Life'll Kill Ya
Encyclopedia
Life'll Kill Ya is an album
by American
singer/songwriter Warren Zevon
, released in 2000. (see 2000 in music
). The album was recorded in 1999.
, which killed him a year later.http://archive.salon.com/people/lunch/2000/03/18/zevon/index.html http://members.tripod.com/~Zevonaticism/sardonic.htm http://www.popmatters.com/columns/stephens/021009.shtml
, except where indicated.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer/songwriter Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
, released in 2000. (see 2000 in music
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
). The album was recorded in 1999.
Themes
Several of the album's songs deal with the topic of death; for instance, "My Shit's Fucked Up" is a mournful lament to the aging process and the inevitable decay that accompanies it. "Life'll Kill Ya" and "Don't Let Us Get Sick" also have prominent death themes, while the cover of Steve Winwood's "Back in the High Life" is presented in an ironically subdued manner. In 2002, just two years after the album's release, Zevon was diagnosed with mesotheliomaMesothelioma
Mesothelioma, more precisely malignant mesothelioma, is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs, the mesothelium...
, which killed him a year later.http://archive.salon.com/people/lunch/2000/03/18/zevon/index.html http://members.tripod.com/~Zevonaticism/sardonic.htm http://www.popmatters.com/columns/stephens/021009.shtml
Track listing
All tracks composed by Warren ZevonWarren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
, except where indicated.
- "I Was in the House When the House Burned Down" – 3:04
- "Life'll Kill YaLife'll Kill Ya (song)"Life'll Kill Ya" is a song by Warren Zevon from the album of the same name. The song contains various musings on death, the after-life, and various causes of death, such as thoughts on Heaven, Reincarnation, and Terminal Diagnosis. The song ends with the conclusion that, whoever you are, life will...
" – 2:47 - "Porcelain Monkey" (Jorge CalderónJorge CalderónJorge Calderón, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer best known for his collaborations with Warren Zevon. He holds the unique distinction of having been credited on all of Zevon's post-1976 albums with the exception of My Ride's Here...
, Zevon) – 3:32 - "For My Next Trick I'll Need a Volunteer" – 3:13
- "I'll Slow You Down" – 3:13
- "Hostage-O" – 4:05
- "Dirty Little Religion" – 3:11
- "Back in the High Life AgainBack in the High Life Again"Back in the High Life Again" is a 1987 single written by Steve Winwood and Will Jennings and performed by Winwood. The single was included in his album "Back in the High Life" and included backing vocals by James Taylor. "Back in the High Life Again" was Winwood's second number one on the Adult...
" (Will JenningsWill JenningsWilbur H. "Will" Jennings is an American songwriter who is popularly known for writing the lyrics for "My Heart Will Go On", the theme for the film Titanic .-Life and education:...
, Steve WinwoodSteve WinwoodStephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
) – 3:13 - "My Shit's Fucked Up" – 2:45
- "Fistful of Rain" (Jorge Calderón, Zevon) – 5:19
- "Ourselves to Know" – 3:18
- "Don't Let Us Get Sick" – 3:05
Personnel
- Warren Zevon - percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, piccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
, thereminThereminThe theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
, vocals, penny whistle, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Jorge CalderónJorge CalderónJorge Calderón, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer best known for his collaborations with Warren Zevon. He holds the unique distinction of having been credited on all of Zevon's post-1976 albums with the exception of My Ride's Here...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, percussion, vocals - Dennis Collins - vocals on "Fistful of Rain"
- Babi Floyd - vocals on "Fistful of Rain"
- Curtis King - vocals on "Fistful of Rain"
- Chuck ProphetChuck ProphetChuck Prophet is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. A Californian, Prophet first achieved notice in the American psychedelic/desert rock group Green on Red, with whom he toured and recorded in the 1980s...
- guitar on "For My Next Trick I'll Need a Volunteer" - Jim RyanJimmy Ryan (musician)Jimmy Ryan is a mandolin player associated with Hi-n-Dry records and the band Morphine. He was one of the founding members of the band Blood Oranges.-External links:*...
- mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
on "Ourselves to Know" - Winston Watson - percussion, snare drumSnare drumThe snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
s
Production
- Producers: Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade
- Engineers: Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade
- Mastering: Greg Calbi
- A&R: Michael Krumper
- Art Direction: Warren Zevon
- Design: Jonathan Exley
- Photography: Jonathan Exley
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Billboard 200 | 173 |
| 2000 | Top Internet Albums | 9 |