I realized something about Never Enough

[SnakeEyes]

I used to despise this song.  Then, last month, I had Octavarium in my car.  I used to always just automatically skip Never Enough because I thought it was terrible.  So, one day last month, I said, "what the hell" and listened to it.  This was after the Portnoy-leaving-DT thing happened.  To my surprise, once I decided to ignore what the song is about, the music is actually awesome.  All this time, what I despised about it was the subject matter of the song. 

So, my advice to anyone who doesn't like the song:  ignore the whiny, arrogant lyrics and just listen to the music.  It's an incredible song! 

[Adami]

I never had the problem with Never Enough that most others seem to have. Panic Attack is the song I always skip.

[j]

I always thought the unison was pretty sweet.

-J

[SnakeEyes]

I never had the problem with Never Enough that most others seem to have. Panic Attack is the song I always skip.

I never gave the music a chance because, once I heard what it was about (right after the album came out, basically), I made a conscious decision to never give that song the time of day because it irritated me.  I mean, I spent 15 bucks on an album to listen to a song about how I'm a fan that doesn't appreciate Mike Portnoy?  That just always seemed to be the gist of that song.  

[tri.ad]

Musically, Never Enough is quite good, especially the unison. It's just the lyrics that pull it down quite a bit.

[lithium112]

I never had the problem with Never Enough that most others seem to have. Panic Attack is the song I always skip.

I never gave the music a chance because, once I heard what it was about (right after the album came out, basically), I made a conscious decision to never give that song the time of day because it irritated me.  I mean, I spent 15 bucks on an album to listen to a song about how I'm a fan that doesn't appreciate Mike Portnoy?  That just always seemed to be the gist of that song.  

Yeah man, that song was totally about you... Portnoy was like "I hate all my fans so much! But by far the MOST, I hate SnakeEyes. If I ever see that guy, I'm gonna punch him in the face and sleep with his wife. But for now I'll just write this song about him". 

[Implode]

The song isn't about fans in general. Quoting from Bosk in another thread:

There was a very small group of people who WAY crossed the line in calling Mike and and launching personal attacks against Mike and his family.  The song was specifically inspired by them.  It is in no means directed at the fanbase as a whole who may have criticisms or may seem ungrateful.  It was directed at a few individuals who took things way too far and crossed lines people shouldn't cross.

[antigoon]

I agree with you 100%, snakeeyes. I really dig the music.

[Birch Boy]

Am I the only one who enjoys Octavarium all the way through?

[gabeh1018]

Like a few others have said i personally love the unison in this song and love the muse inspired intervals in the song. I never really took the subject matter seriously.

[lithium112]

Am I the only one who enjoys Octavarium all the way through?

I do, I do! It's an awesome album! 

[wasp2020]

I used to love this song before I found out what it was really about. Really, it could just as well refer to any sort of selfish, abusive relationship, which would have made the lyrics very effective, but it just had to be about fans...

It is a really cool song though.

[SnakeEyes]

Yeah man, that song was totally about you... Portnoy was like "I hate all my fans so much! But by far the MOST, I hate SnakeEyes. If I ever see that guy, I'm gonna punch him in the face and sleep with his wife. But for now I'll just write this song about him". 

Yeah man, that's EXACTLY what I meant.  You nailed it. 

[Ħ]

The guitar chugs during the chorus are really a turn-off for me.

[Vivace]

So, my advice to anyone who doesn't like the song:  ignore the whiny, arrogant lyrics and just listen to the music.  It's an incredible song! 

This was only learned years ago.  If I were to judge what music I listen to by the content of the lyrics I would be listening to half the shit I currently have now. Shoot, I would have to throw my whole Stabbing Westward collection as Chris Hall does nothing but bitch and whine about relationships.

[PetFish]

Great song.  Great album.  Great music.  And the lyrics are fine and obviously only refer to a tiny vocal minority so I don't understand why the fans who appreciate DT and MP get so upset over it as it has nothing to do with them.

[Lowdz]

I always enjoyed the song and never took the lyrics seriously. I certainly never felt they were aimed at me so took no offence. I would probably have felt the same way if I was Mike, I just wouldn't have written about it in a song!
i do think DT have an impossible job each album to keep fans happy. You just have to look at the discussions here about what fans want from an album to see that everyone wants somethiing different and that is due to DT's diversity. You probably don't get too much of that on an AC/DC forum... "hey I want more of a latin influence on the next album Malcolm"... er, no.
my partner says my musical taste isn't varied but i just direct her to the DT collection, where just about every musical genre you can think of is represented in there music somewhere.
For me, as a registered fanboy, it's highly unlikely I would dislike whatever they chose to do next... unless the growling spreads. O look, I just did it too.

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

Am I the only one who enjoys Octavarium all the way through?

Another one here!

[wolfking]

I don't find the lyrics a problem, and don't mind the song. it's just a bit weird how similar it is to Stockholm Syndrome.

[2Timer]

I never had the problem with Never Enough that most others seem to have. Panic Attack is the song I always skip.

This. And I've seen it live enough times now to last the rest of my life.

