Big Star is often cited as a prime example of power pop. Drawing upon pop music traditions — especially The Beatles, The Byrds, The Kinks, The Zombies, Badfinger, The Who, Moby Grape, The Beach Boys and Free — Big Star's music was lyrical, powerful, and at times melancholic pop for the post-1960s generation. Their approach not only recalled the British Invasion groups but the spare, relaxed style of Stax Records, the Memphis soul label, as well as the edgy rockabilly of early Sun Records. In an era of singer-songwriters and heavy-metal groups, they played melodic, concisely written songs. Their reputation, negligible in 1974 beyond a small coterie of admirers, has steadily grown, and they are today considered one of pop's classic groups.
Big Star was formed in 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States by guitarist/vocalist Chris Bell, bassist Andy Hummel, drummer Jody Stephens, and guitarist/vocalist Alex Chilton. All four at times contributed to the songwriting and lead vocals, with Chilton and Bell singing and writing the majority of the early songs as a team modeled after Lennon and McCartney's collaborative style. Chilton, a former teen pop idol, and Bell had a musically fruitful but difficult relationship. The band's first two albums had a string of great reviews but sold almost nothing, not helped by Stax's struggle to know how to sell a bunch of white guys playing retro rock. The failure to break through was a huge blow to Chilton and Bell, and their relationship deteriorated, and by the time their third album Third/Sister Lovers came around, Bell had left to pursue a solo career that was cut short by his untimely death.
Chilton and Stephens have toured since 1993 under the Big Star name with Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of The Posies in the band. This lineup released the album In Space in 2005.
After the EP Live Tribute to Alex Chilton was released in June 2011, Stephens wrote on the Ardent blog that the tribute performance in May 2010 was the last performance for Big Star as a band.
On March 17th, 2010, Alex Chilton passed away in a New Orleans hospital at the age of 59. Big Star was scheduled to play at SXSW that week. Andy Hummel died of cancer in Weatherford, Texas, on 19 July 2010 .
Big Star has gained more recent exposure with bands like Superdrag, Weezer, R.E.M., The Replacements, Primal Scream, the Posies, Bill Lloyd and the dB's citing them as an influence. Three of Big Star’s albums, Radio City, #1 Record, and Third/Sister Lovers were included in Rolling Stone magazine’s "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003.
Big Star's biggest champions have been Teenage Fanclub who have been involved in re-issuing some of their work and even named one of their albums after one Big Star's most affecting songs, "thirteen". It was a song covered live on occasion by Elliott Smith who was clearly influenced by Chilton's vocal style (the similarities in the higher vocal register are notable there and on Give Me Another Chance and I'm in Love with a Girl). The Bangles also scored a hit in the 80s with their cover of "September Gurls". Cheap Trick have recorded several covers of "In The Street" for use as the theme song for the sitcom That '70s Show.
Paul Westerberg wrote and recorded ( with his band, The Replacements) the song "Alex Chilton", which contains the line, "I never travel far, without a little Big Star." Westerberg lists Chilton as one of his greatest influences, and has covered "September Gurls" live, both solo and with his band.
Life Is White
Big Star Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't like to hear you talk at all
I could be with Ann
But I'd just get bored
Can't even bring myself to call
And I don't want to see you now
'Cause I know what you lack
Whatever's all the same
Now there's nobody to know
And I can't recall, recall your name
All I can say is so
And I don't want to see you now
'Cause I know what you lack
And I can't go back to that
Your life is white
And I don't think I like
You hanging around
Don't like to see your face
Don't like to hear you talk at all
I could be with Ann
But I'd just get bored
Can't even bring myself to call
And I don't want to see you now
'Cause I know what you lack
And I can't go back to that now
The opening lines of “Life Is White” by Big Star are about the singer’s discomfort around a person they used to know. They don't want to see or hear from them, even going so far as to say they don’t even like to see their face. The next couplet reveals the reason behind this animosity: they find this person boring. They also mention a girl named Ann, which implies that they could be with her as an alternative to spending time with the person they're currently discussing, but neither option seems very appealing.
The chorus that follows, which repeats twice, is a direct reflection of how the singer feels - they don't want to see this person because they know what they lack, and they can't go back to that. The line “Whatever’s all the same” puts into words the feeling of ambivalence that might have initially driven the singer away from this person. In other words, this person has nothing unique or special about them.
By the end of the song, the singer makes it clear that, to them, the person’s life is “white” and they don’t like hanging around them. This can be interpreted in a number of ways, but overall, it conveys a sense of boredom and sameness about the person in question.
Overall, “Life Is White” by Big Star is a song about feeling disconnected from someone who you once knew. It’s about the dullness of certain people’s lives and how that can drive others away. It’s also a reminder that sometimes, no matter how much you may have once had in common with someone, people can grow apart.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't like to see your face
I don't want to see you because I don't feel attracted to you anymore.
Don't like to hear you talk at all
I don't like your conversation because it is no longer of interest to me.
I could be with Ann
I have the option to be with someone else, but I am not interested in you or Ann.
But I'd just get bored
Being with Ann or anyone else, will become boring for me and won't fill any void.
Can't even bring myself to call
I don't have the desire or the will to contact you.
And I don't want to see you now
I don't want to see you as I know what will be lacking in our rendezvous.
'Cause I know what you lack
I know what is missing in our relationship and there's no going back.
And I can't go back to that
I cannot go back and move ahead in a direction that I can't see a future in.
Whatever's all the same
Everything seems indifferent now as you don't hold any special place for me.
Now there's nobody to know
There's no one interested in knowing about us and our relationship.
And I can't recall, recall your name
I have forgotten your name as you are no longer a significant part of my life.
All I can say is so
All I have is a feeling of indifference towards you.
Your life is white
Your life lacks excitement or color, making it dull and uninteresting.
And I don't think I like
I don't find it attractive or desirable.
You hanging around
You being around me is not something that I am interested in anymore.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEX CHILTON, ANDY HUMMEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mansquatch
The fact that Chilton was only 21 when he wrote this makes it an even more amazing piece of songwriting than it already is.
Aidan Hunt
One of my favourite songs of all time. Pure perfection.
stmarks1984
All Hail Big Star!
RobotBoy71
The guitars, they jangle.
Aspartamebraintumor
sounds ahead of its time. sounds a little like something Guided By Voices would write.. but with Lou Barlow on vocals
paul hat
its a ordinary band dont over blow this songwriting is simple so is harmony there are hundreds of great british bands throughout the last 6 0 years in obscurity , chamelions camel caravan ......
Vingul
Pretty sure it's "I know what you're like", not "I know what you lack" (as it says in the description).
Zach Smith
No I think they’re right. Listen closely, and it rhymes with back
Nate Henricks
Can't even bring myself to call