Celebration of "I Can't Stand Still"

Thanks for the info - and very observant of you, TBF! I totally missed that. I imagine it is just the passing of time during the shoot but you never know. It is kind of funny they would put a working clock on the wall... But if they wanted to deliberately indicate the passage of time between the two photos... hmm! Interesting!

So, when we're trying to figure it out, some more observations (admittedly most of these are pretty obvious but I'm trying to collect 'em):

The bare, bleakness of the kitchen.

The stove seems a bit odd to me - maybe it's just because it's older but it doesn't make sense to me to put a burner over nothing but a drawer.

It also seems odd to put a toaster on the kitchen table.

Everything's black, white, and gray except for the clock, which is red (this lends credence to the idea that the different times are deliberate since your eyes are drawn to the clock - although I didn't notice it! lol). Even Don's pants, which are light brown, look a bit off-white. His clothing certainly doesn't stand out. Same for the matches. Gray tones vary from the paint on the wall to the steel toaster, table, and chair.

The box of matches looks like it could easily be knocked off - part of it's hanging off of the table.

Don's sleeves are rolled up.

The line of matches we've already mentioned... they indicate that he's just spending time watching the matches burn down, placing the burnt ones in a row, then getting another one out of the box to watch it burn down... doing it again and again... it's the most obvious oddity of the photo.

I think he looks hypnotized by the flame in the first photo, and caught by surprise in the second. (Subjective, I know).

The black, white, and gray tones surrounding him kind of makes it look like he and the clock are the only color elements in an forties/fifties-era black-and-white photograph. (Another subjective thought),


Any other observations? Even obvious ones?

He mentions a toaster in Long Way Home! Does that count? :hilarious:

He seems to be trying to evoke the era of the 50s in some way which I can't work out. He grew up in the 50s, after all.

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Originally Posted by sodascouts

But... another argument would be... I was overthinking it.

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Certainly not! That never occurs in academia - no such beast!

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Originally Posted by Freypower

I always naively thought that the emperor in blue could have been just a reference to the police who arrested Henley. It's unlikely though. I don't know what colour uniforms the police wear in California.

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Actually that's not naive at all! That's the interpretation I employ as well.

Random Observations:
- The scene does seem particularly evocative of the '50s.
- Perhaps a desire to eliminate his past... what better method than fire?
- Or a symbolic desire to remove the staid societal practices embodied by that period in history?
- He could be a "grown-up" version of a kid who had been home-schooled in that kind of setting... and never learned to read, so he turned to crime to occupy himself. Arson, anyone?
- Not to harp upon the obvious; but, uh, he's not standing.
- He seems to be wearing something a private school would consider a uniform. (Pointedly not mentioning the top button being unfastened.)
- Sitting markedly crooked in the chair - good intentions gone awry?
- Dinky little kitchen clock with obvious wire, clearly meant to convey low-rent or lack of concern for appearances.
- Continual variations on white. Shades of innocence? While the path he's following (the floor) is equally divided between innocence (white) and contamination/indulgence (black)?
- Perhaps it's not a kitchen; it does have a diner floor, and it seems to be a table one would employ in such an establishment. Turning the store into a home? Bringing the store home? Bringing the business home? Turning the focus of his business toward domestic concerns? Writing about his home life as opposed to the "parade of ______" or however Felder phrased it?

Watch, we'll go thru all this and in an interview he'll be like, "Well, I just wandered onto a set and it seemed swell; they already had a camera set up..."

I keep looking at the toaster and picturing the fantastic Eddie Izzard skit about toasters. Plus the look on Henley's face in the second one soda posted keeps distracting me. Rough sequence of events: 1) brilliant inspiration; 2) casual glance at the image to accentuate the concept; 3) complete dissolution of former coherency; 4) sudden urge to peruse Henely photos for hours on end....

Well, I wasn't around during the celebration of the anniversary of I Can't Stand Still. I love this album - it is my second favorite of all of Don's solo work. This is another one where I don't think there are any really bad tracks. I want to comment on each of the songs, but I haven't had time yet.

However, as far as the cover art, of course, this is all subjective and I enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts. I guess I take a more simplistic approach to its meaning. I always just interpreted it as Don "playing with fire" i.e. the stove, toaster, and matches. I think of the time change on the clock as "time, time ticking" - maybe even as in a ticking time bomb. The 50's small town setting is very traditional and probably very similar to Don's childhood surroundings. I figure he used the contrast to help portray his rebellious side. The reflection of the male image in the toaster is maybe the "man", the "establishment". or even the media keeping an eye on things.

Anyone else watch Mad Men? Every time they show the Draper's kitchen it conjures images of the album cover for some reason. It's set in the '60s, but has the same vibe.

I haven't seen that but I've heard of it.

I'm still trying to figure out what the cover means! :hilarious:

As I said earlier, ICSS is also my 2nd favorite of Don’s solo albums. Even though I think the album is slightly uneven, it is not nearly as much as BTPB or Inside Job, IMO. None of the tracks are really bad. The lyrics and vocals in many of the songs are among Don’s best work. This is actually one of those albums that I like more every time I listen to it. As I have done with many of the other solo albums, I will rate these in the order that I like the songs. So here goes …


I absolutely love this song

Dirty Laundry – This song is even more relevant today than it was when Don wrote it – he must have had a crystal ball. I still love the song and never tire of it. It doesn’t hurt that it absolutely ROCKS live. Personally, I hope the Eagles never drop the song from their set list.

Lilah – All the ballads on this album are gorgeous. However, this is my favorite. One of my all time favorite lines that I use often is “the world got in my way” – I can soooo relate to this. I also totally agree with Soda about the other lyrics that she mentions, especially the “… shaking our fists, creating enemies that really don’t exist” lines. All of us know people who do this and Soda’s comments are dead on, IMO. To sum it up in a nutshell, the imagery that Don creates with the lyrics and music in this song are nothing short of amazing.

