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Certain Songs #2171: Screaming Trees – “Sworn and Broken”

August 27, 2021 by Jim Connelly

Album: Dust
Year: 1996

. . .

But after putting out six albums and six EPs between 1986-1992, it took four long years for Screaming Trees to return with another album, 1996’s Dust. And by 1996, the situation was totally different for grunge-identified bands, most of whom had either become massive stars; massive drug addicts, and in a lot of cases, both.

Had Dust came out in 1993, perhaps Screaming Trees could have capitalized on the momentum from “Nearly Lost You” and the post-cinema coattales of Singles. But it came out in 1996, and nobody gave a shit, though it did chart slightly higher — 134 to 141 — than Sweet Oblivion, it’s been consigned to the same pre-and-post Oblivion oblivion that the rest of their catalog has.

And so, Dust was definitely had all of the earmarks of a breakup album — a long gestation, aborted early sessions with a different producer, all-star guest stars — but it was still a pretty good record, and its best song was up there with “I Nearly Lost You” for me.

I’m talking about “Sworn and Broken,” an absolutely massive power ballad they released as the final single for the record. Starting off with just Mark Lanegan singing over a quiet Barrett Martin drum beat, Gary Lee Conner acoustic guitar and Martin doubling on cello, “Sworn and Broken” is gorgeous from the start.

Winter’s setting in again
And it feels like the end is near
Sense a sense I ain’t had in long
Watching the seconds passing by

Come January, I swear this world
Won’t be the one that we once lived on
Took an oath for a promise sworn and broken
All that’s gone away

“Sworn & Broken” starts building with that first chorus, backing vocalist Chris Goss (from Masters of Reality) — which I’m assuming because he’s credited — swelling in the background, as Martins cello swirls and his snare kicks in. And then, as Lanegan “all that’s gone away,” the electric guitars come in, Conner’s wah-wah breaking away from the rest of the song, as Lanegan picks up the volume while still singing with his quiet intensity.

On Monday morning you can’t wake up
Still dreaming of what could have been
Something good has gone and left you
It’s another tear, one more denial

Come January, I swear this world
Won’t be the one that we once lived on
Took an oath, another a promise sworn and broken
All that’s gone, all that’s gone before you’ve changed

Then, after Lanegan sings “all that’s gone before you’ve changed,” the most amazing thing happens: the song goes into a stop-time section, Conner’s power chords bouncing off of Martin’s drums, and then out of nowhere the whole song explodes into an extended psychedelic organ solo while the backing vocals all go “ahhhhhh”. It’s an utterly amazing musical moment to die for — the sound of the pearly gates opening and angels flying all around — and it’s also played by one of those all-star guest stars: Mr. Benmont Tench. Because of course it is. And it shifts “Sworn and Broken” into another gear as the whole band lose themself in the rest of the song.

When Monday morning you don’t wake up
Still dreaming of what could have been
Something good has gone and left you
It’s another tear, one more denial

Come January, I swear this world
Won’t be the one that we once lived on
Took an oath, another promise sworn and broken
All that’s gone, all that’s gone before
All that’s gone before
All that’s gone before, it’s changed

And every single time “Sworn and Broken” crashes to its end as Lanegan sighs “it’s changed” all I can do is marvel at how that organ solo — which I’ll betcha Tench doesn’t even remember playing — changed the entire tenor of the song. Not enough for it do anything on the modern rock radio stations of the mid-1990s, but enough for the me to always turn it up whenever it came up in the mix.

“Sworn and Broken”

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Filed Under: Certain Songs Tagged With: Dust, Screaming Trees, Sworn and Broken

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Previously on Medialoper

  • Certain Songs #2539: Sufjan Stevens – “Heirloom”
  • Certain Songs #2538: Sufjan Stevens – “Casimir Pulaski Day”
  • Certain Songs #2537: Sufjan Stevens – “Chicago”
  • Certain Songs #2536: Sufjan Stevens – “Decatur, Or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!”
  • Certain Songs #2535: Suede – “She Still Leads Me On”

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