美国国家公共电台 NPR Big Thief's 'Shark Smile' Is A Rocking Road Song Ending In Tragedy

 

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Indie rock band Big Thief is ready to take off. With two albums already under its belt, the group from Brooklyn has won over fans with deeply personal songs written by lead singer Adrianne Lenker. That's why Big Thief is part of Slingshot, a new emerging artist project from NPR Music and member stations around the country. Jon Hart of KTBG Kansas City introduces us to "Shark Smile." It's a standout track from Big Thief's latest album "Capacity."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHARK SMILE")

JON HART, BYLINE¹: Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker began playing guitar when she was barely big enough to hold one. She obsessed² over the instrument in her teens, looking for ways it could add meaning to the song she was writing. Fast forward to the "Capacity" recording³ sessions, which took place at a friend's house in the wintertime - "Shark Smile" begins with Lenker's guitar, setting the raw, emotional tone for the story to come.

ADRIANNE LENKER: That's just kind of foreshadowing the turmoil⁴ that happens in the song. It's generally upbeat song. And I think it's just giving it tone.

HART: Adrianne wrote her first song at age 8 and still refers to songwriting as a need. Her father saw opportunity for her to become a child pop star. But the drive for self-expression led her to reject that path. And she began making her own music full time at age 16. Now 26, Lenker is writing songs that leave her bandmates reverential. They often take a knee when she occupies the spotlight⁵.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHARK SMILE")

LENKER: (Singing) She was a shark smile in the yellow van. She came around I stole a glance in my youth. A vampire⁶ - Evelyn shown quiet as roses sting.

HART: In "Shark Smile," Lenker looks to embody⁷ the best of the songwriters that she reveres⁸.

LENKER: And I think, the tone of it, I was imagining that I was Bruce Springsteen. We've been listening to a lot of Bruce Springsteen, specifically "Nebraska." And I was just really feeling inspired by his way of singing.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "STATE TROOPER")

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: (Singing) New Jersey⁹ turnpike, riding on a wet night 'neath the refinery's glow out where the great black rivers flow.

LENKER: Something of the spirit of it - and I don't even know if any of it carried over. But I think without listening to Bruce Springsteen, this song wouldn't exists.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHARK SMILE")

LENKER: (Singing) Evelyn's kiss was oxygen. I learned over to take it in.

HART: Inspired by Springsteen, Lenker has created protagonists¹⁰ in "Shark Smile" who are living on society's edge.

LENKER: The story is two people. I think they're lovers. They're very close, whatever it is. I think they're escaping. And they're in a car. And you're not exactly sure where they're headed, but they're in the Midwest. It's wild. There's money flying around on the dashboard.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHARK SMILE")

LENKER: (Singing) And the money pile on the dashboard fluttering. And she said woo.

But it ends in a car accident. And one of them dies. And the other one lives.

HART: In telling the story of these characters, Lenker's dealing¹¹ with loss in her own life and giving us the chance to address our own feelings on love and death through her work.

LENKER: There's also some heaviness around this song because that year three people who were in my world passed away in car accidents. So I think some of that came through.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHARK SMILE")

LENKER: (Singing) It came over me at a bad time. She burned over the double line.

And just the feeling of losing this person - such a swell¹² of love and wildness and the taste of life and the wind blowing, just this freedom and experiencing it - and then just suddenly, it's just brought to a halt. But that's the juxtaposition¹³ - that's the contrast or the duality that's everywhere in life.

HART: Adrianne Lenker from Big Thief talked about the song "Shark Smile." For NPR Music, I'm Jon Hart.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SHARK SMILE")

LENKER: (Singing) Baby, take me, too.

WERTHEIMER: Big Thief is in the inaugural¹⁴ class of Slingshot, a new collective effort of NPR Music highlighting emerging artists. You can learn more at npr.org/slingshot.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

3 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

4 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

5 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

6 vampire   

n.吸血鬼

参考例句：

• It wasn't a wife waiting there for him but a blood sucking vampire!家里的不是个老婆，而是个吸人血的妖精！
• Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampire.由于听过许多有关吸血鬼的传说，孩子们晚上不敢去睡觉。

7 embody   

vt.具体表达，使具体化；包含，收录

参考例句：

• The latest locomotives embody many new features. 这些最新的机车具有许多新的特色。
• Hemingway's characters plainly embody his own values and view of life.海明威笔下的角色明确反映出他自己的价值观与人生观。

8 reveres   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Confucian philosophy reveres the teacher above all. 儒家哲学最讲究尊重师长。 来自互联网
• Group's idea: Have in mind gratefully, the heart checks and reveres, sincerity serve, fulfil one's duty. 团队理念：胸怀感激、心存敬畏、诚信服务、尽职尽责。 来自互联网

9 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

10 protagonists   

n.（戏剧的）主角( protagonist的名词复数 )；（故事的）主人公；现实事件（尤指冲突和争端的）主要参与者；领导者

参考例句：

• Mrs Pankhurst was one of the chief protagonists of women's rights. 潘克赫斯特太太是女权的主要倡导者之一。 来自辞典例句
• This reflects that Feng Menglong heartily sympathized with these protagonists. 这反映出冯梦龙由衷地同情书中的这些主要人物。 来自互联网

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

13 juxtaposition   

n.毗邻，并置，并列

参考例句：

• The juxtaposition of these two remarks was startling.这两句话连在一起使人听了震惊。
• It is the result of the juxtaposition of contrasting colors.这是并列对比色的结果。

14 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。