I've always considered these two songs to be similar songs. Acoustic, beautiful, simple yet moving - also overplayed. I like both of them, but I would love them more if I heard them less. Which song of the two do you think is the better song? I know the answer, but I want to hear your opinions on them. I'll chime it after some of you have commented. I don't want to influence anyone's opinion by stating what I think first. So what do you think?
My favorite acoustic tune is Bermuda Highway. I probably like the other two about the same. Wonderful was a highlight of the underpass set at Forecastle. They have been overplayed.
Wonderful has been temporarily shit-housed due to bad memories with a former lady friend, and Golden was the song that got me hooked on MMJ. Pretty easy choice for me to say Golden.
Golden. Always.
Golden, but IWBTWYD is their best acoustic, followed by Bermuda.
Golden for me, though Wonderful is a very beautiful song as well.
This is actually a pretty tough call for me. On one hand, the group singalong to Wonderful under the overpass at Forecastle gave me chills and still does when I think about it. Also, I absolutely love lyrics at the end:
With the sun on my shoulder
And the wind in my back
I will never grow older
At least not in my mind
...
I'm going where there ain't no fear
I'm going where the spirit is near
I'm going where the living is easy
And the people are kind
A new state of mind
I'm going where there ain't no police
I'm going where there ain't no disease
I'm going where there ain't no need
To escape from what is
Only spirits at ease
But on the other hand, the way Jim sings on Golden is beautiful, as is the guitar work. So for that reason, I think it probably gets the slight edge over Wonderful.
I'll take the Wonderful arrangement from the Christmas iTunes Session over the Circuital arrangement all day every day. The iTunes arrangement might be worthy of going up against Golden.
Quote from: TheThird on Feb 24, 2013, 02:00 AM
This is actually a pretty tough call for me. On one hand, the group singalong to Wonderful under the overpass at Forecastle gave me chills and still does when I think about it. Also, I absolutely love lyrics at the end:
With the sun on my shoulder
And the wind in my back
I will never grow older
At least not in my mind
...
I'm going where there ain't no fear
I'm going where the spirit is near
I'm going where the living is easy
And the people are kind
A new state of mind
I'm going where there ain't no police
I'm going where there ain't no disease
I'm going where there ain't no need
To escape from what is
Only spirits at ease
But on the other hand, the way Jim sings on Golden is beautiful, as is the guitar work. So for that reason, I think it probably gets the slight edge over Wonderful.
I like those lyrics at the end of Wonderful too, probably more than I like the lyrics at the start of the song. Golden is my favorite of them. There are other acoustic songs I like to listen to more, as some of you have stated, but Golden is a beautiful song. The best video for it is the clip from the 2004 Bonnaroo movie that plays with all the slow motion footage. I'll look for it in a minute and post it.
http://youtu.be/-p6SoAbhem4 (http://youtu.be/-p6SoAbhem4)
Wonderful has some of the nicest lyrics but I have to pick Golden, it was my dads favourite MMJ song.
yeah, this is a really tough call. I think Wonderful has such a beautiful sentiment, but the lyrics in Golden are tough to rival...I Say Golden
I love how Beth "knows the answer"!! Of course you do!!
Golden was written by a young man; by someone who was really just beginning to come of age and understand the long game of the life he'd chosen. It's exciting and beautiful and profound. It looks forward to a life yet to be lived. The lyrics are very clever, the work of a writer with a natural gift for poetry.
Wonderful was written by a mature man who made many life choices and had to stand beside the consequences of them, both good and bad. It's almost a midlife kind of musing as a man looks back on his life and choices and then forward to "a new life" or a new old life. It is full of peace and contentment and excitement for a next chapter.
Because these were written during different "eras", I find it hard to throw them against each other. It's like comparing apples and oranges: I life them both equally!
I have a special place in my heart for Wonderful. I sing this with my 9 and 5 year old sons every night before bed. We've sung it dozens of times and when we sing, my heart swells with joy and love.
That being said, Golden is one of those tunes that cemented my love of the band, like many others have already said. It's a tune that makes you realise what a powerfully gifted songwriter Jim is.
