The first track off of 100% Fun, “Sick Of Myself”, brings me back to summer in the mid-90’s.
A friend of mine played baseball, somewhere above rec league and below any actual minor league, and a few of us would often head out to local ball parks on warm summer nights and watch him play against a team we had never heard of with a bunch of other people we didn’t know.
It was a lot more fun than it sounds.
There would be gnats and mosquitos and uncomfortable bleachers, but there would also be snacks, flasks and, most importantly, music. We would sit up there on those bleachers passively interested in the game and appropriately congratulatory and otherwise depending on its outcome when it was done, but we would just sit up there and talk about life, love and everything that spins off of both those topics which is to say, everything.
I remember one park in particular that had a whole announcer setup with proper speakers and they played “Sick Of Myself” while the players were warming up on the field and tossing the ball around. There was an ice cream truck nearby and it was a perfect summer evening.
It’s a happy summer song with a sadness to the lyrics and I’ve always loved that juxtaposition. It’s perfect pop music.
“I’ll throw away a chance at greatness, just to make this, dream come into play.
Sitting there in those bleachers… it’s place in my memory that I like to crawl back up and into anytime I’m feeling a bit down.
Good friends and good times.
The name for the album is also a juxtaposition in and off itself. Sweet wanted to call the album 100% Fun after people said that Altered Beast was so dark, ready to run with the idea and make a pure pop album. It wasn’t until after that when Kurt Cobain died and used the term in his suicide note as well. (Further reading / Source)
In his pursuit of a perfect pop album, there are many who think he absolutely succeeded.
This album is so much more than the radio megahit, and listening to the cassette this morning I surprised myself that I remembered more words than I would have previously guessed.
And that was before I cracked open the liner notes. God I miss liner notes. Lyric videos on YouTube just aren’t the same.
“Not When I Need It” is the perfect number two song to follow the sadness disguised as happiness that is “Sick Of Myself”. We are immediately brought down in tempo, but not too slow. Sweet’s clear vocals give you everything you need to sing along and when the first chorus comes in with it’s call and response, you’re singing it just as loud as any part of “Sick Of Myself”.
This song verges on Treble Charger territory but with a sweeter voice, pun fully intended.
“We’re The Same” sounds like it should have been on a 90’s movie soundtrack and I’m honestly surprised it wasn’t. Maybe something starring Mike Myers. A gentle Rom-Com, heavier on the Com than the Rom. File this one away if you’re making a movie like that.
“Giving It Back” is a perfect breakup song. Simple, short with to the point lyrics.
“I’m tired of wasting my time away, so I’m giving it back to you.
“Everything Changes” slows us right down, which is something you need in a pop album to give it a bit of range and depth; however, it’s a tad too slow for my liking and I’m reminded now that I would normally fast forward this song about half way through, because right when you think it should end, there is a whole second half coming at you.
Which explains why I hardly remembered any words to “Lost My Mind” when I heard it again this morning; I’m pretty sure partway through “Everything Changes” I would fast forward all the way through to the end so that I could start Side B.
“Come To Love” starts off Side B strongly, a bit more up tempo and some sweet harmonies and call and response that you can easily sing along to.
How good is the second song on Side B, “Walk Out?”
If you’re not familiar with this song, have a listen. I hear a little 54-40, a little Hip, I like the term “haunting rock” for this song.
It’s just a damn good song.
And following that we are right into “I Almost Forgot”. Now HERE is the slow song this album needed.
Sweet pours his heart into the lyrics and this recording and I love the rhythm of the verses. It’s harder to sing along to than you might suspect but when you nail it, it feels so good. This song makes me FEEL FEELINGS.
And then it ends almost suddenly and, the opposite to “Everything Changes”, you want it to keep going.
“Super Baby” is not in my memory. I have no recollection of this song. Listening to it today, it is an average song and I think maybe I used to listen to it on my walkman while still humming “I Almost Forgot” for a second time in my head.
But that humming clearly didn’t last for two songs because I love “Get Older”. I read the lyrics again today and this song has moved into fourth favourite on this album. I love the idea of singing a pop song to a younger version of yourself, painting a vision that you’ll both understand everything you need to, but enjoy the time you have now.
“Who cares if they don’t think your cool?
They make everything about rules
And your older than that now
Get older
The world will fall into its place
You may be sad
When you get older
You might be happy just to stayWho cares if you don’t know what you want
‘Cause they don’t know what they’ve got
And you cannot resist
Get older
Your memories won’t slip away
And you’ll be glad
When you get older
That you were happy for today
Who cares?Get older
The world will fall into its place
You may be sad
When you get older
You might be happy just to stay
Resist
Get older
Your memories won’t slip away
And you’ll be glad
When you get older
That you were happy for today
Who cares?If you don’t know what you want
If you don’t know what you want
If you don’t know what you want
If you don’t know what you want”
Last we have “Smog Moon” and it’s the perfect last song for the album.
I never saw Sweet live but I can imagine this being an encore song. It’s intimate and big at the same time and I can feel the theatrical possibilities through the imagery.
Watch this.
There’s a reason this cassette is featured in the main stack photographed for the site logo.
If you need me, I’ll be here with my eyes closed, sitting in those bleachers.
And to close, just because it bangs, here is “Sick Of Myself” again, Live on Letterman.
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Further Reading
In writing this I came across this entry on Certain Songs… I love reading about other people’s experiences with music that means so much to me, and especially enjoyed the memories around “Smog Moon” shared here.