Following the dissolution of Red House Painters after the tumultuous release of their last album Old Ramon, Kozelek released a handful of solo recordings before forming Sun Kil Moon in 2002. Their debut album, Ghosts of the Great Highway, was written entirely by Kozelek, and released by Jetset Records in 2003. It is an album centered around the theme of memory, connecting Kozelek's haunting memories with the true-life stories of deceased boxers, such as featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez and flyweight Pancho Villa. Kozelek's music with Sun Kil Moon spans genres such as the simple acoustic country-folk of "Glenn Tipton" to the heavy, Crazy Horse-esque rock of "Salvador Sanchez" and the light-hearted "Lily And Parrots," onto the fourteen minute psychedelic tour de force, "Duk Koo Kim" (another homage to a deceased boxer) and the beautiful and haunting "Gentle Moon" and "Carry Me Ohio." Kozelek's voice is now more flexible and less downcast than in his work with Red House Painters, resulting in a resonant and often beautiful album.
The band's follow-up Tiny Cities was released on November 1st 2005 on Kozelek's own Caldo Verde label. The album covers eleven songs by the indie/alternative group Modest Mouse and, in its sparse production and spare instrumentation, is more or less a solo work by Kozelek.
Kozelek is known for covering songs from bands not normally associated to his genre of slow, introspective music. They are more than traditional covers, as they are extensively re-worked and re-interpreted to the point that they are often not recognizable to the originals, and take on a different meaning despite the lyrics remaining intact word-for-word. Kozelek's 2000 solo debut Rock 'n' Roll Singer featured covers of songs by AC/DC and John Denver.
His solo 2001 follow-up, What's Next to the Moon was an entire album of AC/DC songs done in his typically languid, hypnotically melancholy acoustic style. Even further back, Songs For A Blue Guitar, the 1996 Red House Painters album, featured covers of Yes's Long Distance Runaround, Paul McCartney & Wings's Silly Love Songs and The Cars' "All Mixed Up". Tiny Cities is very much in this tradition, taking the often frenetic, noisy songs of Modest Mouse and transforming them into haunting, acoustic guitar-dominated midtempo ballads filled with a deep-seated, haunting melancholy.
I Know It’s Pathetic But That Was The Greatest Night Of My Life
Sun Kil Moon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We shared a cigarette, a kiss goodbye
Her name was Cayenne, so young and soft
Her hands trembled badly, her eyes trailed off
To bottles and objects around the room
My backup guitar, a tray of food
We didn't have very much to say
A town called Troyskirt, maybe Troysworth
I was pretty distracted packing my stuff
But I did make a point to ask her to stay
But she said she had friends that she had to go see
Later that summer I picked up my mail
She sent me a letter with a touching detail
"I used up my minutes calling hotels
To find you that night but to no avail"
"I know it's pathetic," she continued to write,
"But that was the greatest night of my life."
The lyrics of "I Know It’s Pathetic But That Was The Greatest Night Of My Life" by Sun Kil Moon are a reflection on a brief encounter with a woman named Cayenne in Moscow. Mark Kozelek, the lead singer of Sun Kil Moon, wrote this song with his signature stream-of-consciousness style, providing a glimpse into his own emotions and thoughts during this encounter. The song captures the raw emotion of a fleeting moment that left a lasting impression, and the melancholic lyrics and soft instrumentals give it a wistful and nostalgic quality.
The encounter with Cayenne was brief, and they didn't have much to say to one another. Cayenne appeared to be nervous, as her hands were trembling and her eyes were distracted by the objects in the room. Mark Kozelek was busy packing his stuff, but he managed to ask her to stay. However, she declined, saying that she had friends to see. Later on, she sent him a letter, in which she revealed that she had spent all her minutes trying to find him in the hotels but failed to do so. She ended the letter with the line, "I know it's pathetic, but that was the greatest night of my life."
The lyrics of this song are open to interpretation. They may reflect the fleeting nature of life and how even small moments can leave a lasting impression. The song might also be a reflection of the power of music to create meaningful connections between people who may never meet again.
Line by Line Meaning
It was backstage in Moscow late one night
The setting was in the backstage of Moscow during late hours of the night
We shared a cigarette, a kiss goodbye
Two people smoked and kissed each other before parting ways
Her name was Cayenne, so young and soft
The woman's name was Cayenne and she was very young and gentle
Her hands trembled badly, her eyes trailed off
Cayenne appeared nervous as her hands shook and she avoided eye contact
To bottles and objects around the room
Cayenne's gaze was drawn towards the various objects surrounding her, such as bottles and other items
My backup guitar, a tray of food
Among the objects in the room was the singer's backup guitar and a serving tray of food
We didn't have very much to say
The two of them didn't have anything substantial to talk about
She said that she'd come from some other place
Cayenne mentioned that she came from somewhere else
A town called Troyskirt, maybe Troysworth
The name of the town she came from was either Troyskirt or Troysworth, but it was not clear
I was pretty distracted packing my stuff
The artist was busy packing his things and not paying much attention
But I did make a point to ask her to stay
Despite being occupied with packing, he did ask Cayenne to stay
But she said she had friends that she had to go see
Cayenne declined to stay because she had to meet with her friends
Later that summer I picked up my mail
The singer received mail sometime in the summer
She sent me a letter with a touching detail
Cayenne sent a letter to the singer with a personal detail that was moving
"I used up my minutes calling hotels
The letter mentioned that Cayenne tried to locate the singer by using up her phone minutes calling various hotels
To find you that night but to no avail"
However, her efforts were unsuccessful in finding him
"I know it's pathetic," she continued to write,
Cayenne acknowledged that her behavior may have seemed pathetic
"But that was the greatest night of my life."
Despite this, she emphasized how meaningful that night was to her.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind