Carlotta Valdez
Harvey Danger Lyrics
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such a haunting vision he forgets his partner's fall
jump into the san francisco bay
i'll follow you in
i know you can't swim
when you've been dead 100 years carlotta
Carlotta Valdez i will make you her.
everything's subjective nothing lasts for johnny o.
kiss kim novak where the redwoods grow
i'll bleach her hair and pretend she didn't die
go up the mission stair
i'll follow anywherethat is, until you climb too high
cause i get vertigo
carlotta valdez, i will make you her
what a thing to be the center of attention all the time
he isn't really falling for this, is he?
he's getting dizzy
and so am I
carlotta valdez carlotta valdez carlotta valdez...
The lyrics of Harvey Danger's song "Carlotta Valdez" present a strange story that alludes to various references from pop culture, such as the characters and events from Alfred Hitchcock's famous movie, "Vertigo". The song depicts a man named Jimmy Stewart who is mesmerized by the portrait of Carlotta Valdez and follows a mysterious woman named Kim to where the picture hangs on the wall. The man becomes so lost in his fascination that he forgets about his partner's fall and chooses to jump into the San Francisco Bay, which leads the woman to follow him in even though she can't swim. The lyrics continue with a reference to the character Johnny O in relationship to the transience of life and the subjective nature of everything. The song goes on to mention kissing Kim Novak, bleaching her hair, and pretending that she didn't die, before continuing to talk about following Carlotta anywhere until the moment the climb becomes too high and the singer gets vertigo.
The lyrics of "Carlotta Valdez" embody a variety of subjective interpretations about the fleeting nature of life, the power of fascination, and the weight of attention. The song is told primarily in a narrative format, using references from the world of film to weave a complex story about obsession and the possibility of transformation. The lyrics could be seen as an exploration of the psyche of those who become ensnared in the power of images, and how such obsession can lead to a kind of transcendence or madness.
Line by Line Meaning
jimmy stewart follows kim to where your portrait hangs on a wall
Jimmy Stewart is following Kim Novak to a place where a portrait of Carlotta Valdez hangs on a wall and is very captivating.
such a haunting vision he forgets his partner's fall
The vision of the portrait is so haunting that Jimmy Stewart completely forgets about his partner's death that just occurred.
jump into the san francisco bay
Let's jump into the San Francisco Bay together.
i'll follow you in
I will follow your lead and jump into the bay as well.
i know you can't swim
I am aware that you cannot swim.
when you've been dead 100 years carlotta
When Carlotta Valdez has been dead for 100 years.
Carlotta Valdez i will make you her.
I will transform myself into Carlotta Valdez.
everything's subjective nothing lasts for johnny o.
Everything is subjective, and nothing lasts forever for Johnny O.
kiss kim novak where the redwoods grow
Let's kiss Kim Novak in a place where the redwoods grow.
i'll bleach her hair and pretend she didn't die
I will bleach Kim Novak's hair and pretend that she did not die.
go up the mission stair
Let's go up the mission stairway.
i'll follow anywhere, that is, until you climb too high
I will follow you wherever you go, until you climb too high, as I get vertigo.
cause i get vertigo
I get vertigo easily.
carlotta valdez, i will make you her
I will make myself into Carlotta Valdez.
what a thing to be the center of attention all the time
What a thing it would be to always be the center of attention.
he isn't really falling for this, is he?
He is not really believing this, is he?
he's getting dizzy
He is getting dizzy from the situation.
and so am I
I am also getting dizzy.
carlotta valdez carlotta valdez carlotta valdez...
Repeating Carlotta Valdez's name for emphasis and as a reminder of the subject of the song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HUFFMAN, LIN, NELSON, SULT, Aaron Huffman, Evan Sult, Jeff Lin, Sean Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind