Ten Reasons I Love Husker Du
Dallin just asked which album he should start with when exploring Husker Du. My personal favorite is Candy Apple Grey, which I consider a masterpiece. But it may be a little depressing. Husker Du does melancholy and tortured angst so well.
Anyway, on to my ten reasons…chosen pretty much randomly and just because it gives me the opportunity to rave about one of my all-time favorite bands.
10. They’re a power trio with two amazing songwriters, one of whom was the drummer (Grant Hart–Bob Mould played guitar, and Greg Norton played bass). When my husband saw them live, he didn’t know this, and it took him awhile to figure out who was singing half the songs. It’s impossible to choose one songwriter as being better than the other. I once made a mix of all my favorite Husker Du songs, and then afterwards decided to count how many were written by Bob Mould as opposed to Grant Hart, and it was exactly equal.
9. “Zen Arcade in 1984 brought about a stylistic turning point - a two-record set, it followed a single storyline about a young boy leaving home and finding life even more difficult on his own. A 14-minute closing song, ‘Reoccurring Dreams’, in which it was revealed that the boy’s entire ordeal had been a dream, broke all the rules of punk.” - http://www.granarymusic.com/biography/huskerdu.html The double album was recorded in 45 hours. Their next album, New Day Rising, was recorded before Zen Arcade was even released.
8. Their lyrics can be intensely personal. Some of Grant Hart’s songs can be wrenching. But so can Bob Mould’s. Prime examples:
Tell me a story tell me just another lie
Well I can tell you set your expectations high
Well now I’ve faced up to you facing me betrayed
No promise have I made
(Grant)
And
I’m down again
And I guess I’m not the only one who dreams
That there’s not any way to tell you
Because I might be too far down
(Bob)
7. The one member of the band, bassist Greg Norton, who looked like he was gay, was in fact the only straight member of the band:
(I don’t think fans knew at the time two of the band members were gay, maybe they didn’t come out until after the band broke up, you certainly couldn’t tell by their song lyrics. I think Grant Hart was married and went through a pretty bitter divorce.)
6. Their song titles:
59 Times the Pain
Terms of Pyschic Warfare
Books About UFO’s
Celebrated Summer
Dead Set on Destruction
Every Everything
She’s a Woman (And Now He is a Man)
5. They have a song whose lyrics consist of three words repeated over and over, which will stick in your head all day, and you’ll never get sick of singing it:
“New Day Rising”
4. From a review of their last album: “Over five LPs (and this is their second double) Husker Du have turned over and over the details of drift and bewilderment, yet still manage to wrest an improbable grandeur from the small squalor of everyday inertia.” - http://www.garyleeg.force9.co.uk/huskerdu/hudu_mm_wh_87.htm
3. Listen to the song in the radio.blog and tell me that’s not genius.
2. They write songs like this:
Hey little girl, do you need a ride?
Well, I’ve got room in my wagon why don’t you hop inside
We could cruise down Robert Street all night long
But I think I’ll just rape you, and kill you instead
Diane, Diane, Diane
I heard there’s a party down at Lake Cove
It would be so much easier if I drove
We could check it out, we could go and see
Oh won’t you come and take a ride with me
We could lay in the weeds for a little while
I’ll put your clothes in a nice, neat little pile
You’re the cutest girl I’ve ever seen in my life
It’s all over now, and with my knife
And songs like this:
There’s a girl who lives on Heaven Hill
I go up to her cabin still
She keeps a lantern lit for me
And a bottle up on her mantelpiece
She’s the girl who lives on Heaven Hill
She’s got a big room and it’s always a mess
Worn out shoes and a worn out dress
A worn out smile that she’ll wear some more
And a worn out welcome mat by her door
I’d trade big mountains and rooms full of gold
For just one look at the beauty of this woman’s soul
Up on Heaven Hill is where I wanna be
That girl that bottle that mattress and me
1. Husker Du - Could You Be The One.mp3
Is it only happiness you want?
