I'm In Great Shape

[Chocolate Shake Man]

"Fresh zen air" makes sense to me. I guess it's all how you interpret the lyrics. For instance, 'over and over the crow cries uncover the cornfield' or 'she knew how to gather the forest' - it can all be meant in different ways - and we all perceive it in different ways. VDPs wasn't out to write literal lyrics, he was writing poetry - mixed words that would evoke emotion.

Right - which is why I think Van Dyke would have been horrified by the line "Fresh Zen air"

[bossaroo]

ok, good points.

but we know for a fact that it was called "open country song" at one point, and it seems to be a song about fresh air and wide open spaces, rather than being about a specific region of the country like Plymouth Rock or the Grand Coolie Dam. I guarantee that most Americans have never heard of the "upper country". while Van Dyke is certainly one to use obscure references and turns of phrase, I really don't think that's the case here. not to mention it just sounds like he's saying "open" rather than "upper".


as for "zen air" ...once again, it's a song about breathing clean air and being healthy a la "Country Air", not an endorsement of a specific spiritual teaching or belief. and the phrase "fresh zen air" is just kind of awkward and improper-sounding.

[Wirestone]

This issue was settled for me when it was pointed out -- a year or so ago -- that agriculture can also be written as agri-culture, creating another Vege-Tables style pun.

Very Van Dyke, and very on point (i.e., the fact that European settlers' culture was displacing the Native American culture).

[Chocolate Shake Man]

This issue was settled for me when it was pointed out -- a year or so ago -- that agriculture can also be written as agri-culture, creating another Vege-Tables style pun.

Very Van Dyke, and very on point (i.e., the fact that European settlers' culture was displacing the Native American culture).

It would be very Van Dyke but that's not what Brian sings in the demo. Whether it's "open" or "upper", he uncontroversially sings the "p" in one of them. So unless there's also a word called api-culture, then we can pretty much put this one to bed.

[OneEar/OneEye]

"Fresh zen air" makes sense to me. I guess it's all how you interpret the lyrics. For instance, 'over and over the crow cries uncover the cornfield' or 'she knew how to gather the forest' - it can all be meant in different ways - and we all perceive it in different ways. VDPs wasn't out to write literal lyrics, he was writing poetry - mixed words that would evoke emotion.

With that said:

"Fresh zen air around my head" - Zen is derived from a word that means 'meditate' - so feeling meditative around (or in) ones head makes perfect sense - especially if the person is in great shape (being in good shape is a centerpiece for being at peace with oneself).
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[OneEar/OneEye]

This issue was settled for me when it was pointed out -- a year or so ago -- that agriculture can also be written as agri-culture, creating another Vege-Tables style pun.

Very Van Dyke, and very on point (i.e., the fact that European settlers' culture was displacing the Native American culture).

And "agri-culture" is how i always thought it to be - though absolutely could be mistaken about that, but I still think it's a better line.   To me the pun there in was that of being in great shape of the culture of the times, the then, the youth movement of that sixties generation, the enlightenment and revolution of peace and love that a lot of young people back then (or so I have gathered) really believed to be imminent.   I have never took the old west, americana, birth of a nation, "trip across amerrican", etc as simply being purely a literal thing in these songs - it's seemed more to me that they were using that as a mirror for current times, making a statement about their generation via a surreal history lesson.  
And I'm not saying any of this was the original intention of the creators or any other such thing - because I don't know that, but just that this is how I personally take it as a listener.

[Micha]

neither Fresh Zen Air or Upper Country makes any sense.

Proving those lyrics were made up by Van Dyke Parks.

but we know for a fact that it was called "open country song" at one point

I don't remember where that quote comes from, but I think it was a journalist who wrote the words "open country song", and as journalists can't get everything they hear right, I doubt that we "know for a fact" that IIGS was called "open country song" at one point. Maybe Andrew can shed some light on this?

