Dead Flowers

I meant to write a nice little narrative yesterday about Dead Flowers, this week's Rolling Stones Song of the Week. But I got busy. Bite me.

Besides there being a version of Dead Flowers on the Big Lebowski soundtrack done by Townes Van Zandt, it's quite easily one of my favorite Stones songs ever.

For one, it's easily one of the most influential songs the Stones ever recorded. Easily. Dig Wilco? Old 97s? Ryan Adams? A little something called alt country? It all came from here. From this one "throw away" Stones track off of Sticky Fingers, country became something rock bands could play with. Clearly influenced by Gram Parsons and Keith Richards hanging out, it led to Parsons' Flying Burrito Brothers getting to release Wild Horses before the Stones did.

OK, so it's just a song.

Oops, so I left out my personal favorite part of the song.

Take me down, little Suzy. Take me down.
I know you think you're the Queen of the Underground.

I love love love that line. I just do. It's in my top ten lines from the Stones. "Flippancy" might not be the best word, but it's the first word that comes to mind. And the flippancy that this girl really is the Queen of the Underground is awesome. Implied, clearly, that the narrator has in fact crossed paths with the real Queen of the Underground.