So I take it that Husker Du influenced The Replacements in some way? or is it the other way around. I can definitely hear a resemblance. I’ve always been a fan of bands with more than one really good songwriter, so I’ll definitely be checking Husker Du out - thanks for the post.
I’ve been talking about this band for some time now, but that’s why I LOVE the Drive-By Truckers. Three equally good songwriters/guitarists/vocalists. A subject for a different post.
Comment by Dallin I — January 11, 2005 @ 3:22 pm
I need to hear the Drive-By Truckers. Haven’t yet.
Husker Du and the Replacements were contemporaries, I don’t know if one influenced the other exactly. I have them always lumped together in my mind because they do have similarities, and they were around at the same time. Both started out as punk bands and turned into a more pop-punk melodic thing. (I’m so bad at trying to describe how bands sound.) The Replacements tend to be more light-hearted/goofy than Husker Du. And they were known for being very sloppy and drunk live.
The Replacements have one of the best videos ever made, too. They always said they’d never make a video, but they finally did for the song “Bastards of Young.” It’s black and white, and all it shows the entire time is the back of a sofa and a big stereo speaker, pumping out the music. At one point someone sit down on the couch, but all you see is their arm. I think you can see a clip of the video on mtv.com or launch.com.
Comment by Susan Malmrose — January 11, 2005 @ 3:29 pm
Holeeee … those caustic lyrics … are they meant to be funny? I’m assuming that song is an exercise in black humor. I was especially freaked out because the chorus appears to be my wife’s name. I guess I won’t be sharing that one with her. But I’d like to hear it …
Reading those makes me want to hear what kind of music is behind the lyrics. I’ll never forget the first time I heard the Smiths album “The Queen is Dead.” The music from the first song I heard seemed so sweet and relaxing and textured and then I suddenly realized the words Morrissey was saying … Yikes! Of course I went on to purchase and listen to every Smiths album as a result.
Just out of curiosity, does Husker Du have any normal love songs? I notice certain bands don’t do normal love songs. The Smiths. The Police. I’m not sure who else would fit in that category.
Comment by danithew — January 11, 2005 @ 3:38 pm
I assume you’re referring to the song “Diane”? It’s not meant to be funny, it’s meant to be disturbing. It was written about a real woman who was murdered. One of the things that really gets me is the chorus–because sometimes when he sings “Diane,” it sounds like he’s saying “dyin’.”
I guess I’d consider the second song I listed, “Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill,” a love song. Most of their songs abou relationships are pretty bitter, though. Divorce makes for some great songs! ha.
Read this web page for a pretty acccurate description of Husker Du’s “love songs”:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Bistro/5174/rants/apologize.html
“This is what it sounds like when love rips your soul apart.”
Comment by Susan Malmrose — January 11, 2005 @ 3:49 pm
I am very intrigued now by this band. They’ve moved to the top of my list of things to buy. Now I’ve the Replacements on the brain too. What other bands sound like this?
Comment by Dallin I — January 11, 2005 @ 4:06 pm
Um, I’d say the Minutemen (whose songs are all about a minute long) and the Meat Puppets are probably comparable, sound-wise. However I can’t think of any punk bands who had the same unabashed emotionality and intensity as Husker Du. The Replacements might come close. It’s actually been a long time since I’ve listened much to the Replacements, gotta drag those cds out.
One of the great things about Husker Du is their versatility. They did slow, mellow, melancholy songs, flippant acoustic songs (like “Never Talking to You Again”), bitter, angry songs, and just crazy noise songs (”Beyond the Threshold”).
They did a lot of drugs.
The Replacements could do melancholy (”Here Comes a Regular”) and also goofy (”Waitress in the Sky”).
Comment by Susan Malmrose — January 11, 2005 @ 4:23 pm
Susan,
The Diane lyrics you’re talking about were so gruesome I guess I was expecting that somehow the song was trying to be morbidly funny. If they’re just aiming for disturbing then they hit the target — especially since it’s based on a real story. I’ll have to hear the song to get a better sense of how those lyrics are sung or delivered. Do I dare ask you to add it to the radio blog list?
