Liz Phair’s “Exile in Guyville” is potentially one of the best debut albums of all time. Phair has a deadpan vocal delivery that adds immense value to songs like “Divorce Song” and “Fuck and Run”.
The album covers heartbreaking scenarios and the crushing weight of the subjects so matter-of-factly. “Exile in Guyville” bluntly says, “That’s just the way life is”.
Phair, early in her career, had such a fully formed songwriting persona. Every song has an essence of brilliance. A self-effacing couplet or two that differentiates her from just about every songwriter before her.
She is like one of the boys. But, one of the boys who’d never respect her as a musician. She chooses to degrade herself for art.
“Exile in Guyville’s” radio hit was “Never Said”, a song about keeping your mouth shut. Phair, in a 2018 Rolling Stone interview, said it was “just kind of like about the music scene and how catty it was. People were always getting upset about something that someone had said about their band or whatever the latest gossip was. To me, I love the way that song is speaking in a rock shorthand. Like, ‘I ain’t done nothing wrong, I never said nothing.’ There’s something insouciant and punk rock to just overtly speak in street language or street lingo or something. There’s just something that I always liked about that.”
A fan favorite on the album, “Fuck and Run”, is the perfect example of Phair’s deadpan vocal delivery. It’s almost a spoken word song. It’s a great pop song, but it’s an emotional song.
“Fuck and Run” is a story that you would think as a listener of music that you wouldn’t be privy to. That you wouldn’t think an artist would lay down. You do know the guy Phair is singing about, but you’re like there it is when you listen to the song. But, you do know that she will not be seeing him again.
“Exile in Guyville” stands as a remarkable debut album that boldly captures Liz Phair’s distinctive voice and songwriting prowess. Its candid lyrics and fearless exploration of emotional landscapes have left an indelible mark on music history, cementing Phair’s legacy as a trailblazer in the industry.
Must listen to tracks: Never Said, Fuck and Run, Stratford-On-Guy, Divorce Song, 6’1”
Buy Exile In Guyville On Amazon.
