wasted Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Not a huge Who fan so don't know much about the song or why GNR cover it. Anyone know the background? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stro Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 GNR covered it because Axl likes The Who. It doesn't mean anything, because Pete was drunk as shit when he wrote it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbo Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Worse gnr cover of all time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 So maybe Axl is drunk all the time. So nothing to do with that movie The Seekers? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Słash Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Maybe he just liked the song and thought to cover it? there hasn't to be a specific reason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dando Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Axl seems to be a fan of great british bands, queen, led zep, the who, the stones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lies They Tell Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Sometimes I've wondered if it was only coincidence that Axl decided to cover The Seeker and Don't Let Them Bring You Down almost at the same time. Both songs are included in the movie American Beauty. A movie that has a lot of Rose symbolism in it... Dunno... Far-fetched thoughts I guess. But sometimes reality is far-fecthed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Maybe he just liked the song and thought to cover it? there hasn't to be a specific reasonDidn't say there had to be. Just wondered what the song was about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 (edited) Pete Townshend was heavy into Meher Baba at the time, all that Eastern myticism stuff, seeking meaning etc. And the song is just pretty much about how that shit can't be found in false idols such a bands or artists or in drugs or whatever. Pretty simple really, lyrically, establish the Seeker motif and then it's just like, pick places/ideas like 'i couldn't find it here, i couldn't find it there'.Always thought Join Together was a lot better and seems oddly like an answer to The Seeker, on some level. Edited June 13, 2015 by Len B'stard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magisme Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Is the Who version much better? The Guns cover is terrible. "Hey, since Axl sucks now, let's put a shit song in the set where he doesn't even really have to sing." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Sometimes I've wondered if it was only coincidence that Axl decided to cover The Seeker and Don't Let Them Bring You Down almost at the same time. Both songs are included in the movie American Beauty. A movie that has a lot of Rose symbolism in it... Dunno... Far-fetched thoughts I guess. But sometimes reality is far-fecthed. Axl does like soundtrack albums maybe he was reminded by them. Maybe he's a huge plastic bag fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 (edited) Pete Townshend was heavy into Meher Baba at the time, all that Eastern myticism stuff, seeking meaning etc. And the song is just pretty much about how that shit can't be found in false idols such a bands or artists or in drugs or whatever. Pretty simple really, lyrically, establish the Seeker motif and then it's just like, pick places/ideas like 'i couldn't find it here, i couldn't find it there'.Always thought Join Together was a lot better and seems oddly like an answer to The Seeker, on some level.Axl supposedly believes in a god of some kind?So I guess with all the fuss made about GNR or rock music that could be why. His spiritual beliefs are more important etc. Edited June 13, 2015 by wasted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Is the Who version much better? The Guns cover is terrible. "Hey, since Axl sucks now, let's put a shit song in the set where he doesn't even really have to sing." Its definitely played a lot better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsh327 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 (edited) In a way, it's the "bonus track" to "Tommy". Early version of a lyric video "Quite loosely, "The Seeker" was just a thing about what I call Divine Desperation, or just Desperation. And what it does to people. It just kind of covers a whole area where the guy's being fantastically tough and ruthlessly nasty and he's being incredibly selfish and he's hurting people, wrecking people's homes, abusing his heroes, he's accusing everyone of doing nothing for him and yet at the same time he's making a fairly valid statement, he's getting nowhere, he's doing nothing and the only thing he really can't be sure of is his death, and that at least dead, he's going to get what he wants. He thinks!" - Pete Townshend It's lacking in some places but it's a worthy cover. Edited June 13, 2015 by dalsh327 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsh327 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trqster Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Seeker (for a reunion) is a hidden message for Slash... