Nearly Lost You (track) by Screaming Trees

From soundguardian 05/20/2013 09:07

From the onset of the first chord, searing electric vitality, "Nearly Lost You" is a testament of how dynamic of a band The Screaming Trees were. From the syncopated guitars in the background (and that howling solo!), to the raw and distinct quality of Mark Lanegan's baritone, to its unyielding, primal percussive fury, in particular, this track moves with a rare vigor, almost of brutality.

This soared into fame with the release of Singles, a soundtrack accompanying the release of the documentary film by the same name. Singles highlights the major trends that defined the popular grunge scene that originated in Seattle (late 80's, early 90's). With this The Screaming Trees attained their pinnacle of mainstream success, and it's sad to think that if this is the case, the band has been sorely undervalued. The Screaming Trees was a band brimming with energy; every track on one of The Screaming Trees releases would have a unique sound associated with it. A lot of times the compositions would call for instrumentation that was unconventional (at least for grunge or rock). It's hard to believe that Mark Lanegan's vocal talent is so underrated and the talent and consistency of the entire band unrecognized.

Considering the tendencies of the grunge generation, "Nearly Lost You" most likely deals with heroin addiction. The first words of the first verse set the stage - "Can you hear the distant cry, calling me back to my sin?", as if to justify an addiction (the narrator's 'sin') by pinning the blame on the drug and ameliorating himself of responsibility. That's a standard symptom of an addiction. Even the intended listener has experienced such an addiction, since the sin is "like the one [he or she] knew before". There's obviously ramifications, like a falling out from friendship or love (or close to the brink of disintegration), as evidenced by the lyrics of the song. The narrator finally admits that "there's a rider that's fallen, and it's clear there's no time to return". Or, in other words, that he concedes his addiction is very real and, for the foreseeable future, tenacious regardless of what he's learned or what relationships will die on his invariable march to self-destruction. From a strictly lyricist's perspective, honestly, this is one of the saddest songs I have ever heard and analyzed.

Cool track that, IMO, sounds like a sweet blend of grunge, Hole, early Alice Cooper, and maybe more.