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        Goo Goo Dolls >> Goo Goo Dolls >> Broadway
        
(Message started by: reillan on Mar 19^th, 2005, 2:53pm)

Title: Broadway
Post by reillan on Mar 19^th, 2005, 2:53pm

New here, but I had an idea and wanted to see if it had already been discussed anywhere.

Does anyone know if the song Broadway has anything to do with Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"? If not, they have a lot of similarities :)

Title: Re: Broadway
Post by ShanGooFan on Mar 19^th, 2005, 3:45pm

I'm unfamiliar with Hemingway's piece...sorry. But the Goos' 'Broadway' is about the Buffalo neighborhood John grew up in and how it changed over the years.

Maybe you could post a little bit of the Hemingway piece and then we'd be able to discuss it better.

Title: Re: Broadway
Post by RogueUK on Mar 19^th, 2005, 4:03pm

Ok, my curiosity was sufficiently piqued for me to Google...here's the story, you guys:

http://home.eol.ca/~command/hem.htm

I can see the parallels you're drawing...and that's VERY interesting. While as ShanGooFan rightly points out, Broadway is John's comment on the neighbourhood he grew up in, which he calls a "Working class neighbourhood with a lot of narrow-minded people" there is nothing to say that maybe John didn't come across this story too and it could possibly have influenced his writing of the song...wow, I love things like this! I love getting a new spin on Goo lyrics. ;D

As we all know, John is inclined to read a lot, and seems to be particularly interested in classic literature...I jst recently started a thread on here where it was explained to me that the title 'Gutterflower' came from a poem by Pablo Neruda - so I'd say it's pretty likely John has read some Hemingway at some point...it would be awesome to bring this story to his attention and ask if there was any connection. Even if there isn't, I bet John would dig the fact that someone had made the comparison...

John said that the reference to 'The young man sitting in the old man's bar' was in fact himself at a young age...he said his father used to take him to bars when he was just a kid, and this obviously left a lasting impression on John...

Title: Re: Broadway
Post by SassyMay on Mar 19^th, 2005, 7:28pm

Well i don't know a thing about Hemingway.sorry

but anyway welcome to the board!

Title: Re: Broadway
Post by blessed_by_goo on Mar 20^th, 2005, 10:19am

on 03/19/05 at 16:03:39, RogueUK wrote:

Ok, my curiosity was sufficiently piqued for me to Google...here's the story, you guys:

http://home.eol.ca/~command/hem.htm

there is nothing to say that maybe John didn't come across this story too and it could possibly have influenced his writing of the song...wow, I love things like this! I love getting a new spin on Goo lyrics. �;D

As we all know, John is inclined to read a lot, and seems to be particularly interested in classic literature...I jst recently started a thread on here where it was explained to me that the title 'Gutterflower' came from a poem by Pablo Neruda - so I'd say it's pretty likely John has read some Hemingway at some point...it would be awesome to bring this story to his attention and ask if there was any connection. Even if there isn't, I bet John would dig the fact that someone had made the comparison...

John said that the reference to 'The young man sitting in the old man's bar' was in fact himself at a young age...he said his father used to take him to bars when he was just a kid, and this obviously left a lasting impression on John...

I agree w/ Rogue, John has stated he reads alot. I've done a little research and have found lots of double parallels. For instance, when you get the chance go listen to I'm still here. He may not have gotten the idea for the song from a book, but he had to watch the movie to get the inspiration and then paralleled the movie and lyrics to his own life. He has done several interviews on how critics judge his musical talent or why he does things the way he does and you'd have to go thru and read it all but it clearly comes out in I'm still here. I'm still here meaning ..... you can say all you want but, I'm still here. Or ~ or I 'll never be whatcha want me to be. They don't know me . How can the world want me to change they're the one that stay the same. They can't tell me who to be, cuz I'm not what they see, the world is still sleepin while I keep on dreamin for me. Their words are just whispers and lies that I'll never believe. How can they say I never change, they're the ones, they stay'd the same. I'm the one now, cuz I'm still here. This was all written for Treasure Planet,and inspired by Treasure Planet, but there are obvious tie in from his own life, and his music... I love how he stays true. I know lots of people don't like talkin about Johndoin this on his own, but I love how he ties in his life to something that is supposed to be dedicated to just the movie, It's the same with City Of Angels...go listen you'll see. I know the lyrics obove are all scattered and stuff, but I was just trin to pull 'em to make the point that he double parallels alot.

Title: Re: Broadway
Post by googirldownunder on Mar 28^th, 2005, 5:32am

That's why I love this board so much, SOMEBODY will go find something out/research and post a response!

Go team! ;D

Title: Re: Broadway
Post by dizzilyblue on Mar 29^th, 2005, 9:05am

You can find those sorts of people at bars all over America. I bet it's just a coincidence. Buffalo has a "bar and church on every corner". While John does read a lot, he has also said that he draws the material for his songs from real life, and probably less so from literature. But that's just my take . . .

~ Amanda