[hefdaddy42]

I never had the problem with Never Enough that most others seem to have. Panic Attack is the song I always skip.

I never gave the music a chance because, once I heard what it was about (right after the album came out, basically), I made a conscious decision to never give that song the time of day because it irritated me.  I mean, I spent 15 bucks on an album to listen to a song about how I'm a fan that doesn't appreciate Mike Portnoy?  That just always seemed to be the gist of that song.  

Yeah man, that song was totally about you... Portnoy was like "I hate all my fans so much! But by far the MOST, I hate SnakeEyes. If I ever see that guy, I'm gonna punch him in the face and sleep with his wife. But for now I'll just write this song about him". 

Yeah, it WAS about SE.

[ariich]

The song isn't about fans in general. Quoting from Bosk in another thread:

There was a very small group of people who WAY crossed the line in calling Mike and and launching personal attacks against Mike and his family.  The song was specifically inspired by them.  It is in no means directed at the fanbase as a whole who may have criticisms or may seem ungrateful.  It was directed at a few individuals who took things way too far and crossed lines people shouldn't cross.

That.

But yeah, the music is great anyway. Really good live song as well.

[TAC]

I used to despise this song.  Then, last month, I had Octavarium in my car.  I used to always just automatically skip Never Enough because I thought it was terrible.  So, one day last month, I said, "what the hell" and listened to it.  This was after the Portnoy-leaving-DT thing happened.  To my surprise, once I decided to ignore what the song is about, the music is actually awesome.  All this time, what I despised about it was the subject matter of the song. 

So, my advice to anyone who doesn't like the song:  ignore the whiny, arrogant lyrics and just listen to the music.  It's an incredible song! 

The other thing about Never Enough is it's one of James' best performances of the second half of DT's career.

[SnakeEyes]

Yeah, it WAS about SE.

haha  .... I just meant that I really didn't buy a DT album expecting to hear one of the guys bitching about their fans.  I personally just don't care for that topic and I wish they had written the song about something else.  I actually care about lyrics and, most of the time, if a song has bad lyrics, I don't care for the song, no matter how great the music is.  

ex.:  Yngwie Malmsteen  

[skydivingninja]

I always thought the unison was pretty sweet.

-J

Yup.  Other than that, the music reminds me too much of Hysteria, and this is one of the few cases where I can't really ignore the lyrics.

[Setlist Scotty]

That song has always been one of my favorites and I've never had a problem with the lyrics. Probably a big reason why is because having been connected to MP, I have seen some of the crap he's had to deal with (which I'm sure is only a fraction of what he's faced over the years) and I can't say I blame him for unloading in those lyrics. Maybe not as eloquent as other lyrics, but the message is put across. And as has been stated previously, this isn't a message to the general fanbase (unlike a song like Limelight from Rush), but rather directed to a small percentage of those who griped at anything and everything MP/DT did.

[?]

Never Enough gets more hate than it deserves IMO. It's not among the highlights of Octavarium, but it's not bad either. Not even the lyrics make me cringe.

[TAC]

That song has always been one of my favorites and I've never had a problem with the lyrics. Probably a big reason why is because having been connected to MP, I have seen some of the crap he's had to deal with (which I'm sure is only a fraction of what he's faced over the years) and I can't say I blame him for unloading in those lyrics. Maybe not as eloquent as other lyrics, but the message is put across. And as has been stated previously, this isn't a message to the general fanbase (unlike a song like Limelight from Rush), but rather directed to a small percentage of those who griped at anything and everything MP/DT did.

Scott, you make a great point citing the difference between Never Enough and Limelight. Rush wasn't always this happy fan friendly band that they appear to be nowadays. They had always come accross as one of the most insulated bands out there.

[robwebster]

Am I the only one who enjoys Octavarium all the way through?

Another one here!

Aye, one of my favourites.

Octavarium, that is. Never Enough is just a really good song. Love the drumming.

[RuRoRul]

Maybe it's a sign you should actually just listen to the music and decide for yourself rather than just go along with whatever people say on the internet?

Never Enough is alright. Some bits sound pretty good. I just think it's a bit of a boring song, nothing stands out about it. I don't dislike it though.

I don't see what's so bad about the lyrics either. They're not great, but so what if he's saying something about fans that have hassled him or whatever? I don't see why it automatically makes a song terrible, there are plenty of worse things to write songs about.

[Perpetual Change]

I'm just always taken back when Mike lashes out at the "fans" because he seems like such a cool down-to-earth guy on stage and in any interviews and footage I've seen of him. And yet criticism thrown his way seems to be the one thing that he can't really laugh off.

[Zook]

I don't like Muse.

[Seventh Son]

I'm not really a lyrics guy, but musically Never Enough is kinda meh.

[ariich]

if a song has bad lyrics, I don't care for the song, no matter how great the music is. 

ex.:  Yngwie Malmsteen 

...wut

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

I never had the problem with Never Enough that most others seem to have. Panic Attack is the song I always skip.

This. And I've seen it live enough times now to last the rest of my life.

What's wrong with Panic Attack? I like the Muse vibe it has.