High Life
"everything that you've ever done wrong is the reason that I'm driven.....straight to you"

After my first run-through of 'This Desert Life', this song came away as my 'favorite' of the bunch. It's a simply likeable song with such cool lines like the one I mentioned above (it's got to be one of my favorite lines ever written by Mr. Duritz...ever), and such lush instrumentation, more specifically the 'string section' (a product of the talented Charlie Gillingham I assume). I just love the way the strings build up slowly with every chorus until it just 'blooms' for the last chorus. Then there's the last verse, where the strings make the song just 'come alive'. They just paint a magnificent landscape in your mind of a sprawaling and magestic desert.....brings back the feelings and memories of U2's Joshua Tree (the ONLY time I believe Matt Malley's JT comment rings true).

The message that I draw out is a simple one too. The central character get's strength to 'escape' this 'high life', this 'desert life' from people in the same position as he is. He seeks solace in the fact that other people are like him....lost in this high life. A cynic would probably see this song as "misery loves company", but I really don't think it is.

The guy sings about how happy he is to see that someone else is just as drained and as empty as he is. But he's happy not because the other person is as messed up as he is, but because he can see that she'll hopefully be able to understand his plight and together, they can make some good out of it....be each other's strength.

Again, it's a simple idea, and some may find it corny, but the Crows get away with it, simply because, Duritz really sings out his words with so much emotion (like he always does) and the band backs him up flawlessly.

OH...did I mention how the Mr. Gillingham really brings this song to life with his string arrangements? I did? Sorry, I really can't get enough of them....great strings, great lyrics and simply a great song.....as usual.