In 1994 he founded Brad Mehldau Trio, with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy; in 2005, Jeff Ballard replaced Rossy. Brad Mehldau started playing piano at the age of six, and has released more than ten albums.
Taming the Dragon
Brad Mehldau Lyrics
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Around in an old convertible the whole time around L.
Later on it turned into a VW van and near the end it was more like
This spaceship kind of thing, and were high up looking over the road,
But the front console was shaped like a
Van and it still had the convertible top.
The guy who was driving me around was an older dude - an old hipster
With a scratchy voice kind of like Joe Walsh sings,
And energy of Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider.
Yeah, like if you can imagine a cross between Joe Walsh
And Dennis Hopper - that′s the dude who was driving me.
We were heading due north on the PCH,
Coming up to the big stoplight where Sunset Boulevard ends,
And were gonna head out past there toward Malibu,
Maybe circle up through Topanga
Canyon and come back through the valley.
The light was beautiful in the dream,
With all that nice washed-out orange from the pollution.
So I had this happy feeling in my stomach but also like this
Scared feeling like something gonna happen but I didn't know what.
Anyhow, as we approaching the light at Sunset,
All of a sudden this cat in a sports car
Came out of nowhere and just cut us off.
My man slammed on the brakes and narrowly averted a mash-up.
It got my blood boiling, but you know, I wasn′t the one driving.
Yeah, so wouldn't you know it,
We pulled right up behind that motherfucker at the light and
There he was glaring at us through his rear view; he was all like '
Yeah that′s right I cut you off, what are you going to do about it?′.
So I said to Joe Walsh-slash-Dennis Hopper -
I'll just call him Joe now - so I said to Joe "
Man, aren′t you gonna say some shit to that douchebag?".
I was all puffed up and pissed off,
But I was sitting in the passenger seat.
So Joe was quiet and looked straight ahead and said "
You know, man, the only way I'm gonna put some shit out
There like that is if I′m ready to dance with that cat.
You know what I mean? '
All you′ve got are your actions,
Man - and don't forget, your words are your actions too.
You put something out there, there's consequences, you know?
You wanna dance with that dude?".
You know, now I realize that Joe was driving me
Around everywhere and it′s like I wasn′t even thanking him.
I realize that at first I thought he was kind of wild and a bad
Influence on me, like from my party days,
But actually the whole time he kind of like driving me around and
Taking care of me, watching my back,
Like the crazy dude in the small car,
Like how he actually handled that while
Thing real noble and didn't get all ruffled.
He was talking me down from something.
I only realized that when I woke up.
It′s funny how sometimes with dreams you don't
Realize who′s your friend until after you wake up.
Then when you wake up you get this clarity and you see that maybe all
These different people were you in the dream and
That they're there to lead you to either good or trouble.
And the person who′s actually acting as you in the dream is kind of
Like this blind idiot who's just barreling through the whole dream,
Like I was, trying to be all tough and shit,
Telling old Joe to go start
Something with that punk in the sports car.
Yeah, but maybe like that crazy dude in the other car was me as well
- All those people are just composite of my own shit,
All the different parts of me - like you've got this one part of you
That watches out for you and keeps you steady,
You′ve got this other part that′s raging and full of anger,
And those two are vying for your attention,
Like old Joe and the crazy dude in the dream,
And then there's just you and
You′re listening to both of those voices.
But they're all a part of you.
You know, I think of it like taming a dragon.
The dragon is the crazy dude and if you
Don′t watch out he'll bite your ass hard.
So you need old Joe there to set you straight.
But Joe knows about the dragon,
Because Joe and the dragon are a part of you.
So don′t try to kill the dragon - you know,
The dragon's where you get all that voodoo
Shit from, that's where you get your power from.
You don′t want to snuff him out, you wanna tame him,
You wanna actually make friends with him
And harness his power so you can use it...
