Callahan started out as a highly experimental artist, utilizing sub-standard instruments and recording equipment. His reason for using the lo-fi approach was not so much an aesthetic choice, rather it came from his lack of knowledge of recording studios, and fear of giving up control to professional engineers.
His later work saw him overcoming his fear of studios and producers, and in this period he recorded two albums with the influential producer Jim O'Rourke and musicians from the circles around Drag City, as well as collaborating with the similar-minded Neil Hagerty.
His songs are based on simple, repetitive structures, strikingly characterized by his baritone vocal. His lyrics are often centered around themes of spiritual searching and the complexity of emotions, with the use of subtlety and dark irony in the classic sense. There is also a broad swathe of joy throughout Callahan's work (and a singular obsession with horses that he shares with Will Oldham and Mark Linkous). He is a keen storyteller using simple words to project large and deeply echoing tales.
Callahan's love life has been documented with vigor in numerous hipster publications, including his romantic relationship with Chan Marshall (Cat Power), who allegedly penned "To Be a Good Woman" in tribute to Callahan while referencing his song "To Be Of Use." It has recently been rumored that Callahan is now involved with Drag City labelmate Joanna Newsom.
Callahan is widely seen as one of the important figures of American rock in the '90s. He currently resides in Austin, TX.
On his 2007 album "Woke on a Whaleheart" he dropped the name Smog and used his real name, Bill Callahan.
There are other artists with the same name:
2. Smog was a psychedelic rock band from Perù, wich in 1971 released the single Time for the Blues
3. Sludge/doom metal from Nuremberg, Germany
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4. Black metal from Kraków, Poland
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No Dancing
Smog Lyrics
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Snuffling, choking
Looking like you came to collect
Something you said you owed
There's always some turtle snapping in my head
Saying you can't just waltz in here
Acting like nothing is wrong
Not while the road is racing
No dancing, no dancing, no dancing
Not while the time is chasing
There's a poacher on the land
I recognize his hand
In the mail
He's fogging up the glass
The bird is on the last
And here he comes
Here he comes, oh
No dancing, no dancing, no dancing
Not while the wires are showing
No dancing, no dancing, no dancing
Not while the time is flowing
There's a poacher on the land
I recognize his hand
In the mail
He's fogging up the glass
The bird is on the last
And here he comes
Here he comes, oh
No dancing, no dancing, no dancing
Not while the time is flowing
No dancing, no dancing, no dancing
Not while your wires are showing
The lyrics to Smog's song "No Dancing" convey a sense of unease and discomfort. The lyrics summon the image of a person whose mental and physical space is being invaded by unwelcome and unsettling presences. The bird-dog and the snapping turtle represent these presences, and it seems that they signify people or circumstances that the singer is trying to escape from. The poacher on the land is another unwelcome presence, and his hand seems to symbolize some malevolent force that is at work against the singer.
The title of the song, "No Dancing," is repeated again and again, like a mantra. This phrase seems to represent the need for stillness and caution in the face of danger. Dancing, which is associated with joy and celebration, is not possible in these circumstances. The singer is too busy trying to protect himself and his mental space. The image of the road racing and the time chasing emphasizes the feeling of urgency and impending danger that the singer is facing.
Overall, the lyrics to "No Dancing" suggest a feeling of vulnerability and discomfort. The singer is aware of the dangers that are present in his world, and he is determined to protect himself from them. The repetition of the title phrase reinforces the sense of caution that is necessary in these circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
There's always some bird-dog Snuffling, choking Looking like you came to collect Something you said you owed
Someone is always lurking around, sniffing and coughing, pretending to collect something they think you owe them.
There's always some turtle snapping in my head Saying you can't just waltz in here Acting like nothing is wrong
There's always a voice in my head warning me that I cannot let someone casually invade my space and pretend like everything is okay.
No dancing, no dancing, no dancing Not while the road is racing No dancing, no dancing, no dancing Not while the time is chasing
I won't let myself be carefree and dance around when everything around me is running at a breakneck speed.
There's a poacher on the land I recognize his hand In the mail He's fogging up the glass The bird is on the last And here he comes Here he comes, oh
There's someone who is trying to invade my territory, and I know it's them because they've left marks everywhere. They keep getting closer, and I can feel it.
No dancing, no dancing, no dancing Not while the wires are showing No dancing, no dancing, no dancing Not while the time is flowing
I am aware of the underlying tensions and the passage of time, so I refuse to dance in a carefree manner when there is so much going on around me.
There's a poacher on the land I recognize his hand In the mail He's fogging up the glass The bird is on the last And here he comes Here he comes, oh
Once again, I am aware of someone trying to infiltrate my space, and I can feel them closing in on me.
No dancing, no dancing, no dancing Not while the time is flowing No dancing, no dancing, no dancing Not while your wires are showing
I refuse to dance when time keeps moving irrevocably forward, and when I can see my inner tensions and conflicts coming to the surface.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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