He Didn't Mention His Mother

Album: New View (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Friedberger in a sweetly melancholy mood, ruefully recalling an oblique encounter and its lasting effects:

    I so wanted something to happen that day
    And then what I wanted, it happened
    And that just don't always happen that way to me


    Friedberger told The Guardian regarding the song: "That was just purely something that happened. I said it, I remembered it and... that's it. It has to be based in reality, otherwise it doesn't really mean anything to me."
  • The title doesn't appear in the song, but the question remains, why didn't the titular "he" mention his mother? And should the unnamed dude have done so?

    Eleanor Friedberger explained to Mojo: "I had met someone recently, and was thinking about our interactions. I know this sounds like I'm a crazy psycho or something (laughs), but I was writing down a list of things about this person that stuck out. And one was that he didn't mention his mother. Which was neither bad or good, it was just something I noticed. Because most people do. In fact, a lot of people I meet blame a lot of things on their mother."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")Songwriter Interviews

Inspired by his dear friend, "Seasons in the Sun" paid for Terry's boat, which led him away from music and into a battle with Canadian paper mills.

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Titles

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.