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

I don't remember where that quote comes from, but I think it was a journalist who wrote the words "open country song", and as journalists can't get everything they hear right, I doubt that we "know for a fact" that IIGS was called "open country song" at one point. Maybe Andrew can shed some light on this?

The descriptions of the Inside Pop Reels said "Open Country Song".

[Andrew G. Doe]

I don't remember where that quote comes from, but I think it was a journalist who wrote the words "open country song", and as journalists can't get everything they hear right, I doubt that we "know for a fact" that IIGS was called "open country song" at one point. Maybe Andrew can shed some light on this?

The descriptions of the Inside Pop Reels said "Open Country Song".

Which pretty much confirms it's nothing like "open country", then, given the decipherment we had to apply to those notes to extract any sense from them. 

[Dove Nested Towers]

Two cents: "fresh clean air", "open country".

[Aegir]

if it were "fresh zen air" there'd be more of a pause after "fresh" because you have to articulate the z in zen coming after the "zj" in fresh (freszj).

[37!ws]

I clearly hear an "n" after the word "fresh"..."fresh'nin'" is what I hear....

[Tristero]

Sheesh, does every thread about this track end up stuck on those lines?   

I'm still trying to figure out what Brian had in mind for IIGS.  It was included on the back cover track listing, so surely, there had to be more to it than just the short bit we've heard.  Would "eggs & grits" have recurred, possibly played against "do a lot" as a chorus?  Or would it have been part of some kind of suite with Barnyard and maybe even IWBA/WS?  Vosse mentioned hearing something like this back then in one article and even Brian referred to a 'Barnyard Suite' at one point in the 70's, didn't he?  Or is that more apocryphal? 

[OneEar/OneEye]

if it were "fresh zen air" there'd be more of a pause after "fresh" because you have to articulate the z in zen coming after the "zj" in fresh (freszj).

Who says you have to articulate that? 
To my ears I hear very clearly what I hear without any pause whatsoever and it's just fine and dandy. 
You "freshen", freshnin'" et al folks though, rock on with your own ears and just enjoy the music.   It's simply a matter of different interpretations, and somehow I don't think Van or Brian would be "horrified" by that at all.  It's Smile - it's your own trip.

[runnersdialzero]

'she knew how to gather the forest'

That's Van Dyke Parkanese for "pubic hair". I guarantee it to the extent that I'd bet my eyeballs on it.

[sidewinder572]

"Fresh zen air"? really? Not to sound like Mike, but what does that even mean? I don't know what the exact lyric is, but I don't believe for a second it's "fresh zen air" Your mind's playing tricks on you because you want to hear deeper meaning in a 30 second song about waking up, enjoying the day and having breakfast.

[Roger Ryan]

Sheesh, does every thread about this track end up stuck on those lines?  

I'm still trying to figure out what Brian had in mind for IIGS.  It was included on the back cover track listing, so surely, there had to be more to it than just the short bit we've heard.  Would "eggs & grits" have recurred, possibly played against "do a lot" as a chorus?  Or would it have been part of some kind of suite with Barnyard and maybe even IWBA/WS?  Vosse mentioned hearing something like this back then in one article and even Brian referred to a 'Barnyard Suite' at one point in the 70's, didn't he?  Or is that more apocryphal?  

Not that we can trust that back cover listing at all, but here's what I'm thinking given how BWPS and TSS Disc 1 turned out:

"The Old Master Painter" track would be "You Were My Sunshine" (possibly with a vocal singing a snippet of "The Old Master Painter" over the opening cello line) plus the "My Only Sunshine" fade ("Barnshine" or whatever you want to call it).

"I'm In Great Shape" would be the 30 second snippet tape exploding into "I Wanna Be Around" (with vocal like on BWPS) leading into "Workshop" which would lead into "Barnyard" as a fade.

