Album: Bandwagonesque
Year: 1991
. . .
Only in 1991 would a band stick the one-minute skronkfest in between the closing of the epic opener “The Concept” and the next proper song on the album, Gerald Love’s beyond lovely “December.”
And only in 1991 would it make sense: after all, you gotta remind the punters that the noise is still in the equation, and will be rearing its head throughout. In this case, though it was the perfect palate cleanser, because it makes the opening of “December” — the guitars of Norman Blake & Raymon McGinley chiming back and forth while Gerald Love’s bass climbs up the ladder and slides back to the ground — even more lovely than it already was.
I’ll take this chance
To tell my friends
What I’m thinking of
On second thought
I’ll think some more
And tell you later on
Let’s put it this way: over the past several decades, all of us who love the first two Big Star records have tried to figure out a way to replicate the utter magic of songs like “Thirteen” or “In The Street” or even “September Gurls.” And I’m here to say that nobody has come closer than Gerald Love’s “December,” period. Nobody. Everybody shoulda just given up after they heard this song.
She don’t even care
But I would die for her love
I was going to say the way that Joseph McAlinden’s strings sigh as Love sings “I would die for her love” are a thing of exquisite beauty, but the whole fucking song is a thing of exquisite beauty, isn’t it? Which somehow gets even more exquisite and beautiful on the final verse.
I’ve had this plan
For many years
But now I can’t remember
I wanted to assassinate December
I wanted to assassinate December
What does “I wanted to assassinate December” even mean? It is the girls name? Does he want to kill the whole month, or is it just a callback to “December boys got it bad” from “September Gurls.” Actually I’m sure it’s the last one, but I find this song so gorgeous that been I’ve singing “I wanted to / assassin you / December” for 30+ years without really even thinking that “assassin you” makes no sense outside of the rhyme. But it doesn’t matter because everything rests on that tiny pause between “assassinate” and “December,” which feels like it’s got the whole history of the world resting on it.
After that final verse, there’s nothing else to sing, so they just walk out into the cold, accompanied by the violin, until the song ends.
“December”
“December” Live in New York, 1994
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