The first offering from Everclear’s 2000 assault on the top 100,
Learning How To Smile brings us an interesting mix of pop anthems and the recognizable
Everclear style. Originally slated as Art Alexakis’ solo project, Learning How To
Smile is a bit of an offshoot from what EC fans are used to hearing, but still maintains
some of the same feel of what has made the band so popular.
Track Listing:
1.) Song from an American Movie - The first time you hear
this song, you’ll totally trip out at the change it takes in the first five seconds.
A neat little song, really.
“The only thing that ever made sense to me is a song from an American movie. The only
thing that ever made sense in my life is the sound of my little girl laughing through the
window on a summer night.”
Track Value: $0.75
2.) Here We Go Again - A funky type party song, Here We Go
Again is really the first cut on the album, since SFAAM is just over a minute in length.
The song has a really nice flow to it and it gets heads bobbin.
“You do not have to remind me that I left it all behind, those things I used to do.
(I don’t want that other life ‘cuz I am so in love with you.)”
Track Value: $1.25
3.) AM Radio - You’ve probably heard this one if you
listen to any of the top 40 stations or periodically check VH1 (come on, admit it.). Based
around the “Son of a Preacher Man” guitar riff, AM Radio pays homage to the
70’s and the now near-despised radio bandwith. This is one of those songs that you
can just crank on a sunny day and drive around with an idiot’s smile on your face.
“I like pop, I like soul, I like rock but I never liked disco.”
“I’d be in bed with
the radio on, I would listen to it all night long, just to hear my favorite song.”
Track Value: $3.00
4.) Brown Eyed Girl - Yes kids, THAT Brown Eyed Girl. A
really nicely done cover of the Van Morisson classic with a few modernized touches to it.
A really solid offering that does the original justice.
“I hear a song that makes me think of a girl I used to know. I sing along when I hear
it on the radio now.”
Track Value: $1.50
5.) Learning How to Smile - One of my personal favorites on
the CD, the title track has a bit of an orchestral feel to it that really translates well.
A great Everclear love song that has great flow and really nice crescendos.
“We was broke outside of Philly when the storms came. I was working in New Jersey
hitching rides in the rain. You was happy talking dirty at that phone sex place. Life just
keeps on getting wierder for us everyday.”
Track Value: $1.75
6.) The Honeymoon Song - A Ukulele song with lead vocals done
by drummer Greg Eckland, The Honeymoon Song is a real departure from what you might expect
from an Everclear album. It has a real nice flow to it, but it might be too much of a
departure for some rock fans. Your girlfriend will like this track though.
“Stepped off the plane into a warm sunny day then we got leid together. The sun
shines down on a Hana Lei town where the fish all smile ‘cuz they know us.”
Track Value: $1.00
7.) Now That It's Over - Here’s a song that people who
bought previous EC records will recognize. This one really sticks with the classic
Everclear style with a great crescendo throughout the song and great lyrics about, you
guessed it, breaking up.
“My bad dreams just don’t seem the same, baby without you. I wish you were
willing to accept the blame, yeah for all the dirty things you do. My nightmares just
don’t scare me now, baby without you. I wish that I could find the words to tell, in
the best way possible you and your friends to go to hell.”
Track Value: $2.10
8.) Thrift Store Chair - At 2:08, Thrift Store Chair is a
nice song with a good amount of feeling to it that gets a little lost in the mix of the
rest of the CD. Personally, I think its a great song, but its appeal may be a bit hampered
by its acoustic side that some rock fans might not care so much for. Give it a chance
though, its a really solid song with amazing lyrics.
“Baby go to bed and put out the light. Oooh, we both know if we talk anymore,
we’re gonna end up in a great big fight. You can have your way again, yeah you
believe what you wanna believe. You can walk all over me tomorrow, but tonight can we both
just pretend to sleep?”
“Yeah, I wish we had never
bought a king sized bed. Only damn thing that its ever been good for, plenty room for the
real good sex. I lay in bed in the dark and all that I can see is the distance that grows
between us, yeah you seem so far from me.”
Track Value: $1.25
9.) Otis Redding - Another slow relationship song that your
girlfriend will like. Its a solid effort but it might just be a little too slow and sappy
for even some hardcore Everclear fans. Personally, I don’t mind the song, heck, I
even like it most of the time, but you’ve gotta be in the right mood to listen to it.
“I don’t wanna be wasted, I don’t wanna live inside this daydream anymore.
I just wanna be happy again. I don’t wanna be wasted, I don’t wanna be
blind.”
“I wish I could be like
all my heroes, I wish I could be like all yours too. I wish I could sing like Otis
Redding, I wish I could play this guitar in tune.”
Track Value: $1.00
10.) Unemployed Boyfriend - Really my favorite song on the
album and that’s saying a lot when compared to AM Radio and Wonderful. Pretty much a
story song with a voice-over in parts through the point of view of a girl leaving a
message on her friends answering machine, Unemployed Boyfriend has great flow and quality
lyrics. You’ll like this song, your girlfriend will like this song. Everyone will be
happy.
“This is gonna sound a little obsessive, this is gonna sound a little bit strange. I
know you don’t know me yet, but you and I, we will be together someday.”
“Yeah you can be with me,
cuz I just might be the one who will treat you like you’re perfect, who will always
make you cum. Yeah you can be with me, I will always let you win. I will never be like
those other guys, I will never be your unemployed boyfriend.”
“I heard you sleep with
that obnoxious guy. I know he is in that famous band. You look so sad when you are with
him. Yes I never see him reach to hold your hand.”
Track Value: $4.25
11.) Wonderful - The first single from the album, Wonderful
is a really great pop song. If you haven’t heard this one yet, you’ve probably
been living in Antarctica, fool. The song follows a pretty simple progression, but it
carries a whole lot of heart. I’m getting a little choked up just thinking about
it...
“I hold my mom and I hold my dad. We’ll figure out why why they get so mad. I
hear them scream, I hear them fight, I say bad words and make them wanna cry.”
“I go to school and I run
and play. I tell the kids that it’s all OK. I laugh a lot so my friends won’t
know, when the bell rings I just don’t wanna go home.”
“I don’t wanna hear
you say that I will understand some day. (No, no) I don’t wanna hear you say we both
have grown in a different way. I don’t wanna meet your friend, but I don’t wanna
start over again. I just want my life to be the same, just like it used to be. Sometimes I
hate everything and I hate everything, everyone and everything, please don’t tell me
everything is wonderful now.”
Track Value: $5.00
12.) Anabella's Song - What could be described as
Everclear’s lullaby, Anabella’s song is a remake of a previously recorded rock
song about Art’s daughter. Rock fans without any heart won’t like it, but rock
fans without heart don’t listen to Everclear now, do they? A really beautiful song
that anyone who’se ever loved someone will relate to.
“I see you roll your eyes, you know it makes me smile. You are like the sun to me,
bright as liquid fire. You are quite a lot of trouble, such a pretty little girl.”
“You know I’m never
home, I’m always miles and miles away. I feel I’m running out of time to say the
things I need to say. Call you on the telephone, you will not talk to me. Yeah you just
don’t understand you are my everything.”
Track Value: $2.50
Conclusion: In my humble appraisal, this is probably one of the greatest pop
albums I’ve ever listened to, a major accomplishment when you realize that this is a
rock band performing these songs. While it may not be the right choice for the classic
Everclear fan who enjoys songs like “So Much For The Afterglow” and “Heroin
Girl,” Learning How To Smile is a great pop album that really displays the
band’s versatility. Buy it, now!
Album worth: $25.35
Album price: $13.00 |