This way, both of these become a little more like stand-alone tracks that incorporate recordings not otherwise listed on the back cover. We know that at least one tape box (right?) listed "I'm In Great Shape" in relation to "I Wanna Be Around" and Brian agreed to join the two tracks on BWPS. Also, the "My Only Sunshine" fade is obviously linked to "You Were My Sunshine" by nature of the lyric and "The Old Master Painter" is clearly the lead-in melody line to this segment (established by Brian's direction during the recording session). As for "Barnyard": practically all of the SMiLE tracks had fades recorded or intended, so unless "Workshop" was intended to fade out, "Barnyard" would fit the bill here.

Then again, the whole "I Wanna Be Around" / "I wanna be 'round my vegetables" thing, plus the association of "sleep a lot..." with both "Vega-Tables" and, by nature of the lyric, with "I'm In Great Shape" suggests an association there. Perhaps the mythical 1966 "I'm In Great Shape" would have been just like how BWPS did it, "The Old Master Painter" would have been "You Were My Sunshine" plus the "My Only Sunshine" fade and "Barnyard" would have been the fade to "Heroes & Villains".

[OneEar/OneEye]

"Fresh zen air"? really? Not to sound like Mike, but what does that even mean? I don't know what the exact lyric is, but I don't believe for a second it's "fresh zen air" Your mind's playing tricks on you because you want to hear deeper meaning in a 30 second song about waking up, enjoying the day and having breakfast.

 

[Loaf]

Some funny responses on here!

I can hear Open Country, Upper Country and Agriculture, and there are reasons why they all make sense.

I can hear Freshen Air and Fresh Zen Air, and there are reasons why they all make sense.


If there's one thing that really has come out of SMiLE, it's that it was, is, and always will be incomplete, and that because of this we are all capable of "rolling our own" versions/interpretations/meanings etc... If it works for you, then it's there. If you don't like it, you are free not to believe it. Just because one person fails to see what Fresh Zen Air even means shows more of a lack of imagination than anything to do with whether it is there or not

Just sayin'.

[Micha]

I don't remember where that quote comes from, but I think it was a journalist who wrote the words "open country song", and as journalists can't get everything they hear right, I doubt that we "know for a fact" that IIGS was called "open country song" at one point. Maybe Andrew can shed some light on this?

The descriptions of the Inside Pop Reels said "Open Country Song".

So the guy who penned those notes could not remember the title of the track and recalls only "open country". He was the only person who ever called whatever song it was (probably IIGS, yes) "Open Country Song"

[runnersdialzero]

I apparently posted this in the wrong thread. Derp.

Also, "Zen" is too far out for even Van Dyke Parks to go on about. Too stupid for such a song and extremely ill-fitting, as well, which is more important. Also no "Z" sound to be found there. Arguably most important.

Again, my money is really on Brian stumbling over the line a bit, he's not saying any kind of real word there. It happens when you're working on new material, really. Maybe I'm wrong, but ehhh.

Also, like I said, he didn't anticipate this being the sole existing recording of the song, he wasn't sweating details. He was just playing various sections of a song for a disc jockey. Listen to him hesitate and f*ck up "Barnyard" a few dozen times less than a minute later. Must've been all that acid.

[bossaroo]

while we're on the subject, here's a new mix i made which combines the demo and the track, but keeps them mostly separate. I quite prefer it this way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUeSFjzpFJ0

[Tristero]

while we're on the subject, here's a new mix i made which combines the demo and the track, but keeps them mostly separate. I quite prefer it this way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUeSFjzpFJ0

Nice.  I think that's the best way to approach this one.

[Caroline, Now]

while we're on the subject, here's a new mix i made which combines the demo and the track, but keeps them mostly separate. I quite prefer it this way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUeSFjzpFJ0

Very nicely done, I think you've hit the mark in which way to approach IIGS, I prefer it this way too.

[harveyw]

while we're on the subject, here's a new mix i made which combines the demo and the track, but keeps them mostly separate. I quite prefer it this way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUeSFjzpFJ0

Yes, very nice job.

And it's "fresh clean air", and "open country". Or maybe "upper country". Not "agriculture" though. Nosirree.