Week Fifty-Four: Violent Femmes - "Blister in the Sun" - Violent Femmes

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Back in 1992, when the venue was still called The Starplex Amphiteatre at Fair Park, before it went through its 100+ name changes, the Violent Femmes opened for the B-52's. It was in October because I remember that we went to check out the State Fair immediately after leaving the show, and the State Fair only operates around that time.

I went with the intentions of being blown away by the kookiness of the B-52's. Although that very thing did happen, I was also blown away by the guitar-playing and the drumming of the Violent Femmes.

I kind of forgot about them, until Ethan Hawke's character sang “Add It Up” to Winona Ryder's character in Reality Bites. Yowzer! Wowzer!! Hott!! Hott!! Hott!! That's right – with 2 “t's" - (just like Brett Anderson)!! I'll include Ethan's version of that tune, as well as the Violent Femmes' version.

One other thing to mention about the song, “Blister in the Sun” - Ewwwwww! Gross!! I could have gone through life never truly knowing what it was about or what it is supposed to be about. If you don't already know, then I won't ruin the song for you, like it was semi-ruined for me.

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Okay, so I stand corrected.  It was recently brought to my attention by a very charming fella that "Blister in the Sun" is not, in fact, about what I had previously been told it was about.  You can check out this interview from The Village Voice if you are interested:

 

In recent years, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban have been covering "Blister in the Sun" in concert. Do you think they understand the lyrics? Gano: I don't think there's a whole lot to understand with the lyrics. In fact, it was maybe 10 or 15 years later, when somebody was asking me about that song and said something like, "Well, you know... You know what that song's about." I'm like, "No. What are you talking about?" "Well everybody knows. You wrote it." I'm like, "What?" And they told me the song was about masturbation. I had never thought of that.

So it's not about masturbation? Gano: Not to me! [Laughs] But I can see where people could get that idea. I just hadn't thought of that. [Laughs] I don't think anybody likes that song because they think the lyrics are deep.

When I'm out walkin', I strut my stuff -- yeah, I'm so strung out

I'm high as a kite; I just might stop to check you out

Let me go on... like I blister in the sun

Let me go on... big hands, I know you're the one

Body and beats, I stain my sheets -- I don't even know why

My girlfriend, she's at the end -- she is starting to cry

Let me go on... like I blister in the sun

Let me go on... big hands, I know you're the one

When I'm out walkin', I strut my stuff -- yeah, I'm so strung out

I'm high as a kite; I just might stop to check you out

When I'm out walkin', I strut my stuff -- yeah, I'm so strung out

I'm high as a kite; I just might stop to check you out

Body and beats, I stain my sheets -- I don't even know why

My girlfriend, she's at the end -- she is starting to cry

When I'm out walkin', I strut my stuff -- yeah, I'm so strung out

I'm high as a kite; I just might stop to check you out

Let me go on... like I blister in the sun

Let me go on... big hands, I know you're the one