Long Way Home – The use of the extremely slow tempo in this song is so effective and appropriate. This song also has one of my favorite lines – “There's three sides to every story - there's yours and there's mine and the cold, hard truth”. So very true! It’s just a constant reminder to me how everyone perceives their own version of the truth. Again, such wonderful use of music and lyrics to convey a message.

Talking To The Moon – I think this song is magnificent as well, although unlike many of you, it is my least favorite of the 3 ballads by a smidgeon. Soda pretty much summed up my thoughts about it.

Nobody's Business – Another all-around great song that rocks. I would love to hear this live, but that probably ain’t ever gonna happen. Regarding the line about “revenge is sweet though it be once removed” I interpret as when someone may not directly be responsible for plotting the revenge, but they take pleasure from a distance when something bad happens to the other person. I guess the line could have been directed at Glenn, but I don’t ever recall Don implying that, therefore, I hesitate to draw that conclusion. My guess is that there are quite a few people the line could have been directed at. As far as the Emperor, I also always figured that Don was referring to the police here.

Them And Us – Now, here’s where I part company with many of you because I think this is an awesome song. I think the lyrics are extremely clever here – especially when Johnny makes an appearance. :wink: I also love the ending lines – “It's all over, nothing left to save. Tell me...What was the question anyway?” Even though the message is uncomfortable, the music and melody make the song very easy to listen to for me.


I like this song a whole lot

You Better Hang Up - I like this song, but not as much as some of the others. The chorus is too repetitious and while the lyrics are interesting, there is nothing unique about them. I really like the music though.

La Eile - Very lovely music that leads into Lilah. It's almost as if the two songs are one. Obviously, I disagree with Soda's assessment with regard to the song being a buffer between Them and Us and Lilah.


I like this song

The Unclouded Day - This songs lyrics are, obviously, very uplifting and Don sings the song beautifully. However, I always found the melody and music to be a bit bland and repetitious for my taste. I thought it was an interesting choice of songs for Don to include on his first solo effort. I don't recall Don ever claiming that he does not believe in a higher power, but rather just expressing disillusion about some of our traditional religious practices.

I Can't Stand Still - Although I do think this album is aptly named, it's too bad that the title track isn't a little more interesting. Again, it's not a bad song, but it isn't any better than average, IMO.

Johnny Can't Read - Again, even though this is my least favorite track on the album, it isn't really a bad song. The lyrics are pretty harsh, but Don attempts to temper them with humor and sarcasm. I don't think it works very effectively though. I think this is one of those Henley songs that comes across as 'trying too hard'. Contrast this with The End of the Innocence whose lyrics are equally as scathing. However, Don uses beautiful melodic music that softens the message for the listener instead of it sounding like a rant.

:robinhood:
Ohhh, man! Soda and dreamer, I enjoyed reading your play-by-plays so much I might have to actually purchase the entire album and post my own. Kind of a reverse Robin Hood effect - inspiring the poor to give to the rich by way of royalties. You might consider attempting to negotiate a broker's commission? ;)

Soda- re: "The Unclouded Day" Don's an atheist then? (Sigh.) Has he actually confirmed that or are we extrapolating? I don't read a lot of interviews because they taint the music for me. I'm sure you'll know offhand. :)

So can the green Robin Hood smiley become my avatar? (Kidding.) I'm really loving him, though. Maybe I can photoshop Glenn into a green outfit and work some animation magic. I don't have plans this Saturday night...

I didn't call Henley an atheist. The atheist believes there is no higher power, period. I think he has said he sees God in nature or something like that fairly recently, so unless he has changed his views, he is not an atheist. I'm afraid I cannot cite the quote where he states that he sees God in nature, but he has stated it more than once, so it probably could be found with little effort by someone who was interested.

But the song is not vaguely religious. It's Christian. (See story of the song)

I think it is safe to say that when this song was recorded in 1982, he was not a Christian. Can I give you a direct quote from a 1982 interview that states that? No. If I am mistaken, I apologize.... but I think few would argue he was.

I do remember that in 1979, in the Rolling Stone interview, you can find Don's beliefs at that time period vaguely stated in there. I don't have time to look up the particular page, but I remember he said something about it in that article.

You can also do a search using the DHO search engine for words like "God", "religion", etc. I don't know what you'll find there - maybe nothing of consequence - but if you really want to know, it's worth a shot.

I wish I could claim the encyclopedic knowledge that you have attributed to me, but sometimes, all you remember is that you read something somewhere. To find the specific citation, you gotta look it up... myself included.

If anything I've said is inaccurate or a misrepresentation, I am happy to be corrected by someone who knows better.

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Originally Posted by sodascouts

I didn't call Henley an atheist. The atheist believes there is no higher power, period. I think he has said he sees God in nature or something like that fairly recently, so unless he has changed his views, he is not an atheist.

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Ahh, got it. I apologize if I inadvertently adopted a contentious tone; such was not my intent. He should set the Emily Dickinson poem "Some Keep the Sabbath" to music - "Instead of getting to Heaven, at last / I'm going, all along." That'd be fabulous. I'll read all the links you were courteous enough to provide.

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Originally Posted by sodascouts

You can also do a search using the DHO search engine

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Ohhhhh.... danger is imminent.... I did not know that existed. Heee-he! Horses! Cowboys! The keywords of my life, in they go!

I'm listening to the looping sample of ICSS on amazon and he sings so dang high. I realize he's a countertenor and whatnot but sometimes I cringe on his behalf. I really ought to work at some point here but it's much more enjoyable to debate things, and so difficult to muster motivation when you're fatigued. Thanks all for keeping me company, in cyberspace.