This disc gets off to a good start with "I Want It All." You might think solely from that title that this song is about a particularly selfish person, but that is not the case at all, for the things this person wants are things everyone should have. "I want a job that I care about/A club nearby where we can twist and shout/And a few good songs on the radio/And someone to hold me when I feel alone." What's particularly brilliant about these lyrics is the effect they then have on the song's main line, a line you've likely heard said throughout your life, "They tell me that you can't have everything." In the past the "they" in a sentence like this is essentially everyone, and so there is no judgment made, but here the "they" of the line becomes a sort of adversary, someone positioned above, in an oppressive sort of context. "Every step up the ladder, they care about you less/And less/And less." I love that delivery, for each "And less" feels like another step downward. That's followed by the album's title track, "Two True Loves." There is a great 1960s feel to the guitar work from the beginning, part of what makes the song so appealing. But part of it is the song's theme. Most of us have at least two things we are passionate about, two true loves, often a person and an artistic endeavor. I certainly wouldn't want to be without my girlfriend, but I also couldn't exist very well without music. "You said, 'Why don't you love me like you love your rock and roll?'" The song is also about how we have things to prove, maybe to others, the world, but mainly to ourselves, and while time is slipping by, we have to make the time for both our passions.
Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus slow things down then with "Nothing At All," a song that is more contemplative. A song of reflection, with an air of melancholy. Check out these lines, which open the track: "Everybody I know has been saying they just can't take this pain/They're looking through their past for a place to hide." I love that idea of hiding in their past, or rather wanting to hide in the past. It seems these days that a lot of folks would like to reside in some place in the past, a spot they can't quite locate. This song is full of excellent lyrics, such as this line: "You know that life's so different from your dreams." I can feel that line like a blade pressing against my side. This track is one of my personal favorites. The energy increases again with "Annabelle Lee," though there is some reflection here too. "But everybody knew what I was looking for/Because they were all looking too." Oh yes, we all desire some of the same things, something that is often forgotten these days. He tells a girl she reminds him of someone he used to know. Isn't it interesting how the past keeps poking its head into the present? "She must have thought I was going to be a star/She latched onto me like an unemployment check/And we walked outside this bar."
"Everybody's angry, saying things I can't forgive/I have a wife who loves me, responsibilities/But I still have these dreams exploding deep inside of me/You'd better leave me alone/Can't you see that I don't want to talk about it anymore." In those lines of "Leave Me Alone," they are revisiting that theme of a person's dreams not being fulfilled. But there is still hope. We can hear it in the guitar work. And as the line "Leave me alone" is repeated toward the end, Jim adds, "Don't want to be like you" and then "And I'm not going to," defiantly, determinedly. That's followed by "Laurence Beall," about a musician and friend who had dreams of his own. There is the question of whether those dreams have been realized, a recurring idea on this album, and one that will speak strongly to a lot of folks.
"Why Did You Leave Me For Him?" is a country number, with a subject perfect for the country realm. Heck, even that title seems to cry country. It's difficult to keep from dwelling on such questions, such matters, because it's all about your view of yourself, how you measure up, how you are perceived. "Was he your one true love, or was it just a whim/Did you drink too much, did you think too little/Did he play your heart like a Cajun fiddle/Oh, baby, why did you leave me for him?" This one was written by Jim Patton and Steve Brooks. It contains some really nice work on guitar. "That Cup Of Coffee We Never Had," also written by Jim Patton and Steve Books, has a sweeter vibe. "When I think of you I think of all those poems/Written just for you in my room alone/I was seventeen, watching from afar/Like I was your planet, and you were my star." This song looks back to youth and to missed opportunities. We all have those lost chances, when our lives might have changed. But, as mentioned here, it's impossible to know whether the changes would have been better or worse than what we got.
There is a bit of a 1960s flavor to "She Doesn't Want To See You Anymore." Here are the song's opening lines: "Somehow she didn't fit your dream/Some scenes did not ring true/You took her love for granted/That's an easy thing to do." There is a sadness to this one, heard mainly in the vocal performance. "Nothing ever hurts you like the slamming of a door/When she doesn't want to see you/She says she doesn't want to see you/No, she doesn't want to see you anymore." This one was written by Jim Patton and Mookie Siegel. It's followed by "Caught In The Headlights," which has a harder edge. There is a bit of a Tom Petty flavor. "A future once so bright/Flashed before our eyes/We were caught/Caught in the headlights." It's a song about greed. The line "What's in it for me?" is echoed. This song was written by Jim Patton and Steve Brooks. Then "Local Yokels" is a kind of playful song, playful even in just the use of the word "yokel" and that interior rhyme in the title. Here are a couple of lines that stand out: "They look at life as a conspiracy/The world is flat as far as they can see." It's crazy, but some people really believe the earth is flat. People that stupid should not be allowed to vote or operate motor vehicles. "Local yokels everywhere I go/Local yokels think they're in the know." And that's it: local yokels are everywhere, and they shun education and information because they're convinced they already know everything. Somehow these imbeciles took control of this country. It's frightening. This is another of my personal favorites.
"What If You're Fooling Me Now" is a softer number. "You tell me you're sorry, you made a mistake/You swear it won't happen again/Wish you could turn back that part of the past, or at least try to pretend/You sound so sincere when you tell me we'll make it somehow/But I look in your eyes and I can't help but think, what if you're fooling me now." Wow, those are really good opening lines, and delivered with the right amount of ache. And soon he sings, "You swear forever, the rest of your life/Just like when you told me, 'I do.'" Ouch. That is wonderfully harsh. I love the way the lyrics grab us. This is another of the disc's highlights. It was written by Jim Patton and Rob Lytle. It's followed by "Hard Times," one of the songs from the 1980s. Of course, hard times persist, and the song still feels timely. Things are bad out there, as they always will be when people elect Republicans (now known as the Fascist Party) to lead the nation. There is a bluesy edge to this song, which is fitting, and the track contains some excellent vocal work, as well as some cool stuff on guitar. "Everybody's asking, 'Which way to the top'/Somebody always wants what somebody else has got/Some guy is dressed up in red, white and blue/He's lying to me, who's lying to you too." This one was written by Jim Patton and Lew Morris. The album concludes with "One More Song," a song about musicians, about playing various smaller venues, again touching on that theme of dreams not yet realized, Jim's vocals supported by keyboard. "Something inside that never quite died/And he's always got one more song."
CD Track List
- I Want It All
- Two True Loves
- Nothing At All
- Annabelle Lee
- Leave Me Alone
- Laurence Beall
- Why Did You Leave Me For Him?
- That Cup Of Coffee We Never Had
- She Doesn't Want To See You Anymore
- Caught In The Headlights
- Local Yokels
- What If You're Fooling Me Now
- Hard Times
- One More Song
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