:bath:
Quote from: LeanneP on Feb 24, 2013, 01:32 PM
Golden was written by a young man; by someone who was really just beginning to come of age and understand the long game of the life he'd chosen. It's exciting and beautiful and profound. It looks forward to a life yet to be lived. The lyrics are very clever, the work of a writer with a natural gift for poetry.
Wonderful was written by a mature man who made many life choices and had to stand beside the consequences of them, both good and bad. It's almost a midlife kind of musing as a man looks back on his life and choices and then forward to "a new life" or a new old life. It is full of peace and contentment and excitement for a next chapter.
Because these were written during different "eras", I find it hard to throw them against each other. It's like comparing apples and oranges: I life them both equally!
I have a special place in my heart for Wonderful. I sing this with my 9 and 5 year old sons every night before bed. We've sung it dozens of times and when we sing, my heart swells with joy and love.
That being said, Golden is one of those tunes that cemented my love of the band, like many others have already said. It's a tune that makes you realise what a powerfully gifted songwriter Jim is.
:bath:
Thank you for writting that. powerful
Quote from: sweatboard on Feb 24, 2013, 02:21 PM
Quote from: LeanneP on Feb 24, 2013, 01:32 PM
Golden was written by a young man; by someone who was really just beginning to come of age and understand the long game of the life he'd chosen. It's exciting and beautiful and profound. It looks forward to a life yet to be lived. The lyrics are very clever, the work of a writer with a natural gift for poetry.
Wonderful was written by a mature man who made many life choices and had to stand beside the consequences of them, both good and bad. It's almost a midlife kind of musing as a man looks back on his life and choices and then forward to "a new life" or a new old life. It is full of peace and contentment and excitement for a next chapter.
Because these were written during different "eras", I find it hard to throw them against each other. It's like comparing apples and oranges: I life them both equally!
I have a special place in my heart for Wonderful. I sing this with my 9 and 5 year old sons every night before bed. We've sung it dozens of times and when we sing, my heart swells with joy and love.
That being said, Golden is one of those tunes that cemented my love of the band, like many others have already said. It's a tune that makes you realise what a powerfully gifted songwriter Jim is.
:bath:
Thank you for writting that. powerful
Agreed. Great insight, Leanne.
Golden
Golden by a Golden mile
Wonderful for me as while I love the lyrics of Golden, I don't really dig the song. But I will agree that Bermuda Highway is the best acoustic song they got.
Quote from: zanjam on Feb 24, 2013, 01:12 PM
I love how Beth "knows the answer"!! Of course you do!!
I know my answer :grin: :wink:
Quote from: LeanneP on Feb 24, 2013, 01:32 PM
Golden was written by a young man; by someone who was really just beginning to come of age and understand the long game of the life he'd chosen. It's exciting and beautiful and profound. It looks forward to a life yet to be lived. The lyrics are very clever, the work of a writer with a natural gift for poetry.
Wonderful was written by a mature man who made many life choices and had to stand beside the consequences of them, both good and bad. It's almost a midlife kind of musing as a man looks back on his life and choices and then forward to "a new life" or a new old life. It is full of peace and contentment and excitement for a next chapter.
Because these were written during different "eras", I find it hard to throw them against each other. It's like comparing apples and oranges: I life them both equally!
I have a special place in my heart for Wonderful. I sing this with my 9 and 5 year old sons every night before bed. We've sung it dozens of times and when we sing, my heart swells with joy and love.
That being said, Golden is one of those tunes that cemented my love of the band, like many others have already said. It's a tune that makes you realise what a powerfully gifted songwriter Jim is.
:bath:
This is an excellent analysis, Leanne! I think Golden may be the most perfect song he's ever written, but I still get tired of hearing it played so often. And I love Bermuda Highway and Old Sept. Blues and IWBTWYD etc. But Golden just has a hope to it and a beauty to it that seems timeless.
Quote from: Fully on Feb 24, 2013, 09:43 PM
Quote from: LeanneP on Feb 24, 2013, 01:32 PM
Golden was written by a young man; by someone who was really just beginning to come of age and understand the long game of the life he'd chosen. It's exciting and beautiful and profound. It looks forward to a life yet to be lived. The lyrics are very clever, the work of a writer with a natural gift for poetry.
