I’ve been going through boxes (and milk crates, and plastic bins, and…) of old CDs.
Since I apparently don’t own a CD player outside of my car, I’ve been digging up whatever I can up online, and whatever I can’t, well, don’t get me started (but if you get in my car you will be subjected to Vast Aire bootlegs).
At some point I’ll write a post about how everything I know about distribution economics stems from closely watching indie punk and rap record labels in the 90s-mid-2000s (the pre- to post-streaming transition).
Until then, I’ll randomly hear some of this stuff with fresh ears and you might catch me at a weak point getting all sentimental about stuff.
Punk-o-Rama #2 dropped in 1996. To say I played it 47 million times that year would be to say I arbitrarily picked a big number to emphasize a point. This mix and so many of these artists ended up as the soundtrack to high school.
I washed dishes and cleaned up to it last week. First time in a long time. Beyond the smiles and chuckles, “Bullion” by Millencolin made me hit repeat and pull up the lyrics.
Now, they’re Scandinavian and there’s some odd references that I previously only wondered about (he really did say muffins and scaly fish?!). There’s also a beautiful message about self-transformation going on here.
Sure, some of it’s a little age- and era-dependent, but the sentiment holds. Once you find your gold, your value, your worth – stamp it and make it official. That’s what I felt listening to this song all those years ago. It’s what I feel even harder reading the lyrics now.
“Bull-i-on” (I always loved the way he sang it in his accent at the end). Enjoy.
Twenty one, feeling down
I tell you nothing with a thousand words
and I weaker get with every step
I waste my time on compact disc’s and staly fish
I can’t remember the last time I did something
that made me feel all right for longer than a few hours
if I only had the strength to make some muffins
then I swear that I would share them with you now
Am I odd or am I not?
that’s the question I spend time analyzing
I’m so soft but still I’m not
living up to what people want me to be
cause I’m busy with me, myself and I
can’t be understood by someone I don’t know to well
so I’m shutting out the whole world just to play Nintendo
I’ve got these new games but I’m afraid you can’t join me
These last few years I’ve been struggling
and I’m tired of keeping a low profile
so now it’s time to show that I’m alive
I’m gonna change my life
change my plans
change my Vans
even start to dance now
change my thoughts
change my sox
change my moves
even change my pro fighter Q for you
No its not for you
And change mine just for me
And change mine just for me
Bullion
