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Freypower
11-11-2007, 10:29 PM
I just read TF's comment about this song in the new Survivor topic. I'd been meaning to start a topic on it, so here goes.

Here the band sounds rather tired. Even the 'whoah whoahs', though I like them, sound tired. It's like an outtake from Inside Job.

The lyric is all over the place. What does the 'prettiest White House' part have to do with the rest of the song except that it's a 'monument to arrogance', I guess. And all that 'grinding away'.... it must be so hard to be a multimillionaire.

It isn't that I don't LIKE the song, but out of all Don's tracks on this album, this is the one I'd discard first.

sodascouts
11-11-2007, 11:51 PM
Ironically, I do like this one! I guess I'm going against type here, eh? ;) Admittedly I find political criticism much more palatable than religious criticism. As the years have passed I've realized no political party has really got their act together, and I can understand the frustrations on both sides. Maybe that's why I appreciate "Business As Usual." It's more inclusive. Henley applies the criticism internally before doing it externally. I appreciate that. The rest of the lyrics also make sense to me; I can understand why he feels that way. There I go again, hyper-analyzing the lyrics! As I said before though, that's just the way I am! For me to get into a song, I have to appreciate where it's coming from.

However, I like the music, too. I guess it does sound like a Henley solo song, but honestly, that didn't occur to me when I first heard it. For me the song really starts working with the "I thought that I would be above it all by now..." the melody picks up, and then the building rhythm to the full stop - that's so effective. The chorus is actually catchy to me and I like the "woah-woah"s.

The inclusion of the "prettiest White House" works because the workings of politics, as I said before, are "business as usual" no matter where you turn. It's a progression from the personal to the global.

And I LOVE that "soul-suckin', soul-suckin', soul-suckin'" part! I also enjoy the guitar solo that comes right after it.

I think the only weakness to the song is that it does get off to a slow start and the ending could be a bit more powerful, as it just kind of peters out. But otherwise I really like it.

EasyFeeling
11-13-2007, 07:45 AM
You know I'm not good analyzing the lyrics :wink: so I want to limit my opinion to the music and voices.


However, I like the music, too. I guess it does sound like a Henley solo song, but honestly, that didn't occur to me when I first heard it. For me the song really starts working with the "I thought that I would be above it all by now..." the melody picks up, and then the building rhythm to the full stop - that's so effective. The chorus is actually catchy to me and I like the "woah-woah"s.


And I LOVE that "soul-suckin', soul-suckin', soul-suckin'" part! I also enjoy the guitar solo that comes right after it.

Before I repeat in my own words what Soda said I better quote her because these are my thoughts exactly :)

Freypower
11-13-2007, 08:21 PM
I don't like the 'soul sucking' part. That is Don Henley, not the Eagles.

The song is so negative. It does not offer one skerrick of consolation. At least FGOTBP has some humour.

sodascouts
11-13-2007, 08:59 PM
The song is so negative. It does not offer one skerrick of consolation. At least FGOTBP has some humour.

If you're looking for black humor, the "surfing in Century City" part qualifies, I think.

sodascouts
11-14-2012, 06:43 PM
Reviving this thread. Again, this is my fave of Don's "message" songs on LROOE.

Freypower
11-14-2012, 07:25 PM
I like it a great deal more than I did. I'm surprised by what I wrote here; but I still don't like the 'soul sucking' part much.

Prettymaid
11-14-2012, 08:42 PM
Here are the lyrics.

Look at the weather, look at the news
Look at all the people in denial
We're burning time, bleeding grace
Still we worship at the marketplace
While common sense is goin' out of style
I thought that I would be above it all by now
In some country garden in the shade
But it's business as usual
Day after day
Business as usual
Just grinding away
You try to be righteous
You try to do good
But business as usual
Turn your heart into wood
Monuments to arrogance reach for the sky
Our better natures buried in the rubble
We got the prettiest White House that money can buy
Sitting up there in that beltway bubble
And when "El Jefe" talks about our freedom
Here is what he really means...
Business as usual
How dirty we play
Business as usual
Don't you get in the way
Makes you feel helpless
Makes you feel like a clown
Business as usual
Is breakin' me down
Boy, you can't go surfing in Century City
Yeah, them sharks out there are lurking beneath the curl
Yeah, they rob you blind and chew you up, and it ain't pretty
And it's a soul suckin', soul suckin', soul suckin', soul suckin'
Soul suckin', soul suckin' world
Business as usual
Day after day
Business as usual
Feel like walking away
A barrel of monkeys
A band of renown
Business as usual
Is breakin' me down
Breakin' me down

TimothyBFan
11-15-2012, 11:15 AM
I've liked this song from the very beginning!! I like what Soda said about it being a "message" song. :thumbsup: Sure is!!! If you can't figure out what these words are about, you've got your head in the sand. With lines like, "While common sense is goin' out of style" and "Monuments to arrogance reach for the sky", it's pretty obvious.

And for the record, love "It's a soul suckin', soul suckin', soul suckin'..... world". :hilarious:

Houston Debutante
11-27-2012, 04:22 PM
I love the 'soul-suckin' part too. In fact I love the whole chorus. The verses are also intelligent and make you think. This song is another example of Don's brilliant ability to make political commentary interesting.

I realize he cowrote this with Stewart Smith, but I think he probably is responsible for all the lyrics on this one since Smith is the guitarist they hired to replace Felder so I'm assuming his contribution would be more musical.

sodascouts
11-27-2012, 09:27 PM
I tend to agree with that assumption about the "division of labor" between Don and Steuart Smith. You know, he has become "the fifth Eagle" in all but name. He not only plays with them live, he plays on their latest studio album and has even co-written Eagles songs.

