Talk:Devils Haircut

Drugs?

An analysis of the lyrics might be helpful. To the layperson they are nonsensical. Beyond the word "nosebleed," there is very little to latch on to. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.235.232.81 (talk) 21:52, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I can find no definitive proof that this song is in fact about abusing inhalants. This to me seems to be OR and I will remove it unless someone can direct me to a definitive source. And the word "nosebleed" actually doesn't appear in the song... Can I psot the lyrics here for people to look at? Or does that fall outside "fair use"? Phoenix Song 02:33, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I'll go ahead and post them, but I'll take them down if need be. Somethin's wrong, 'cause my mind is fadin'/ And everywhere I look, there's a dead end waitin'/ Temperatures droppin' at the rottin'(/rotten) oasis/ Stealin' kisses from the leperous faces/ Heads are hangin' from the garbage man trees/ Mouthwash, jukebox, gasoline/

Pistols are pointin' at a poor man's pockets/ Smilin' eyes rip them out of their sockets/ CHORUS: Got a Devil's Haircut in my mind (etc)/ Love machines on the sympathy crutches/ Discount orgies on the dropout buses/ Hitchin' a ride with the bleeding noses/ Comin' (/come in) to town with the briefcase blues/ (CHORUS)/ Somethin's wrong 'cause my mind is fadin'/ Ghetto blastin', disentigratin'/ Rock and Roll, know what I'm sayin'?/ Everywhere I look, there's a dead end waitin'.../ Devil's Haircut! In my Mind! (etc)/ ---that's from memory, I'll correct it later if need be. THe only thing I see there tat might possibly suggest inhalants is "mind is fading" "temperatures droppin'" "gasoline" and bleeding noses. Phoenix Song 17:15, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Once we get to the lyrical interpretation, this article goes way, way south. Deleting the paragraph written in "hippie who is an English major speak" would help this immensely. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.126.32.73 (talk) 05:22, 1 May 2009 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Devils Haicut.jpg

Image:Devils Haicut.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 23:43, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

Apostrophe

Throughout the article use of "Devils Haircut" vs. "Devil's Haircut" is inconsistent. As on the cover image illustrating the single of the song, I believe there was no apostrophe used in the song title as it was represented on the original Odelay album artwork. Can someone with access to the original printed sleeve verify this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.233.254.103 (talk) 01:53, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Based on your observation about the artwork (and the article title) I have changed the text to not use an apostrophe. It is good to be consistent one way or the other. If someone wants to change it please make sure to provide an edit summary explaining why it should be changed. -- Horkana (talk) 01:03, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

Opinion

It sounds like much of the description of the song within the details concerning lyrics are more opinion. Ex: "The song's lyrics are full of poetry and mental shortcuts. The lyrics here emulate minimalistic phrases as may be used when not communicating outside of the inner mind"...doesn't have any validity or verification. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.47.121.97 (talk) 01:03, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

The article had some issues with original research but if you look at the external links section there is an article on a site called "Whiskyclone" that helps mitigate these problems, and provides a good start. I'd really hate to see an editor ignorantly delete instead of putting in the necessary effort to salvage most of the intent of other editors.

The article has been moved around a bit. I was able to verify the song was produced very quickly which helps back up points about not reading too deeply into the lyrics. Referencing reviews of the album Odelay to generally explain the style Beck used in the album could be used to explain examples of shown in this song. Beck is described as taking a "kitchen-sink" approach (a bit flowery for an encyclopedia article would be simpler and more easily understood than a Swedish word like smorgasbord) and also described as "absurdly eclectic". The lyrics are compared to Doctor Seuss and a good point is made about not worrying too much about the meaning:

It's not what you say in the arena of Seussian pop, it's how brilliant it sounds when you say it.

In a retrospective article Beck explains "Most of the vocals on the record were scratch vocals..." with the intention only to evoke a particular idea, and "...We just grew attached to them". This general point about the album can be for example be applied to Devils Haircut and help say more coherently what previous editors were trying to get at.

If an editor is willing to put in the work, I am sure there is a lot of what is in the article now that could be rephrased and adjusted to better fit with the sentiments of the few reviews and sources that are available. I might come back to it but I would encourage other editors not to just sweep the mess under the carpet but to actually make an effort to try and clean up and WP:IMPROVE the article. -- Horkana (talk) 01:38, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

Lyrics

In regards to the lyrics, Beck has been known to use first take or scratch vocals, containing just words that fit. I do not have a link to verify this, but this has been stated before. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.47.121.97 (talk) 01:03, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

The interpretation of this song gets really spacy and non-sensical in the middle. While I recognize that the lyrics are spacy and non-sensical, the middle of the explanation does not lend any clarity. Here's my take on it. A devil's haircut may just mean that you have hell toupee. WesUGAdawg (talk) 01:58, 3 March 2010 (UTC)

A nice pun, but surely that would be a devil's hairpiece? :-) –CapitalLetterBeginning (talk) 16:11, 4 March 2010 (UTC)

In the 1996 review of Odelay Rolling Stone described album containing as:

addictive pop tunes like "Devil's Haircut"

Not quite sure how to fit that into the article, might help if the intro described the song in some general way. -- Horkana (talk) 01:03, 29 October 2010 (UTC)