February Album Writing Month - FAWM.ORG

Ben Hur and Paul Westerberg (*25689)

The demo for this song is available elsewhere:

www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=1228093&songID=11435249.
(FAWM takes no responsibility for the content of this link.)

Tagged As:

rock birthyearmovies acoustic singer-songwriter

Challenges:

W2: Riff-Driven!

Liner Notes:

Ignited by the birth year movies challenge and seeing Paul Westerberg both with the Replacements and on a solo tour. Saturday Night Live of December 4, 1993 hosted by Charleton Heston with musical guest Paul Westerberg. For me this SNL episode made the cross-brain synapse connection to the #1 movie from 1959 Ben-Hur as the inspiration for this song.

Lyrics:

repeat riff:
chords A2 A A2 A2
melody riff line - 5th string BC#BA

Verse 1
riff l l
The night the actor who played Ben Hur
l l
met Paul Westerberg
E l C#m l Bm l A l
Saturday December 4, 199 - 3
riff l l
Wonder where you were
l l
on the bus when it occurred
E l C#m l A l A l
and what the Oscar winning actor would see

Verse 2
riff l l
It was on Saturday Night Live
l l
with amps set on overdrive
E l C#m l A l A l
Westerberg a junior Les Paul
riff l l
Dave Minehan played his black strat
riff l l
where the sons of noone were at
E l C#m l A l A l
When Ben intro - duced the band with a call

Chorus
and
A l F#m l
the lovable loser met the Oscar winner
A l E l
the flannel shirts met polyester
A l Bm l
left of the dial met the right winger
A4 l A l
anti-mainstream met anti-protestor
A l F#m l
songwriter met dramatic actor
A l E l
guitar player met racer of choice
A l Bm l
rebel without a clue met astronaut Taylor
A4 l A l
man without ties met a distinctive voice

Verse 3
riff l l
Paul went on and played Knockin on mine
riff l l
that riff-based raveup refrain line
E l C#m l Bm l A l
Saturday December 4, 199 - 3
riff l l
black flannel shirt with amps on high
riff l l
forgot a line shrugged it with a smile
E l C#m l A l A l
and what the Oscar winning actor would see

Verse 4
riff l l
Came back out with Can't Hardly Wait
riff l l
At this point it was very late
E l C#m l A l A l
Westerberg with his black Les Paul
riff l l
plaid flannel and a gray sports jacket
riff l l
black and white shoes didn't track it
E l C#m l Bm l A l
When Ben intro - duced the band with a call

Repeat chorus

Outro
riff l l
In the end Ben didn't call their names
riff l l
Paul coughed shook his hand the same
riff l l
Saturday December 4, 1993
Saturday December 4, 1993
December 4, 1993
December 4, 1993

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andygetch 3 months ago

Hey Chip, me too! I had some fairly obscure lyrical references, so you must be a fan. I actually saw Paul at the Ritz theatre in Tampa a few days after that Saturday Night live appearance. It was a great show.
chipwithrow 3 months ago

As a big Westerberg/Replacements fan, I had to hear this! The chord progression is Westerberg-ish, and the lyrics are so cool! I love the references, and the comparison lines are a good touch..
That solo album with "Knockin On Mine" was so good - still have it on cassette! Saw him on his solo tour that year in a small hall in Cincinnati.