Wonderful was written by a mature man who made many life choices and had to stand beside the consequences of them, both good and bad. It's almost a midlife kind of musing as a man looks back on his life and choices and then forward to "a new life" or a new old life. It is full of peace and contentment and excitement for a next chapter.
Because these were written during different "eras", I find it hard to throw them against each other. It's like comparing apples and oranges: I life them both equally!
I have a special place in my heart for Wonderful. I sing this with my 9 and 5 year old sons every night before bed. We've sung it dozens of times and when we sing, my heart swells with joy and love.
That being said, Golden is one of those tunes that cemented my love of the band, like many others have already said. It's a tune that makes you realise what a powerfully gifted songwriter Jim is.
:bath:
I think Golden may be the most perfect song he's ever written.
I think you're confusing that with Where to Begin.
The best part about reading all of these answers is knowing - almost with certainty - that all of these responses and opinions are bound to change (of course, nothing is certain). What was Golden yesterday is Wonderful today, and what is Wondeful today will be Golden tomorrow.
One of the lyrics that I have identified with most over the past couple years is, "it's the art of feeling naked in your clothes" from Where to Begin. With that, we understand that as we grow, we wear different clothes - the size changes, the style changes, and our view of ourselves as reflected upon the world changes. There was a point in my life where baggy, torn jeans along with a lip ring and beard were the way that i truly felt naked - it was me. I'm still the same mind and body, but I know I wouldn't feel naked wearing those clothes today. So, as with our constantly evolving and maturing sense of self-identification and search for meaning, we change (or stay the same...Simon and Garfunkel?).
On a technical and fundamental analysis, neither Golden nor Wonderful are that different - both songs are in standard keys; use a very similar collection of major/minor chord patterns that just play around with the tonic and dominant chords without any modulation to other keys; have simple, non-complex time signatures; and the melodies are not accentuated with much dissonance (almost all dissonant tones in these songs are mostly just passing tones that quickly resolve either a step up or down). The thing that blows my mind is how Jim is able to take something so simple and make it so deep and beautiful - that is a talent he has that very few people are able to do. While sometimes simple may seem safe and boring, that is never the case with My Morning Jacket. With MMJ, it's hard to know if it's the way that Jim sings, the words he says, or the band...it's all so good and is a meaning I understand. It's a mystery, I guess - lots of things I can't find.
Quote from: dapguitar on Feb 27, 2013, 11:06 AM
The best part about reading all of these answers is knowing - almost with certainty - that all of these responses and opinions are bound to change (of course, nothing is certain). What was Golden yesterday is Wonderful today, and what is Wondeful today will be Golden tomorrow.
One of the lyrics that I have identified with most over the past couple years is, "it's the art of feeling naked in your clothes" from Where to Begin. With that, we understand that as we grow, we wear different clothes - the size changes, the style changes, and our view of ourselves as reflected upon the world changes. There was a point in my life where baggy, torn jeans along with a lip ring and beard were the way that i truly felt naked - it was me. I'm still the same mind and body, but I know I wouldn't feel naked wearing those clothes today. So, as with our constantly evolving and maturing sense of self-identification and search for meaning, we change (or stay the same...Simon and Garfunkel?).
On a technical and fundamental analysis, neither Golden nor Wonderful are that different - both songs are in standard keys; use a very similar collection of major/minor chord patterns that just play around with the tonic and dominant chords without any modulation to other keys; have simple, non-complex time signatures; and the melodies are not accentuated with much dissonance (almost all dissonant tones in these songs are mostly just passing tones that quickly resolve either a step up or down). The thing that blows my mind is how Jim is able to take something so simple and make it so deep and beautiful - that is a talent he has that very few people are able to do. While sometimes simple may seem safe and boring, that is never the case with My Morning Jacket. With MMJ, it's hard to know if it's the way that Jim sings, the words he says, or the band...it's all so good and is a meaning I understand. It's a mystery, I guess - lots of things I can't find.
Well said, dap. I knew there was a reason Golden made me feel Wonderful and Wonderful made me feel Golden. You summed it up! :beer: