There's a girl who lives on heaven hill I go up to her cabin still She keeps a lantern lit for me And a bottle up on her mantelpiece She's the girl who lives on heaven hill She's got a big room and it's always a mess Worn out shoes and a worn out dress A worn out smile that she'll wear some more And a worn out welcome mat by her door I'd trade big mountains and rooms full of gold For just one look at the beauty of this woman's soul Up on heaven hill is where I wanna be That girl that bottle that mattress and me
I was going to post another song from the album because it’s a Celebrated Summer kind of day today, but see that I had posted that a while back already. That’s quite all right, because it is also a Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill kind of day as well.
I cut my hardcore/punk teeth firmly on the Minneapolis/Saint Paul scene, which some college radio stations knew about while almost everyone else was more gaga for the Prince and His Entourage scene (The Time, Jimmy Jam, Terry Louis, Vanity Six, Jesse Johnson’s Review, etc.), which was more dance and funk. Don’t get me wrong, Little Red Corvette and the rest of 1999 and Purple Rain were on heavy rotation along with New Day Rising, Zen Arcade, Stink, Mortal Fear and others, but part of me always preferred the hardcore/garage/punk bands in town that ended up regularly be mentioned as influences for the grunge bands of the 90s.
Hüsker Dü are an acquired taste — less so on Zen Arcade through their breakup, but Bob Mould’s drone distortion can be off-putting to listeners unfamiliar with the sound.
This song, hell, this whole album, has a special place in my heart, as it reminds me when I was mostly okay with the person this mind inhabits. And, this not-quite-summery-autumn-day and the accompanying mental thoughts fit the tune.
sick track dude
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Thanks. I think so.
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I knew nothing of Husker Du at the time. I started reading a lot of underground rock mags, getting away from the likes of Rolling Stone and Spin (which became less and less music-oriented) and growing up from the childishness of Circus and Hit Parader.
I want to say it was Option, but could have been B-Side when I read a review on New Day Rising. I bought the cassette. The breathe of fresh air that came over my car speakers can’t be described. I bought the back catalog, shortly after. The same thing happened with Sonic Youth’s Sister.
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I was lucky to have grown up right in the middle of it: Suicide Commandos, The Replacements, Husker Du, other local bands… It was an awesome time period to listen to music in Minnesota. A lot of focus was on the two coasts for music in the early and mid 80s, but we had some of the best hardcore and garage around at the time.
Thanks for your comment.
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Suicide Commandos! I remember them. There was local, two-hour radio show on the weekends on public radio that played all of this stuff. Taped it every week. Yep: the Replacements and, I’d have to add in Soul Asylum. Keep on writing!
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Soul Asylum and The Suburbs; both great bands. Thanks!
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