Callahan started out as a highly experimental artist, using substandard instruments and recording equipment. His early songs often nearly lacked melodic structure and were clumsily played on poorly tuned guitars (possibly influenced by Jandek, whom Callahan admired), resulting in the dissonant sounds on his self-released cassettes and debut album Sewn to the Sky. Much of his early output was instrumental, a stark contrast to the lyrical focus of his later work. Apparently, he used lo-fi techniques not primarily because of an aesthetic preference but because he didn't have any other possibility to make music. Once he signed a contract with Drag City, he also started to use recording studios and a greater variety of instruments for his records.
From 1993 to 2000, Callahan's recordings grew more and more "professional" sounding, with more instruments, and a higher sound quality. In this period he recorded two albums with the influential producer Jim O'Rourke and Tortoise's John McEntire, and collaborated with Neil Hagerty. After 2000's Dongs of Sevotion, Callahan began moving back to a slightly simpler instrumentation and recording style, while retaining the more consistent songwriting style he had developed over the years. This shift is apparent in albums such as Rain on Lens, Supper, and A River Ain't Too Much to Love.
Smog's songs are often based on simple, repetitive structures, consisting of a simple chord progression repeated for the duration of the entire song. His singing is strikingly characterized by his baritone voice and a style of delivery without being over-emotional. Melodically and lyrically he tends to eschew the verse-chorus approach favoured by many contemporary songwriters, preferring instead a more free-form approach relying less on melodic and lyrical repetition. Themes in Callahan's lyrics include relationships, moving, horses, teenagers, bodies of water, and more recently, politics. His generally dispassionate delivery of lyrics and dark irony often obfuscate complex emotional and lyrical twists and turns. Critics have generally characterized his music as depressing and intensely introverted, with one critic describing it as "a peep-show view into an insular world of alienation." Despite this there is also a broad swathe of joy throughout Callahan's work and more attentive critics have picked up on Callahan's tendency to black humour, a tendency often confused with a depressed mental state or a genuine obsession with the morbid, a confusion no doubt caused by his deadpan vocals.
Cat Power (Chan Marshall) recorded Callahan's song Bathysphere on her 1996 album What Would the Community Think. She covered him again in 2000 on her Covers Record doing the song Red Apples.
Smog's Cold Blooded Old Times appears on the High Fidelity soundtrack. The song Vessel in Vain (from Supper) was also used on the soundtrack of the independent British film Dead Man's Shoes in 2004. In October 2007, Cadillac released a commercial which featured Smog's song Held and Bob Dylan driving a 2008 Escalade through the desert.
As of 2007 he lives in Austin, Texas where he released Woke on a Whaleheart. It was his first record release as Bill Callahan.
Jim Cain
Bill Callahan Lyrics
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How much of a tree bends in the wind
I started telling the story without knowing the end
I used to be darker, then I got lighter, then I got dark again
Something to be seen was passing over and over me
Well it seemed like the routine case at first
With the death of the shadow came a lightness of verse
And I woke myself until I'm frazzled
I ended up in search of ordinary things
Like how can a wave possibly be?
I started running, and the concrete turned to sand
I started running, and things didn't pan out as planned
In case things go poorly and I not return
Remember the good things I've done
In case things go poorly and I not return
Remember the good things I've done
Done me in
The song "Jim Cain" by Bill Callahan is a reflection on the search for meaning in ordinary things in life, and the struggle to find balance during life's ups and downs. The first verse sets the tone for the song, with Callahan starting out in search of the mundane, like the bending of a tree in the wind. The second verse contrasts the light and dark periods in his life, with the passing of something significant overhead causing him to become darker once again. The use of light and dark imagery throughout the song illustrates the cyclical nature of life's challenges, with each dark period leading to a newfound lightness.
The chorus provides a warning for the future, with Callahan acknowledging the possibility of not returning from his journey for ordinary things, but encouraging listeners to remember the good he's done. The final verse depicts Callahan running - perhaps running towards something he's searching for or running away from something he's lost. The concrete turning to sand is another contrast of the sort of change of the familiar and what is expected. He acknowledges that things may not go as planned as he searches for the ordinary things, but he still pushes forward.
The song "Jim Cain" is a poetic reflection on the search for balance and meaning in life. It is a reminder that light and dark times are inevitable, and that we should make good use of our time and focus on the important and ordinary things in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I started out in search of ordinary things
I began my quest with a simple desire to find the everyday wonders that life has to offer
How much of a tree bends in the wind
Wondering about the flexibility of a tree, I came to realize that everything in life can be flexible and adaptable
I started telling the story without knowing the end
Even without knowing how things will turn out, I started narrating my journey, believing that every story has its own unique twists and turns
I used to be darker, then I got lighter, then I got dark again
I've been through ups and downs in my life, experienced moments of brightness but also periods of darkness and confusion
Something to be seen was passing over and over me
I felt there was something significant that was happening around me, something that wasn't easy to grasp at first, but kept repeating itself over and over again
Well it seemed like the routine case at first
At first, my journey seemed mundane and uneventful, but there was something more profound brewing under the surface
With the death of the shadow came a lightness of verse
As I let go of my fears and shadows, I became lighter and more creative in my storytelling
But the darkest of nights, in truth, still dazzles
Even in the bleakest moments of life, there can still be beauty and wonderment
And I woke myself until I'm frazzled
I pushed myself to my limits, trying to make sense of my journey and my place in the world, to the point of exhaustion
I ended up in search of ordinary things
After all the chaos and drama, I returned to my original quest of seeking the simple and the ordinary
Like how can a wave possibly be?
I questioned the mysteries of the world, wondering how such a simple and beautiful thing like a wave could exist
I started running, and the concrete turned to sand
In my search for meaning, I took off running and discovered that even the most solid and durable things in life are subject to change
I started running, and things didn't pan out as planned
Despite my best intentions, my journey didn't always go as expected, but that didn't deter me from continuing onwards
In case things go poorly and I not return, remember the good things I've done
Faced with the uncertainty of life, I hope to be remembered for the positive impact I've had on others
Done me in
All this searching and questioning has left me drained and worn out, but I'm still hopeful for what lies ahead
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BILL CALLAHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind