Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Divine Hammer - The Breeders

Artist: The Breeders
Song: Divine Hammer
Year: 1993
Album: Last Splash

I first encountered the Breeders on a local video show called JBTV. I saw the video for "Cannonball" and put the song and the band on my list. This is how we did things in the days before everyone had access to the internet. We used to make lists with actual pencil and paper. What a stone age 1993 was!

I picked up the "Cannonball" single and was happy with that, when I couldn't find a copy of the album anywhere for a decent price. Had I picked up the album, I would have experienced the joy of "Divine Hammer" a little bit earlier. Instead, it wouldn't be until the summer of 1994 that I stumbled upon it.

"Divine Hammer" was buried somewhere in the setlist of the Breeders timeslot at the Lollapalooza stop in Tinley Park, Illinois that year. The crowd reacted very favorably to it and I was rocking out to it on the lawn. While the entire album is great, "Divine Hammer" was set in unfortunate circumstances.

"Cannonball" was the lead single and it was a runaway success. That is what hooked me into the Breeders. "Divine Hammer" got lost in the shuffle. It was released without much fanfare and the video didn't have the same energy as "Cannonball" did. I still have fond memories of the lead single, but "Divine Hammer" has worked its way into my heart.

Lyrics:
I'm just looking
just looking for a way around
it disappears this near
you're the rod I'm water
I'm just looking for the divine hammer

one divine hammer
one divine hammer

I'm just looking for one divine hammer
I'd bang it all day
oh the carpenter goes bang
bang bang
I'm just looking for one divine hammer

one divine hammer
one divine hammer

I'm just looking for a faith
waiting to be followed
it disappears this near
you're the rod I'm water
I'm just looking for one divine hammer

one divine hammer
divine hammer