The alternative music scene of the 2000s was vast. It could encompass bands from The White Stripes to Gorillaz to The Used to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I probably don’t have to tell you how incredibly different all four of those bands are.
For the most part, even if a song was weird—like The White Stripes’ “My Doorbell”, for example—it has a pretty understandable meaning when you break it down. Some songs, though, were much harder to interpret, and there are a few I still can’t really explain to you.
“The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know” by Panic! At the Disco
Panic! at the Disco gets a lot of praise for their debut album, but I’m of the opinion that their sophomore record—Pretty. Odd.—is their masterpiece. It’s just so magnificently bizarre and unexpected, in the context of who they were and the scene they were in.
There are a lot of unusual songs across the tracklist, but one standout is “The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know”. The song was written by former P!ATD guitarist/keyboardist Ryan Ross. It’s said that Ross wrote the song from the perspective of being unsure about his life, but when he plays the piano, it knows him better than himself.
I love the poetry. It’s beautiful that Ross discovered his talent as a safe space for his uncertainty. I still can’t explain, “If I could build my house just like the Trojan horse /
I’d put a statue of myself upon the shelf.”
“Thickfreakness” by The Black Keys
The Black Keys came to f**kin’ play in the early 2000s, offering a compelling blues alternative to what was going on in rock music at the time. Their sophomore album, Thickfreakness, is solid gold from start to finish, including the title track. Just oozing with soul and killer groove.
But I’m gonna tell you, that if someone was like, “What is ‘Thickfreakness?’” I would not be able to explain it. You can’t explain “Thickfreakness”. It’s not just a song; it’s a feeling. You either get it, or you don’t.
“Dope Nose” by Weezer
Weezer’s “Dope Nose” legitimately makes no sense.
One of the most memorable lyrics in the song is “Cheese smells so good / On a burnt piece of lamb.” And then a back vocal goes, “Piece of what?“
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, who wrote “Dope Nose”, has even said that it really has no overall meaning. So, if the guy who penned the tune can’t explain it to you, I’m sure as s**t not gonna attempt to.
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