I had this Rolling Stone cover hanging on my wall for years.
Already Over Me is one of the highlights of 1997′s Bridges to Babylon. BtB is an imperfect album, but like most of their later works it deserves more appreciation than it gets. On one hand, the second half gets bogged down with generic rockers and mopey ballads. It was not a good idea to have Keith croak out three numbers, two of them long and turgid. And of course critics seem to expect the Stones to produce a new hit that recaptures the old times, and are always disappointed when no song hits the highs they remember. But you can’t expect to repeat old glory, and new material should be appreciated on its own terms.
I think the strongest element on BtB is the songwriting. The Glimmers are more mature, and many of the songs deal with age appropriate themes of loss, sadness, nostalgia and disillusionment. This is one of several songs about losing love. Not that the subject had never come up before, but this time Mick speaks from an older, wiser perspective. Throughout the album, the Stones explore their identities, their image and even their age in an open, uncharecteristcally vulnerable way. In this song, our hero rues his inability to hold on to a presumably younger woman. This is not the same cocky ‘Mick Jagger’ character we remember; this in an older man, he is no longer the dominant one, the take me or leave me, devil-may-care ladykiller. He is the one who is helplessly seduced and abandonded. This is a new persona, a different perspective for Mick. Of course, very few Jagger songs are explicitly autobiographical, and it would be a mistake to associate this song with any real-life events. It would be a presumpsion to even associate it personally with Mick. It’s natural to assume that as the singer, Mick is also the primary lyricist and that the content comes exclusively from him. But Mick is not an independent agent; the Stones are a collaboration and it’s impossible to know who contributes what. The songs should not be associated directly with one person, but should be seen as an entity that includes elements of Mick, Keith and the others. It should be interpreted as a general expression of a more mature worldview, not necessarily a literal lament, but a shared sense of attitude.
And yes, I do think very deeply about the Rolling Stones. I ponder their songs for hidden depths of meaning. I cross reference and mentally index every song. I know every fucking word to every fucking Rollings Stones song. I am beyond obsessed.
ALREADY OVER ME
(Jagger/Richards)
As you poured out the drinks for me
I felt your hooks sink right into me
And I knew you were my destiny
And I thought you’d get the best of me
On the way down to Mexico
As I danced in your rodeo
You say poverty is picturesque
As you dragged your nails across my chest
You’re so cold
You’re so cruel
I’m your man
Not your fool
Are you already over me
Are you already over me
Are you already over me
What a fool I’ve been
In the first flush of ecstacy
As you lay naked next to me
While our love put the dawn to flight
I just ignore all those warning lights
Cause when you laugh
I just cry
When you left
I just died
Are you already over me
Are you already over me
Are you already sick me
What a fool I’ve been
Hard to hold on
To a love divine
I’m kneeling in a corner
Praying to your shrine
I’ve been hurt
So confused
I’ve been burned
I’ve been bruised
Are you already over me
Are you already over me
Are you already sick of me
Are you already over me
Are you already over me
Are you already tired of me
Are you already over me
What a fool I’ve been
What a fool I’ve been
What a fool I’ve been
Recent Comments