from: Key Lime Pie (1989)

Illustrates the Van's curious mixture of jokey Westerberg-as-trailer-park-king surface demeanor and deeper examination of the sad beauty of white trash dysfunction. This one's got Reagan. A band at once funny and moving without the listener certain which is which.

Could have posted at least 15 CVB songs to illustrate this point.




'Cause he's always living back in Dixon
Circa nineteen-fortynine
And we're all sitting at the fountain
at the five and dime

'Cause he's living in some B-movie
The lines they are so clearly drawn
In black and white life is so easy
And we're all coming along on this one

'Cause he's on a secret mission
Headquarters just radioed in
He left his baby at the dancehall
While the band plays on some sweet song

And on a mission over China
The lady opens up her arms
The flowers bloom where you have placed them
And the lady smiles, just like mom

Angels wings are icing over
McDonnell-Douglas olive drab
They bear the names of our sweethearts
And the captain smiles, as we crash

'Cause in the mind of Ronald Reagan
Wheels they turn and gears they grind
Buildings collapse in slow motion
And the trains collide, everything is fine
Everything is fine
Everything is fine

I was just listening to a live version of this song, along with many other CvB songs on some boot last night; Live from Austin was recorded around the time of their recent release, which I didn't pick-up. That Ronald Reagan line got a response from the crowd. What a great band that deserves so much more recognition. Key Lime Pie and Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweethearts are two of the best '80s albums. All Her Favorite Fruit might make my top-10 songs of all time.

"When I Win The Lottery" manages to thoroughly understand the smalltime loser-dreamer, commiserate with him and make fun of him in a single song.