The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is an American garage rock band, which was … Read Full Bio ↴The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is an American garage rock band, which was formed in New York in 1990. Singer Jon Spencer was previously the leader of the noise punk band Pussy Galore before hooking up with Judah Bauer (guitar) and Russell Simins (drums) to form the Blues Explosion, a band that was part of the 1990s alternative rock boom. This bass-less combo had their breakthrough in 1993 with the album "Extra Width" on Crypt Records. In 1994 "Orange", a more accessible album followed along with a growing base of fans.

1996 they released an album which is regarded as their masterpiece, "Now I Got Worry". An unwieldy mess of an album, Now I Got Worry, starts with a series of piercing screams and never stops confounding until the end. Featuring the legendary Rufus Thomas howling and barking on Chicken Dog, and The Dub Narcotic Sound System on Fuck Shit Up, Now I Got Worry was a glorious celebration of what an open mind(s) could do with white trash rock and roll.

Touring endlessly, JSBX gained a small but enthusiastic global audience. Subsequent albums were "Acme" (1998), "Xtra Acme USA" (1999), "Plastic Fang" (2002), "Damage" (2004) and the earlier "Crypt Style" (1992) and "Jon Spencer Blues Explosion" (1992).

Jon Spencer as well as the other members of the band had several side-projects. They recorded an album together with The Dub Narcotic Sound System. Jon Spencer played together with R.L. Burnside ("A Ass Pocket Of Whiskey"), David Holmes ("Bow Down to the Exit Sign"), The Honeymoon Killers ("Hung Far Low") and other artists. He is also a member of Boss Hog, along with his wife Cristina Martinez. Together with Matt Verta-Ray of Speedball Baby Spencer formed a rockabilly revival band called Heavy Trash which has released three albums. The band has also been associated in various ways with The Beastie Boys, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and others.

On the Blues Explosion's album "Damage" (2004) they left out the "Jon Spencer" prefix of the band's name to show that they are a genuine band.

Flavor
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Lyrics

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Back to love the minds
Cries Below
Cries Above
You must pick a side
Will you choose fear
Will you choose love

[Chorus:]

What does it look like
This orbital ball
From the fringes of the milky way
What does it feel like
This orbital ball
On The fringes of the milky way
Raining fla.fla... flavor
I've seen fla.fla... flavor, flavor, love

Who's God then is God
They all want jur.jurisdiction
In the book of Eris
Who's God spread fear
Spread love

[Chorus:]
What does it look like
This orbital ball
From the fringes of the milky way
What does it feel like
This orbital ball
On The fringes of the milky way
Raining fla.fla... flavor
I've seen fla.fla... flavor, flavor, love

Try not to breath when seen

What does it look like
This orbital ball
From the fringes of the milky way
What does it feel like
This orbital ball
On The fringes of the milky way
Raining fla.fla... flavor
I've seen fla.fla... flavor

Spread that fla.fla... flavor
Flavor

Flavor
Flavor

Overall Meaning

The song "Flavor" by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is full of thought-provoking and mysterious lyrics. The opening lines, "Back to love the minds, cries below, cries above. You must pick a side, will you choose fear, will you choose love" suggest an internal conflict between fear and love, with the idea that one must consciously choose which side to embrace. This could be interpreted as a larger societal commentary on the current state of the world and the need to choose love over fear.

The chorus poses questions about the nature of the universe and our place within it, "What does it look like, this orbital ball, from the fringes of the Milky Way? What does it feel like, this orbital ball, on the fringes of the Milky Way?" The repeated line "raining fla.fla... flavor" adds a sense of mystery and intrigue to the song, leaving the listener to ponder its meaning.

The later lines "Who's God then is God, they all want jur.jurisdiction, in the book of Eris, who's God spread fear, spread love" suggests a questioning of organized religion and the power struggles inherent within it. The final repetition of "spread that fla.fla... flavor, flavor, flavor" could be interpreted as a call to action to spread love and positivity in the world.

Overall, the lyrics to "Flavor" leave a lot of room for interpretation, but they suggest a need for individuals to choose love over fear and to question the larger systems of power in the world.

Line by Line Meaning

Back to love the minds
Returning to a mindset of love

Cries Below
Emotional pain someone is experiencing inside

Cries Above
External expression of the emotional pain someone is experiencing

You must pick a side
A choice must be made between fear and love

Will you choose fear
Will you let fear control your decisions and actions

Will you choose love
Will you let love guide your decisions and actions

What does it look like
What visually can be seen

This orbital ball
The Earth

From the fringes of the milky way
From the outer edges of our galaxy

What does it feel like
What is the emotional experience like

Raining fla.fla... flavor
Feeling of being overwhelmed by intense emotions

I've seen fla.fla... flavor, flavor, love
Experiencing and embracing emotions of love

Who's God then is God
Everyone has their own idea of who God is

They all want jur.jurisdiction
Everyone wants to be in control

In the book of Eris
Chaos and Discordianism

Who's God spread fear
When religion is used to manipulate and control others

Spread love
Using the idea of a higher power to promote love and kindness

Try not to breath when seen
Emphasizing the overwhelming experience of intense emotions

Spread that fla.fla... flavor
Encouraging others to embrace and spread love and intense emotions

Flavor
Intense emotional experience

Writer(s): Beck Hansen, Russell P. Simins, Jon Spencer, Judah B. Bauer Copyright: Rough Trade Publishing Ltd., Rzo Music Inc. O.B.O. Dirty Shirt Music

Contributed by Lincoln Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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