Ive always been a dreamer
11-27-2012, 11:16 PM
I love the 'soul-suckin' part too. In fact I love the whole chorus. The verses are also intelligent and make you think. This song is another example of Don's brilliant ability to make political commentary interesting.

I realize he cowrote this with Stewart Smith, but I think he probably is responsible for all the lyrics on this one since Smith is the guitarist they hired to replace Felder so I'm assuming his contribution would be more musical.

I'm afraid I can't buy in to your assumption that Don wrote all the lyrics here, HD. Unfortunately, the LROOE liner notes or credits don't give us any insight into this, so I am always reluctant to make assumptions about who wrote what. We know almost nothing about Steuart's songwriting abilities, so he may be perfectly capable of writing or at least co-writing great lyrics.

And, for the record, I am another one that likes this song alot. I think it is very underrated.

Houston Debutante
11-28-2012, 03:54 PM
I don't claim to know for sure, and I understand your reluctance to assume anything. You're right that it's impossible to tell. That's why I included the part about why I thought it was probably Don as opposed to insisting it must be Don. I recognize I could be wrong. I wasn't trying to compliment Don at the expense of Smith. Let's just say both of them are great. :)

Ive always been a dreamer
11-28-2012, 09:28 PM
HD - I hope you didn't take offense or view my post as being critical because I didn't mean it that way at all. I understood what you were saying and appreciate that you made it clear that you were just speculating. Any of us here has a right to speculate about these kinds of things. And, of course, as we both acknowledged, none of us knows for sure how these guys go about writing songs. I sure wish we did have more insight into this, so they didn't keep us guessing all the time. :wink: You might be dead on with your opinion, but I just thought it was fair to present another side - strictly for the sake of good discussion. :thumbsup:

groupie2686
11-01-2017, 11:07 AM
Here the band sounds rather tired. Even the 'whoah whoahs', though I like them, sound tired. It's like an outtake from Inside Job.

The lyric is all over the place. What does the 'prettiest White House' part have to do with the rest of the song except that it's a 'monument to arrogance', I guess. And all that 'grinding away'.... it must be so hard to be a multimillionaire.

It isn't that I don't LIKE the song, but out of all Don's tracks on this album, this is the one I'd discard first.

I was listening to Inside Job and it occurred to me that Miss Ghost sounds almost EXACTLY like Business As Usual. The melody is almost exactly the same. I dug around on here and of course, you guys discussed this already..but the similarity was quite astonishing. I wonder if this and/or any other LROOE tracks were rejects for solo projects that were reworked for the album...

chaim
11-01-2017, 11:32 AM
I was listening to Inside Job and it occurred to me that Miss Ghost sounds almost EXACTLY like Business As Usual. The melody is almost exactly the same. I dug around on here and of course, you guys discussed this already..but the similarity was quite astonishing. I wonder if this and/or any other LROOE tracks were rejects for solo projects that were reworked for the album...

I don't remember Miss Ghost. Have to check it out. In which thread where it was discussed? I can try to use the "search", but usually I find nothing even when I know it exists.

groupie2686
11-01-2017, 11:47 AM
I meant this thread on Business As Usual...as it was discussed that it sounded like an outtake from Inside Job.

chaim
11-01-2017, 11:53 AM
Ah, how stupid of me. You even quoted the post! Not sure if Freypower was thinking about similar melodies or musical style in general. I didn't notice the similarity, but it's probably because the chords beneath the melody are different.

Delilah
11-01-2017, 12:10 PM
Yep, they do sound similar. Though Miss Ghost has a slower, more bluesy groove and is far superior to the caustic-but-still mundane Business As Usual, IMO. I don’t know about it originally being a reject from Inside Job. Maybe it was a sub-conscious re-working of MG itself.

I realize the comment was made years ago but I cannot agree the “monuments to arrogance” was referring to the White House, which was built in 1792.

chaim
11-01-2017, 12:16 PM
Yep, they do sound similar. Though Miss Ghost has a slower, more bluesy groove and is far superior to the caustic-but-still mundane Business As Usual, IMO. I don’t know about it originally being a reject from Inside Job. Maybe it was a sub-conscious re-working of MG itself.

I realize the comment was made years ago but I cannot agree the “monuments to arrogance” was referring to the White House, which was built in 1792.

Probably this.

Freypower
11-01-2017, 06:50 PM
I was listening to Inside Job and it occurred to me that Miss Ghost sounds almost EXACTLY like Business As Usual. The melody is almost exactly the same. I dug around on here and of course, you guys discussed this already..but the similarity was quite astonishing. I wonder if this and/or any other LROOE tracks were rejects for solo projects that were reworked for the album...


BAU, contrary to what I wrote back in 2007, has become one of my favourite tracks on LROOE. Miss Ghost is in my top 3 on IJ & I see a vague similarity, but that's all. Please note I said it was 'like' an outtake from IJ. I didn't say it WAS, but lyrically it is very much in that album's vein.

Regarding the White House & 'monuments to arrogance' back then I thought it was more a metaphorical comparison & a reference to the present day, not when the building was constructed. But the White House reference does seem to be separate.

groupie2686
11-02-2017, 01:26 PM
Freypower, I wasn't saying that's what you were saying...Miss Ghost came up on my ipod the other day and to me, it sounded like Business As Usual, so I searched on here for a thread discussing either song.

I have to say I don't care much for either song, but they still do sound similar to me. BAU would fit quite well on Inside Job, both musically and lyrically.

sodascouts
11-04-2017, 09:03 PM
BAU would fit quite well on Inside Job, both musically and lyrically.

Indeed, Don even uses the phrase "business as usual" in a song on Inside Job ("Workin' It").