Comment by danithew — January 11, 2005 @ 4:30 pm
I just posted it. It’s not for the squeamish. Here’s the poster of the actual girl:
http://www.trilemma.co.uk/Image1.gif
It’s tragic.
Comment by Susan Malmrose — January 11, 2005 @ 5:37 pm
I really like these Husker Du songs. Thanks for posting them. The lyrics on that Diane song though truly are horrific.
Comment by danithew — January 12, 2005 @ 12:26 am
Danithew –
I suppose it doesn’t help that that’s your wife’s name?
Comment by Bryce I — January 12, 2005 @ 9:19 am
Part of what makes the song so powerful is the offhand vocal delivery. That’s Grant Hart singing–the drummer. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did it in one take–they hardly spent any time in the studio and recorded their albums really quickly.
Comment by Susan Malmrose — January 12, 2005 @ 10:16 am
All I could find at my local record store was Zen Arcade. I’ll check another store or two, but would Zen Arcade be a good place to start?
Comment by Dallin I — January 12, 2005 @ 1:10 pm
I’m such a huge fan that I think you could start anywhere.
I think since you like melancholy stuff you’ll really love Candy Apple Grey though.
Comment by Susan Malmrose — January 12, 2005 @ 1:26 pm
Wow … Husker Du brings back memories of University in mid 80s!
Comment by Paul — January 12, 2005 @ 9:53 pm
OK - so I picked up Candy Apple Grey the other day and I must admit that I like it so far. I haven’t gotten all the way through. I am a fan of the sort of slapdash production value. I’m wondering, if you’re out there Susan, if all the other albums sound like this too, in terms of production.
Comment by Dallin I — January 19, 2005 @ 12:32 pm
Oh, I just emailed you about it. The production on their albums got better with every one. Candy Apple Grey is one of their later albums, so the earlier stuff is even more…slapdash. Warehouse: Songs and Stories has good production. The rest sound like they were recorded in two or three days, and some (maybe all, I’m not sure) probably were.
Comment by Susan Malmrose — January 19, 2005 @ 1:17 pm
I’m looking for any rare DVD concert footage of Hüsker Dü. Looking to trade. Your list gets mine.
Thanks.
Comment by MikeJ — February 27, 2005 @ 6:02 pm
If i should ever choose a record from Husker Du i’d choose New Day Rising. I Apologize, Celebrated Summer and the title track are definitely some of my favorite songs of all times. I suggest you guys check also Bob Mould’s first solo album (Workbook) and Sugar’s Copper Blue as well. They’re worth more than one listen.
Comment by Chef Ragoo — May 24, 2005 @ 3:44 pm
Who would have thought two of the members are gay after songs like Pride and Indecision Time. Jeez.
Comment by Tom — June 28, 2005 @ 9:37 pm
METAL CIRCUS IS AWESOME! OH MAN! Those first two songs are louder and faster than Metallica’s entire career. Why did the Huskers have to go pop-alternative after they were the fastest band ever!?
Comment by Tom again — July 19, 2005 @ 12:39 pm
Bob Mould has a new album out that I got in the mail the other day. After releasing some club/electronica type stuff he has gone back and picked up his guitar. The first single is available at http://www.yeprock.com .
I loved your top ten list. Husker was the first American punk band of that era to get a big time record contract. In my opinion they opened the doors to the entire Alt rock movement.
Comment by Mike — July 22, 2005 @ 12:15 pm
They sure did. And it killed me when alternative became popular, but bands like Husker Du that made it all possible missed out.
Comment by Susan M — July 22, 2005 @ 1:53 pm
I’m a bit late here, but “Diane” is a song that needs to be heard. It’s so damn haunting and Bob’s guitar solo sounds like wailing bagpipes. Simply incredible.
Comment by Laggard — October 8, 2005 @ 7:28 pm