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stro Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Pete Townshend was heavy into Meher Baba at the time, all that Eastern myticism stuff, seeking meaning etc. And the song is just pretty much about how that shit can't be found in false idols such a bands or artists or in drugs or whatever. Pretty simple really, lyrically, establish the Seeker motif and then it's just like, pick places/ideas like 'i couldn't find it here, i couldn't find it there'.Always thought Join Together was a lot better and seems oddly like an answer to The Seeker, on some level.It's literally not about any of that. Pete was drunk as shit when he wrote it and it is meaningless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice Boy Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 (edited) As I've said before - it seems pretty obvious to me that the GnR song "you're crazy" is based on The Seeker. Listen to The Who version ok Seeker and then listen to Crazy on GnR Lies. The Crazy riff is a variation on Seeker. Even the lyrics are similar, both talk about lookin' /searchin for something.. my guess is they used to jam Seeker, and Crazy was born out of it. Same as how Used To Love Her is just a rework of Rolling Stones' Dead Flowers. Edited June 13, 2015 by Nice Boy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 "Quite loosely, "The Seeker" was just a thing about what I call Divine Desperation, or just Desperation. And what it does to people. It just kind of covers a whole area where the guy's being fantastically tough and ruthlessly nasty and he's being incredibly selfish and he's hurting people, wrecking people's homes, abusing his heroes, he's accusing everyone of doing nothing for him and yet at the same time he's making a fairly valid statement, he's getting nowhere, he's doing nothing and the only thing he really can't be sure of is his death, and that at least dead, he's going to get what he wants. He thinks!" - Pete Townshend That kind of sounds like someone we've heard of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris 55 Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Seeker (for a reunion) is a hidden message for Slash... nah, Harry Potter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 As I've said before - it seems pretty obvious to me that the GnR song "you're crazy" is based on The Seeker. Listen to The Who version ok Seeker and then listen to Crazy on GnR Lies. The Crazy riff is a variation on Seeker. Even the lyrics are similar, both talk about lookin' /searchin for something.. my guess is they used to jam Seeker, and Crazy was born out of it. Same as how Used To Love Her is just a rework of Rolling Stones' Dead Flowers.Lies version sounds like Under my Thumb by Stones if it was rocked out on acoustics. Lyrically also. When it gets going towards the end it's very Stonesy. But Seeker too. Axl always seems like he's searching for something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 (edited) Pete Townshend was heavy into Meher Baba at the time, all that Eastern myticism stuff, seeking meaning etc. And the song is just pretty much about how that shit can't be found in false idols such a bands or artists or in drugs or whatever. Pretty simple really, lyrically, establish the Seeker motif and then it's just like, pick places/ideas like 'i couldn't find it here, i couldn't find it there'.Always thought Join Together was a lot better and seems oddly like an answer to The Seeker, on some level.It's literally not about any of that. Pete was drunk as shit when he wrote it and it is meaningless.I'd say that too if I'd written a naff, heavy handed, obvious song whilst pissed It's clearly something Pete felt was a bit naff but its obviously about something. In fact I've heard Pete Townshend say its about various different things over the years. Edited June 14, 2015 by Len B'stard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 It could be a Stinson selection he was doing My Generation at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dando Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 It could be a Stinson selection he was doing My Generation at some point.Stinson is really into that era of british music, he's been covering the sex pistols on the tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsh327 Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 He wrote this song right in the middle of touring Tommy, and a lot of songwriters say they can't write while they're on tour. Maybe he was being encouraged to put a single out by Lambert & Stamp. As far as Axl goes, wasn't the regression hypnosis, trips to Sedona and whatever else he's done, all about seeking? Songwriters in general are seekers. I don't know if Axl met Timothy Leary, but he did meet three Beatles and Bobby Dylan. Here's more: I wrote it when I was drunk in Florida. We were in the middle of an American tour and me and the production manager went out to Tom Wright's father's pad in the middle of the jungle to get some sun, and because we were only there for like five days, this guy was a very good friend of mine, he got in lots of steaks and lots of booze, and he like to overdid everything and it ended up with us, him and the production manager getting completely stoned every night and me being the only person that could stand up, playing, and we were just standing amid the sand spurs one day, I was just covered in sand spurs, I kept on falling and they stick in your skin and you can't get them out, screaming with pain and singing this song and it just came out, "I'm looking for me, you're looking for you, we're looking at each other and we don't know what to do." "I wrote a couple of songs in a period where people were writing extensive analysis of my character and stuff like this. And I thought, 'Well, fuck it. You don't know me. I don't know myself, how can you know me?'" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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