?
Per the outlet, he summed up his critique of the song bluntly. "I always hated what we did." Weir embellished that verdict with this. "Those words couldn't pass my lips without me visibly retching, and I'm not going to do anything that I'm embarrassed about walking into." Okay, Bob, we get it.
Dissecting The Lyrics And Theme Of The Song
Yes, They Are A Little Syrupy But Meaningful, Too
Songtell analyzes the lyrics like this. "The Grateful Dead's 'Weather Report Suite' is a song about the cyclical nature of life and the impermanence of all things...Ultimately, the song is a reminder to both appreciate the beauty of life and to embrace the inevitability of change."
That, to me, is a worthwhile message, whether it's imparted in a song, book, article, whatever. Maybe Bob Weir will mellow out about the song in time after all.
