Willie Nelson's Lost Highway

[Marge_Innavera]

The ketchup bottle?? It suggests someone who was so shocked/surprised at experiencing something that s/he dropped the bottle they were holding. Its kinda old-school slapstick. Like when "sis" announces that she is pregnant, and "dad" drops his glass of water.  

There's no context for that in the song; and for the benefit of our non-American members, dropping a ketchup bottle in moments of surprise and shock is not an American idiom.  I doubt any American on this thread has heard of that before now.   And I also doubt anyone here seriously believes that the resemblance to a blood spatter is a coincidence.

[Marge_Innavera]

I hope you're right that it's meant as a parody, but I don't buy it.  

I don't either, but it sounds familiar.

Back in the 1970s, there was a kerfuffle about violent and generally offensive lyrics in popular music, much of it led by Tipper Gore.  During the media coverage it became a cliche for rock musicians questioned about offensive lyrics to claim that they were a "spoof."  That was even satirized a little later in the faux-rockumentary This Is Spinal Tap when a member of the band (generally modeled on Deep Purple) defends the lyrics of a song titled "Smell the Glove."   

[Ellemeno]

Ugh.

I bet he was teased - or worse - for having a song in BBM and then doing Cowboys Are Secretly Fond of Each Other, and this is his reaction to distance himself.

I agree with Paul, I've never liked Cowboys Are Secretly Fond of Each Other, it's disrespectful of gay men AND women, in the way it conflates the two.

One thing in fairness, or accuracy, the ketchup splat is NOT Willie Nelson's version. 

But still, what the fuck?

I'm proud to see Brokie names I recognize in the comments section of the YouTube video.  I'm about to go add mine.

[milomorris]

There's no context for that in the song; and for the benefit of our non-American members, dropping a ketchup bottle in moments of surprise and shock is not an American idiom.  I doubt any American on this thread has heard of that before now.   And I also doubt anyone here seriously believes that the resemblance to a blood spatter is a coincidence.

I never said dropping a ketchup bottle was an American idiom. I said eating ketchup with fries is an American idiom. I said dropping a glass of water (or anything really) is a stock, old-school, slapstick gag. I'm sure plenty of people around the world, including Americans, are familiar with that.

I suppose some could interpret the ketchup as a blood splatter if they were looking for yet another reason to perpetuate an attitude of victimhood. I remember years ago, there was a TV commercial for Hefty trash bags. A white lady in suburbia takes a bag of trash out to the curb, and a black sanitation worker picks it up and tosses it into the back of the truck. They smile at each other and wave. A few black folks claimed that commercial was racist.

Besides, blood splatter patterns have unique characteristics because of the consistency of blood, and the fact that it is under pressure inside the body. Splattered blood doesn't just come out looking like a blob. It typically includes directional patters. Of course now someone is sure to come up with a picture of a blood stain that looks just like the ketchup to "prove" me wrong.

People see what they want to see.

[Monika]

Ugh.

I bet he was teased - or worse - for having a song in BBM and then doing Cowboys Are Secretly Fond of Each Other, and this is his reaction to distance himself.

I agree with Paul, I've never liked Cowboys Are Secretly Fond of Each Other, it's disrespectful of gay men AND women, in the way it conflates the two.

One thing in fairness, or accuracy, the ketchup splat is NOT Willie Nelson's version.  

But still, what the fuck?

I'm proud to see Brokie names I recognize in the comments section of the YouTube video.  I'm about to go add mine.

I will too.
I´ve sent a mail to an address on Willie Nelson´s website as well. Not that I think he´ll read it of course, but it felt good.

[Monika]

People see what they want to see.

And they don't see what  they don't want to acknowledge.

[Kelda]

There's no context for that in the song; and for the benefit of our non-American members, dropping a ketchup bottle in moments of surprise and shock is not an American idiom.  I doubt any American on this thread has heard of that before now.   And I also doubt anyone here seriously believes that the resemblance to a blood spatter is a coincidence.

exactly my point Marge.

I never said dropping a ketchup bottle was an American idiom. I said eating ketchup with fries is an American idiom. I said dropping a glass of water (or anything really) is a stock, old-school, slapstick gag. I'm sure plenty of people around the world, including Americans, are familiar with that.

I suppose some could interpret the ketchup as a blood splatter if they were looking for yet another reason to perpetuate an attitude of victimhood. I remember years ago, there was a TV commercial for Hefty trash bags. A white lady in suburbia takes a bag of trash out to the curb, and a black sanitation worker picks it up and tosses it into the back of the truck. They smile at each other and wave. A few black folks claimed that commercial was racist.

Besides, blood splatter patterns have unique characteristics because of the consistency of blood, and the fact that it is under pressure inside the body. Splattered blood doesn't just come out looking like a blob. It typically includes directional patters. Of course now someone is sure to come up with a picture of a blood stain that looks just like the ketchup to "prove" me wrong.

People see what they want to see.

The eating ketchup with fries is no more an American idiom as it is in a UK idiom. Still dont see how it has any relevance to the song at hand. I still dont see how a slapstick gag fits with the song..? If you think the blood splatter is a stretch (and go into the deatil about how blood splatters as you have done above) how isn't your interpretation also a stretch about showing a american idiom and a slapstick nature to the song?

So I think Buffy has a point when she says:

And they don't see what that they don't want to acknowledge.

That's why I mentioned the fantasy world earlier.

Like Lynne said, I'd love it to be a paradoy but I dont buy it.

[milomorris]

The eating ketchup with fries is no more an American idiom as it is in a UK idiom.

Really?? Try offering your average Joe from the Bronx malt vinegar with his fries and see what he has to say about that.

But that is totally beside the point. I see a broken bottle of ketchup, Marge sees a metaphor for blood. She's saying the image is violent, I'm saying "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

As I said earlier, unless we hear from the artist (either Willie or Saddlesore) we don't know which of our interpretations is correct.

[Clyde-B]

What is a broken bottle considered in redneck circles?

A symbol of peace?

[Kelda]

Really?? Try offering your average Joe from the Bronx malt vinegar with his fries and see what he has to say about that.

I'm talking about the sauce not vinegar. Thats a seperate - obviosluy UK or Euro specific - idiom Milo.