My 24th Favorite Song of All-Time
Click here to see all previous entries in this list.
…and my 24th favorite song of all time is:
“Be Safe” by The Cribs
The Cribs are a weird band, which you might have guessed, since their name is The Cribs. They are virtually unheard of in the US, but they are one of the more popular bands in England (where they are from) because, as usual, England has a higher tolerance for outside-the-box kind of stuff. Granted, a large portion of their music is very straight-forward indie rock, but they often veer into Avant Garde. The song that got me into them is a piece of pure pop perfection called “We Were Aborted”. Go figure.
Their best song, and a song that affects me highly every time I listen to it, is “Be Safe”. It is unlike anything you have ever heard. It is a long poem (a terrific poem) being read not by a member of the band, but by legendary rock innovator Lee Ranaldo of the band Sonic Youth, who is a kind of mentor to the members of The Cribs. Underneath this poem is some sonic-boom style grunge rock, and some moaning, dirge-like choruses sung by all the members of The Cribs. This song can come very close to literally changing your life.
There was not a satisfactory rendition of this song for streaming online, so I made one specifically for this blog entry. Please watch it below. The lyrics stream along with the song in the video. Trust me folks, this was not easy to make, so do this blogger a favor and watch it. I don’t ask for much. If it doesn’t blow your mind, I’ll refund your money.
Notes From the Fire 
November 29, 2012 at 5:49 AM
I still have the CD you sent out with this song and lyrics. I like to check in with it every so often. It popped in my head earlier today and I made a note to play it when I got home from work. It’s like a ‘Magnolia’ moment not only that you decided to post this today after such a long hiatus, but that the song would once again floor me. It also seems to have floored me in a different way than I remember previous times. I’ve been in a mood today and parts of this just nailed my sentiments.
I’m a little mad though cuz I was really banking on getting my money back. I would have used it to buy a new water filter for my sink. Guess I can go another week without filtered drinking water.
November 29, 2012 at 6:18 AM
wow…very strange that you had thought of this song earlier today! Stuff like that is so strange.
I didn’t realize you had enjoyed it that much….thank God! It’s so nice when others see the same thing in a work of art as you do, and I’m so convinced this song is amazing, and I was very worried nobody else really “got it”.
Fuck your water.
December 4, 2012 at 3:12 AM
Excellent job on the video. “We were aborted” is pure pop perfection. I haven’t like some of the more avant stuff they’ve done.