An enigmatic folk nomad, McCombs is a quintessentially American artist; "he's quietly become one of (the country's) finest chroniclers of fringe characters, a writer of heart-rending love songs and psychedelic odes to the natural world, a teller of tall-tales with a sense of humor dry as desert wood, and that rare folksinger who actually sings about the folk." His vocals range somewhere between the anxious drone of Lou Reed, the hollow croon of Elliott Smith, the lilting melody of Morrissey, and the driving earnestness and complexity of bards such as Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan. His lyrical style is alternately vivid and weary, laconic and yearning, or drifting into the high-spirited and whimsical.
After cutting his first EP, Not the Way in San Francisco in 2001, McCombs relocated to Baltimore, MD. There he released "Not the Way" in 2002 and recorded his first full-length, A, in 2003 on Monitor Records. He spent the next few years touring: playing All Tomorrow's Parties; and opening for bands such as Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, and Belle and Sebastian; before recording his second LP PREfection, which was released on 4AD in 2005.
McCombs' subsequent releases have been on the highly successful British independent label Domino Recording Co. 2007's Dropping the Writ was named one of Amazon's Best Albums of that year. Catacombs was voted one of the 50 greatest albums of 2009 by Pitchfork Media, and features Academy Award-nominated actress and singer Karen Black on the track Dreams-Come-True-Girl. During this period, McCombs toured with the likes of Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, Band of Horses, José González, Beach House, and The Walkmen.
Catacombs also established McCombs' relationship with engineer/producer Ariel Rechtshaid, member of The Hippos and Foreign Born, who produced Grammy-winning hit Climax for Usher, the Plain White T's Grammy-nominated No.1 platinum-selling single Hey There Delilah, and albums for Vampire Weekend, Sky Ferreira, Snoop Lion, and Haim, among others.
In 2010 McCombs played Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, L.A.'s Culture Collide Festival and Invisible Children Benefit. 2011 offered an extensive headlining tour, an appearance at SXSW, and two albums released by McCombs and produced by Rechtshaid: Wit's End in April and Humor Risk in November. The two albums were made simultaneously. In an interview with Pitchfork, McCombs explains: "Wit's End was started years ago and it slowly made its way to the finish line. Humor Risk was just punched out. They're friends but they're different. Wit's End is like a stew; Humor Risk is the raw food diet."
Big Wheel and Others, McCombs' seventh full-length (and first double album) was released in October 2013. The album is rooted in the Americana mythos of the Wild West, from the San Francisco drug culture to the gunslingers and gold rush of the nineteenth century. The album once again features Karen Black on a version of the track Brighter!, her final recording before passing away due to ampullary cancer in August, 2013. Big Wheel is dedicated to her memory.
http://cassmccombs.com
Prima Donna
Cass McCombs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Were you struck dumb?
Were you, Prima Donna?
Now struck dumb, the next call she picked up
Aha, you're not so lucky?
Are you, Prima Donna?
She was dumb, not deaf
Foul speech hit her ear
The poor, Prima Donna
She's met this man before and seen how he eats
He made no sense
His voice throbbed endlessly
To our Prima Donna
She phonetically built a sentence:
"Will this affect my record?"
"It might" the Investor menaced
The Investor menaced
Tell me what good could possible come?
He gives her the stage she deserves to perform on
And isn't it this stinking world that likes to see beauty suffer?
Well, isn't it?
Either way, too bad for her
She went out that night and blew the lid off the joint
Like an investment that never disappoints
The Prima Donna
In the song Prima Donna by Cass McCombs, the lyrics describe a conversation between the titular character and an Investor. In the first verse, Prima Donna dodges a call from the Investor before picking up the next one. The Investor starts addressing Prima Donna with foul speech, which she can hear despite being dumb, not deaf. As the conversation progresses, Prima Donna tries to protect her career by asking if the situation would affect her record, to which the Investor menaces her with a vague answer.
The second verse offers some commentary on society's treatment of beauty, suggesting that people like to see beauty suffer. Despite this, Prima Donna puts on a magnificent performance that "blew the lid off the joint" during the night, showing that she could not be held down by the Investor's threats. Throughout the song, Cass McCombs delivers his signature mournful vocals, accompanied by simple, bluesy guitar riffs that heighten the emotional impact of the lyrics.
Overall, the song highlights themes of power dynamics, perseverance, and societal beauty standards. It suggests that even when faced with adversity, one can still triumph and overcome the obstacles impeding their success.
Line by Line Meaning
Prima Donna dodged a call from the Investor
Prima Donna avoided a call from a potential funder
Were you struck dumb?
Did you become speechless?
Were you, Prima Donna?
Are you, Prima Donna experiencing a sudden lack of words?
Now struck dumb, the next call she picked up
After losing the ability to speak, she received another call
Aha, you're not so lucky?
Ah, the luck doesn't seem to follow you, isn't it, Prima Donna?
Are you, Prima Donna?
Is this the case, Prima Donna?
The Investor came through loud and clear
The investor spoke clearly and loudly
She was dumb, not deaf
Prima Donna was unable to speak, not unable to hear
Foul speech hit her ear
Prima Donna received unpleasant words
The poor, Prima Donna
Prima Donna receives sympathy for her situation
She's met this man before and seen how he eats
She had encountered this man previously and observed his manners
He made no sense
His words didn't make any reasonable sense
His voice throbbed endlessly
His voice was irritating and kept on going
To our Prima Donna
The irritating voice was particularly bothering for the Prima Donna
She phonetically built a sentence:
She constructed a sentence by sounding out words
"Will this affect my record?"
"Will this have an impact on my career history?"
"It might" the Investor menaced
"It is possible," threatened the investor
The Investor menaced
The investor spoke threateningly
Tell me what good could possibly come?
What benefits could come out of this situation?
He gives her the stage she deserves to perform on
The investor is willing to give her a platform to showcase her talent
And isn't it this stinking world that likes to see beauty suffer?
In this ugly world, people often enjoy watching beautiful things/people go through difficulties
Well, isn't it?
Isn't that the truth?
Either way, too bad for her
Either way, it's unfortunate for her
She went out that night and blew the lid off the joint
She went out that night and gave an exceptional performance
Like an investment that never disappoints
Like a worthwhile investment that always yields good results
The Prima Donna
The talented and glamorous performer
Contributed by Madelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.