Day After Day #32: Mesmerizing

Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).

Mesmerizing (1993)

Everything looks different when you've got 30 years to reflect on it. Especially when you were in your mid-20s at the time and now you're well into middle age. The early '90s are sort of venerated now as this idyllic panacea; in reality, there was some pretty cool stuff going and a lot of pretty terrible stuff as well.

Still, it was fun time to be a fan of rock music, especially if you were listening to the cool indie acts coming up and not clinging to your Poison tapes. As I've previously mentioned, the Nirvana-splosion led to opportunities for many other interesting artists (and some less interesting ones). One such artist was Liz Phair, who in 1991 had recorded songs in her bedroom and released them under the name Girly-Sound. She became part of the Chicago alt-music scene and grew friendly with Material Issue and Urge Overkill. 

After scoring a deal with Matador Records, Phair recorded her debut album Exile in Guyville, an 18-song tour de force that was called a reply to the Rolling Stones' classic Exile on Main Street. It was really more of answer to the boys' club vibe of the Chicago music scene at the time (or any music scene, really). Throughout the album, Phair is direct and raw, singing about sex and relationships with all the bravado of her male contemporaries. Musically, the album's lo-fi feel was a huge influence on a generation of bedroom pop acts to come. Some songs are quiet with just a guitar accompanying the vocals, others are full out rockers.

The album was a big hit with the critics, garnering the top spot in both SPIN and the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. Videos for "Never Said" and "Stratford-on-Guy" got airplay on MTV's 120 Minutes. I don't remember hearing it on the radio too much, but the album sold decently and eventually went gold. 

"Mesmerizing" definitely has a quieter Stonesy feel to it, with raw blues guitar low in the mix as Phair intones "Don't you know I'm very happy?" while sounding very much the opposite. The protagonist sings about a relationship that may be growing apart. The song isn't as in-your-face as "Fuck and Run" or "Flower," but it's incredibly affecting and just as impactful in a different way. 

"With all of the time in the world to spend it/Wild and unwise, I want to be mesmerizing too/Mesmerizing too/Mesmerizing to you."

Phair followed Guyville up with 1994's Whip-Smart, which was more of a full-band rock affair that wasn't as critically beloved but did fairly well. Her third album, 1998's Whitechocolatespaceegg, didn't sell as well as the first two despite high-profile touring gigs opening for Alanis Morissette and on the Lilith Fair. A self-titled 2003 album provoked a lot of backlash as Phair went for a polished pop sound; ultimately, despite the attention the album was a dud. There have been starts and stops since then, with her most recent release being 2020's Soberish. She celebrated the 30th anniversary of Guyville with a tour last fall. Here's hoping she's got something new in the works.