Threesome: Back in Boston, briefly
December 5, 2008
Regular readers know that zed equals zee temporarily relocated its headquarters from Boston to Seattle this summer. Well, debcha is back in Boston for the week, and here are some songs commemorating her adopted hometown. First up is a terrific live version of “The Ice of Boston” by the late, lamented Dismemberment Plan. Next up is the Dropkick Murphys doing “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” with lyrics by Woody Guthrie. It’s off their 2005 album The Warrior’s Code, but you may have heard it on the soundtrack to The Departed. Finally, the Dresden Dolls‘ unassumingly titled “The Jeep Song,” from their self-titled first album, is a hilarious and painful tale of a black-Jeep-driving lost love on the streets of Boston.
MP3: Dismemberment Plan – Ice of Boston (live)
MP3: Dropkick Murphys – I’m Shipping Up to Boston [amazon]
MP3: The Dresden Dolls – The Jeep Song [amazon]
Image: Flying Into Boston 005 – Tilt Shift by Flickr user tostie14, reposted here under its Creative Commons license.
zed equals zee 
I miss the Dismemberment Plan – did you see their final Boston show where they took requests all night?
I did not, sadly. I saw them at the Middle East with Death Cab for Cutie during the charmingly-named ‘Death and Dismemberment’ tour.
That was a great show too, the better one, actually – and Ice of Boston was one of the highlights. I found Death Cab a little anti-climactic afterward.
I had just moved to Boston, where I didn’t really know anyone, so “Ice of Boston” had particular resonance for me, as you might imagine. But yeah, the setlist from that night reminds me how low-key the Death Cab side was compared to D Plan.
I tried, but couldn’t get into Death Cab. They’re great a creating a dark atmosphere, but his lyrics can be a bit too precious for me. Haven’t heard the last few releases – is Narrow Stairs worth checking out?
Hmmm…I think Narrow Stairs is pretty similar to the previous few albums, so if you haven’t heard or liked much from them, it probably won’t interest you either. Although “I Will Possess Your Heart” is the most stalker-iffic love song since “Every Breath You Take.”
“most stalker-iffic love song since “Every Breath You Take.”
Here’s my nomination.
Also an excellent choice!
Thanks! Though one could argue that all breakup songs are stalker songs – and vice versa.
Well, I can certainly think of good counterexamples to that assertion, but more importantly, I think that “I Will Possess Your Heart” is pre-relationship, not post-. That’s part of what makes it so creepy.
[…] Here are three songs that are frequently construed as love songs, but are really creepy stalker anthems; this follows up on a conversation with Nick in this comment thread. […]
[…] so now it’s your turn. What songs remind you of Boston? I wrote about several when I was in town last December, but I’m sure that, if you’re reading this, you have […]