Album: Wig Out at Jagbags (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Titled in honor of NBA small forward Josh Smith, this slow-burning soul-ballad finds Stephen Malkmus trying out a romantic croon. Uncut magazine commented to the ex Pavement mainman that this might qualify as his first R&B slow jam and asked if this is what he had in mind? Malkmus replied: "You are in the right ballpark – the lyrics are classic 'forbidden fruit' imagery, and there's a great apathetic trombone solo! Since I feel out of my range in this genre, I think of it as more lite psyche/Nashville/LA watering down/ 'whitening' of soul – countrypolitan version of Al Green. Everybody got soul though, so that's dead-end thinking."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.