The song "Taming the Dragon" by Brad Mehldau is a story narrated by a person who had a trippy dream about an old hipster driving him in different vehicles. The dreamer and the driver, nicknamed Joe, are driving towards Malibu in a convertible when a sports car cuts them off at a stoplight. The dreamer gets angry, but Joe advises him not to take any rash action. The driver teaches the singer to control the different parts of his persona, represented by the dragon and the crazy dude, and harness the power of the dragon to become steady and strong.
The song can be interpreted as a metaphor for the different aspects of a person's personality and how they need to be tamed and balanced to achieve stability and strength. The dragon represents the wild and untamed forces within a person, while Joe symbolizes wisdom and control. The dreamer represents the self that is torn between these two opposing forces. The dreamer learns that to be successful, they need to listen and learn from both of these personas and harness their different strengths.
The track is a part of Brad Mehldau's album "Largo," a blend of jazz, indie rock, and classical music that explored new territories in piano performance. The album featured guest artists like Jon Brion, Michael Kang, and Petra Haden. The album title, "Largo," is an Italian musical term that means slow or broad and was meant to highlight the album's improvisational nature. The song "Taming the Dragon" was inspired by a poem by the same name, written by the artist. The album itself was a part of Brad Mehldau's experimentation with fusing different music styles to create a new kind of jazz sound.
Line by Line Meaning
I had this trippy dream were this cat was driving me
In the dream, a cat was driving the singer around in a series of vehicles, ranging from an old convertible to a spaceship, with an older dude who resembled a cross between Joe Walsh and Dennis Hopper.
We were heading due north on the PCH,
The singer and Joe were driving on the Pacific Coast Highway, heading north toward Malibu via Topanga Canyon.
The light was beautiful in the dream,
The light at the stoplight near Sunset Boulevard was described as beautiful, with an orange hue from pollution.
It got my blood boiling, but you know, I wasn′t the one driving.
Another driver cut them off at the stoplight, making the singer angry, but he wasn't the one driving.
So Joe was quiet and looked straight ahead and said ''You know, man, the only way I'm gonna put some shit out There like that is if I′m ready to dance with that cat. You know what I mean?''
Joe advised the singer not to engage the other driver in confrontation, as he would only do so if he was prepared for the consequences of his actions.
You know, now I realize that Joe was driving me Around everywhere and it′s like I wasn′t even thanking him.
The singer reflects on how Joe had been looking out for him and driving him everywhere, but he hadn't even thanked him for his help.
And the person who′s actually acting as you in the dream is kind of Like this blind idiot who's just barreling through the whole dream,
The singer realizes that he was the blindly reckless character in the dream, while other characters, like Joe and the other driver, were actually parts of himself that were vying for control.
Yeah, but maybe like that crazy dude in the other car was me as well - All those people are just composite of my own shit,
The singer realizes that even the other driver may have been a part of himself, as all the characters in the dream represented different parts of his personality.
You know, I think of it like taming a dragon. The dragon is the crazy dude and if you Don′t watch out he'll bite your ass hard.
The singer relates the dream to the idea of taming a dragon, where the dragon represents the more reckless, impulsive parts of himself, which can be dangerous if not properly controlled.
So you need old Joe there to set you straight.
Joe represents the more level-headed, rational side of the singer, which can serve as a guiding force to keep the reckless part of himself under control.
But Joe knows about the dragon, Because Joe and the dragon are a part of you.
Joe represents a part of the singer's personality that understands the reckless part of himself, as they are both parts of the same individual.
You don′t want to snuff him out, you wanna tame him,
The singer realizes that he doesn't want to completely eliminate his reckless side, as it is a source of power and creativity, but rather handle it in a more controlled manner.
You wanna actually make friends with him And harness his power so you can use it...
Instead of trying to suppress or eliminate his reckless side, the singer wants to learn to control it and use it to his advantage in life.
Writer(s): Brad Mehldau
Contributed by Nathaniel O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.