Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).
Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now) (1992)
Smartasses of the world, unite! There are certain people in this world who have an incessant need to crack wise at any opportunity, regardless of whether the situation calls for it.
I should know, I'm one of them. Somewhere in my basement, I have a report card from fourth grade in which my teacher Mr. Grummett writes, "Jay is a good student, but he needs to learn to keep his remarks to himself." My parents weren't thrilled, but I took it as a badge of honor. It's the reason I gravitated toward the works of David Letterman, Bill Murray and SCTV. Fortunately, I learned to tone it down after college. Being on like that 100% can be pretty goddamn annoying to everyone in your general vicinity.
Anyhoo, I can appreciate smartassery in music as well. David Lowery always brought that attitude to his music, whether in Camper Van Beethoven or in his next band, Cracker. Lowery and his childhood friend Johnny Hickman formed Cracker in 1990, just after CVB split up. They recorded a demo tape, added Davey Faragher on bass and Go Weatherford on drums and started touring. The following year, the band signed a deal with Virgin Records and using session drummers including the great Jim Keltner, they recorded their self-titled debut, which came out in 1992.
Musically, the band was a little more straightforward than CVB, playing guitar-driven, Stonesy alt-rock adorned with Lowery's decidedly unserious lyrics. But Cracker was no joke. The band could play, from Hickman's hot lead guitar to its undeniably catchy choruses. The album featured great songs like "Happy Birthday to Me," "St. Cajetan" and "Don't Fuck Me Up (With Peace and Love)," but Cracker's lead single was a great mission statement.
"Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)" has just the right combination of snark and rock (snark rock, if you will) and it really stood out in the midst of all the oh-so-serious grunge moaning and groaning that was all the rage (hey, I dug that stuff, too). I was a fan of Camper Van Beethoven, so when I was watching 120 Minutes late one night and they premiered a new song from Lowery, I was already sold.
The song is fairly uptempo and right off the bat, Lowery's poking fun at those serious bands.
"I don't know what the world needs now/But I'm sure as hell that it starts with me/And that's a wisdom I have laughed at/I don't know what the world may want/But a good stiff drink it surely don't/So I think I'll go and fix myself a tall one/'Cause what the world needs now is a new kind of tension/'Cause the old one just bores me to death/'Cause what the world needs now is another folk singer/Like I need a hole in my head."
The songs picks up speed as Lowery continues to expound on what the world needs now.
"I don't know what the world may need/And I'll never grasp your complexities/I'd be happy just to get your attention/I don't know what the world may want/But your long sweet body lying next to mine/Could certainly raise my spirits/'Cause what the world needs now is a new Frank Sinatra/So I can get you in bed/What the world needs now is another folk singer/Like I need a hole in my head."
In a 2010 blog post, Lowery explained how the song, originally called "Folk Singer," came together. They played it for CVB producer Dennis Herring and he asked why they were wasting a song on not liking Tracy Chapman, and they explained that wasn't what it was about. Lowery then realized he needed to get to the point.
"I got it then. I had to make the words less subtle. It was never about not liking folk singers. It was about wanting to rock, and wanting to rock for the sole purpose of getting a girl's attention. Or even better, to get her in bed. I unwound the song into three neat little verses. Two misdirects about cars and drinking. Finally in the third verse, we get the truth."
"Teen Angst" resonated with listeners, going to #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #27 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart (what's the difference between the two? Beats the hell outta me). The album didn't crack the Billboard 200, but the next Cracker album, 1993's Kerosene Hat, got up to #59, thanks mainly to lead single "Low." The song was all over the radio that summer and for years to come, and the video (in which Lowery is a boxer fighting comedian Sandra Bernhard and getting knocked out) got heavy play on MTV. The song made it to #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became a signature '90s alt-rock classic.
Cracker has continued on, releasing seven more studio albums since 1996. Lowery reformed Camper Van Beethoven in 1999 and has played in both bands since, often touring both bands together. I saw Cracker at the height of their fame in 1994 and then several times since, often with CVB. Cracker actually played last night down the highway in Gloucester, but I wasn't able to go.
Lowery has been lecturer in the University of Georgia's music business program. In recent years, Lowery has been an outspoken critic of Spotify, filing a $200 million class action suit against the streaming giant accusing it of knowingly distributing copyrighted songs without paying for mechanical licenses. Singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick filed a similar lawsuit against Spotify and the two suits were consolidated in 2016. Spotify settled the suit, setting up a fund worth over $40 million to compensate songwriters and publishers affected.
Even with all that serious stuff going on, Lowery remains a smartass. Kudos to you, sir.
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