DBT Track #87 - Zoloft

[GuitarManUpstairs]

Life ain't noth'in but a blend'in up of all the ups and downs....unless you're on Zoloft. then everything's just peachy even if the walls are crumbling down around you. This little gem made a rare appearance at last year's homecoming in the Night 1 Encore. I was lucky enough to be there to witness it and really feel like they should pull this one out of the vault at least a little more frequently.



Musically I find this song to be one of the most ironic in the DBT catalog because although a big portion of DBT's songs can be pretty damn dark, there's usually some aspect of redemption at least alluded to. By contrast, Zoloft is arguably the most upbeat song in their repertoire yet lyrically paints a pretty stark picture. The nearly whimsical melody and cadence in spite of the darker underpinnings seems to be making a statement about the narrator's state of mind. (A similar technique is also utilized in Careless where the guitars are just all over the place, riding the edge of control similar to the subject's nature.)

I think this is Patterson's comment on one of the scourges of modern Western civilization which is the pharmaceutical band-aid that some folks try to ascribe to everything. In the case of Zoloft and other mood altering pharmaceuticals it has been pushed by the medical/industrial complex* as a blanket fix for all sorts of situations it was not originally intended. In addition to the appropriate forms of legitimate clinical depression, it can be employed to "fix" marital problems, teen angst and sibling rivalry.... Of course, the reality is that while it may mask one's emotional response to a situation it doesn't address the underlying issues and we all know how problems tend to go away and get better by themselves when you ignore and/or are numb to them, right?

*In 2007 there were nearly 30 million NEW prescriptions issued in the US alone.

All my family problems disappeared overnight
We're all taking Zoloft and everything is fine
My sister's teen angst just flew out the window
Mama's so happy she laughs all the time

Used to be we had trouble gettin' along with each other
Mama hated daddy, I hated little brother
Then the family doctor gave us all these little pills
Now I can't believe how great we all feel

All my family problems disappeared overnight
We're all taking Zoloft and everything is fine
My sister's teen angst just flew out the window
Mama's so happy she laughs all the time

The birds in the trees all sing happy songs
Everyone is smiling, we're so glad to be alive
Even my ol' pitbull don't growl anymore
He just watches that ol' tail wag from side to side

All my family problems disappeared overnight
We're all taking Zoloft and everything is fine
My sister's teen angst just flew out the window
Mama's so happy she laughs all the time

And I used to be so unhappy doin' songs about killing
Taking methadone and jacking off four or five times a day
Now I'm so happy, I'm so god damn happy
Who needs an orgasm when life's so fucking great?

All my family problems disappeared overnight
We're all taking Zoloft and everything is fine
My sister's teen angst just flew out the window
Mama's so happy she cries all the time
Mama's so happy she cries all the time
Mama's so happy she cries all the time

[Clams]

Good choice, guitarman. Songs like this one, as well as others such as The Avon Lady and Panties in Your Purse, still make me smile whenever I hear them. The sense of humor in so many of DBT's songs was a huge part of what sucked me in, and it's still one of the things I like most about DBT today. They never take themselves or their songs too seriously.



(as always - anyone who wants to start up one of these threads should send me a PM and I'll send you the list of songs that are left)

[Cole Younger]

Having been on this board for a little over a month, I am amazed everyday at what great writers so many of yall are.

There are some really well spoken people around here.

I love this song. Lots of reasons why. Number one it just sounds great. It's also hilarious as so many of the songs on PD are.

But it hits home in a really funny yet personal way. As a person who comes from a family in which depression has historically existed to varying degrees, it takes the piss out of some bad memories.

Folks in my family in generations past have tended to treat depression with alcohol. Brilliant.

But also, the person who had the most reason to be down, my dad, who had a horrible childhood, is one of the most positive, up beat, happy people that I know. He kind of broke the cycle. And that makes this song a really fun one for me.

I agree with guitar man. Today people pop pills every time they have a bad day and use them to mask problems rather than addressing them.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that clynical depression is a very real, very serious problem for lots of people, but we have also had a knee jerk reaction to the availability of drugs like Zoloft and misused them.

Great song. Fun song about a dark subject.

[Sterling Big Mouth]

Love this song. It's one of the "unsung heroes" that prove how deep DBT's bench goes. In addition to the well-expressed views about how Zoloft is a great fuck you to the pharma industry, here are some of my thoughts:

Patterson kills it as a front man in this one. I love the "my turn" solo by Patterson, when he yells "show em how the slide works" and his big 'ol "yee haw," before one of the funniest lines I've ever heard in my life: "I used to be so unhappy doin' songs about killing, Taking methadone and jacking off four or five times a day." Patterson Hood, everybody, Patterson Hood.

I then love how the band accentuates this really western sounding rhythm line before Patterson finishes up with "who needs an orgasm when life's so fucking great?" Moreover, the western sound is all over the place, which is interesting because western / country is usually Cooley's territory.

And of course, the last line is pure DBT - a disaster you can only shake your head at and laugh. "Mama's so happy she cries all the time."

[Penny Lane]

Great song, great lyrics...wish I got to see this live more..

[beantownbubba]

Some nice commentary in this here thread. Good job, folks!

[njMark]

Speaking as someone who has had extensive experience with meds, Zoloft is beat.

[Clams]

I think this is Patterson's comment on one of the scourges of modern Western civilization which is the pharmaceutical band-aid that some folks try to ascribe to everything. In the case of Zoloft and other mood altering pharmaceuticals it has been pushed by the medical/industrial complex* as a blanket fix for all sorts of situations it was not originally intended. In addition to the appropriate forms of legitimate clinical depression, it can be employed to "fix" marital problems, teen angst and sibling rivalry.... Of course, the reality is that while it may mask one's emotional response to a situation it doesn't address the underlying issues and we all know how problems tend to go away and get better by themselves when you ignore and/or are numb to them, right?

The "tranquilized" lyric in Patterson's new song After It's Gone seems to reiterate GuitarMan's point about Zoloft.

[Cole Younger]

I think this is Patterson's comment on one of the scourges of modern Western civilization which is the pharmaceutical band-aid that some folks try to ascribe to everything. In the case of Zoloft and other mood altering pharmaceuticals it has been pushed by the medical/industrial complex* as a blanket fix for all sorts of situations it was not originally intended. In addition to the appropriate forms of legitimate clinical depression, it can be employed to "fix" marital problems, teen angst and sibling rivalry.... Of course, the reality is that while it may mask one's emotional response to a situation it doesn't address the underlying issues and we all know how problems tend to go away and get better by themselves when you ignore and/or are numb to them, right?

The "tranquilized" lyric in Patterson's new song After It's Gone seems to reiterate GuitarMan's point about Zoloft.

Yeah I didn't catch it the first time around but you're right.

[dime in the gutter]

The "tranquilized" lyric in Patterson's new song After It's Gone seems to reiterate GuitarMan's point about Zoloft.

screwtopia

[GuitarManUpstairs]

The "tranquilized" lyric in Patterson's new song After It's Gone seems to reiterate GuitarMan's point about Zoloft.

screwtopia

Good call.