Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known musicians, including Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. His best-known compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Johnny Strikes Up The Band," all of which are featured on his third album, Excitable Boy (1978). Other well-known songs written by Zevon have been recorded by other artists, including "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (a top 40 hit by Linda Ronstadt), "Accidentally Like a Martyr," "Mohammed's Radio", "Carmelita", and "Hasten Down the Wind".
Along with his own compositions, Zevon recorded or performed occasional covers, including Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan". He was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman later performed guest vocals on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)" with Paul Shaffer and members of the CBS Orchestra.
He was born to a Russian Jewish father and a Mormon mother and soon moved to California. At the age of 12/13, Warren Zevon was a regular visitor to the home of Igor Stravinsky where he, along with Robert Craft, would study music.
He turned to a musical career early, including a stretch as part of a Sonny and Cher-type male/female duo called Lyme and Cybelle, and spent time as a session musician (notably as piano player for the Everly Brothers) and jingle composer. He wrote several songs for his White Whale label-mates the Turtles, though his participation in their recording is unknown. Another early composition ("She Quit Me") was included in the soundtrack for Midnight Cowboy, released in 1969. His first attempt at a solo album, Wanted Dead or Alive (1969), did not fare well, and his second effort, Leaf in the Wind, was scrapped (though release was considered just prior to his death). In the early 70s he toured regularly with the Everly Brothers as keyboard player and band leader/musical coordinator. His dissatisfaction with his career and the opportunities for a song-writer led him to move to Spain briefly, where he played in a small bar owned by a former mercenary. Together, they penned Zevon's classic "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
In the mid-70s he moved to Los Angeles, and became associated with the then-burgeoning West coast music scene, including collaborations with Jackson Browne, who would produce and promote Zevon's self-titled major-label debut in 1976, The Eagles, who appeared on that first album, and Linda Ronstadt, who would record several early Zevon songs including a hit version of "Poor Poor Pitiful Me". Zevon's first tour in 1977 included guest appearances in the middle of Jackson Browne concerts.
In 1978 Zevon released his breakthrough album, Excitable Boy, to critical acclaim and popular success. Several tracks from this album received heavy FM airplay and the single release "Werewolves of London", which featured a relatively lighthearted version of Zevon's signature macabre outlook, was a top-ten hit.
For the next 20 years Zevon would continue to record and release albums sporadically and with varying levels of success, while fighting personal demons including an acknowledged battle with alcoholism and drugs. (His fourth album, Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School is dedicated to novelist Ross Macdonald, who crucially assisted Zevon during a particularly difficult episode in 1979.) Apparently success did not treat Zevon well, as evidenced by his movements (living on Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square, etc.), well-documented stints in rehab, and withdrawal from the spotlight. After the release of The Envoy in 1982, Zevon effectively quit his career as a full-time occupation, appearing rarely and usually solo, without a band. He also collaborated with several members of R.E.M. to record as the Hindu Love Gods in 1990, though initial collaboration occurred during his "lost period" in 1984.
In 1987 Zevon made a comeback with a modest hit album Sentimental Hygiene, which featured collaborations with Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and members of R.E.M., among others including long-time collaborators Jorge Calderone and Waddy Wachtel. The follow-up album, Transverse City in 1989 also featured guests, including Jerry Garcia and David Gilmour. The tradition of collaborations with more famous musical talents was consistent throughout his career, from the appearance of Jackson Browne and The Eagles on his first album, to Bruce Springsteen on his last.
Zevon toured the US regularly during the 90s, often alone, with minimal accompaniment. He did conduct a tour with Odds, a band from Vancouver, Canada. Many tours started in Colorado to allow Warren an opportunity to visit with his long-time friend, Hunter S. Thompson. Warren was close to several prominent writers who also collaborated on song-writing, including Carl Hiassen. He also served as musical coordinator for an ad-hoc group called the Rock Bottom Remainders, a collection of writers performing rock and roll standards at book fairs and other events. This group included Stephen King, Dave Barry, and other popular writers.
In interviews, Zevon described a lifelong phobia of doctors and seldom received medical assessment. In 2002, after a long period of untreated illness and pain, Zevon was encouraged by his dentist to see a doctor; when he did so he was diagnosed with inoperable mesothelioma (a form of lung cancer associated with exposure to asbestos rather than smoking). He then began recording his final album, The Wind, with guest appearances from close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty and others.
On October 30, 2002, Zevon was featured on the Late Show with David Letterman as the only guest for the entire hour. Zevon performed several songs and spoke at length about his illness. Zevon was a frequent guest and occasional substitute bandleader on Letterman's television shows since Late Night first aired in 1982. It was this show where Zevon offered his insight on facing death: "enjoy every sandwich."
Zevon previously stated that his illness was expected to be terminal within months after the diagnosis in the Fall of 2002; however he lived to see the birth of twin grandsons in June of 2003 and the release of The Wind on August 28, 2003. When his diagnosis became public, he told the media that he just hoped to live long enough to see the next James Bond movie, a goal he also accomplished. Appropriately, the film was called Die Another Day.
Zevon died at his home in Los Angeles, California, on September 7, 2003. The Wind was certified gold by the RIAA in December of 2003 and Zevon received 5 posthumous Grammy nominations, including Song Of The Year for "Keep Me In Your Heart".
A tribute album titled Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon was released October 19, 2004. His son, Jordan Zevon, did a large part of the work on the album and performed "Studebaker," a previously unreleased composition. A second tribute album, titled Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon (the lyrics "hurry home early" are from the song "Boom Boom Mancini," on Sentimental Hygiene) was released by Wampus Multimedia on July 8, 2005.
On February 14, 2006, VH1 Classic premiered a video from a new compilation, "Reconsider Me: The Love Songs of Warren Zevon." The video, titled "She's Too Good For Me," aired every hour on the hour throughout the day. The video was not well received among many of Zevon's fans, as evidenced by their responses on the official Bulletin Board.
Genius
Warren Zevon Lyrics
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Guess what---I'm stirring it with a monkey's paw
Since I saw you coming out of my barber's shop
In that skimpy little halter top
Did you light the candles? Did you put on "Kind of Blue"?
Did you use that Ivy Leaage voodoo on him, too?
He thinks he'll be alright but he doesn't know for sure
Mata Hari had a house in France
Where she worked on all her secret plans
Men were falling for her sight unseen
She was a genius
There's a face in every window of the Songwriter's Neighborhood
Everybody's your best friend whey you're doing well--I mean good
The poet who lived next door when you were young and poor
Grew up to be a backstabbing entrepreneur
Albert Einstein was a ladies' man
While he was working on his universal plan
He was making out like Charlie Sheen
He was a genius
When you dropped me and you staked your claim
On a V.I.P. who could make your name
You latched on to him and I became
A minor inconvenience
Your protege don't care about art
I'm the one who always told you you were smart
You broke my heart into smithereens
And that took genius
You and the barber make a handsome pair
Guess what---I never liked the way he cut your hair
I didn't like the way he turned your head
But there's nothing I can do or say I haven't done or said
Everybody needs a place to stand
And a method for their schemes and scams
If I could only get my record clean
I'd be a genius
Warren Zevon’s “Genius” is a song about the nature of genius and the complex, often self-destructive personalities that come with it. The lyrics contain references to several historical figures, from the WWI spy Mata Hari to Albert Einstein. However, the song's primary focus is on a failed relationship between the singer and a woman who left him for someone who could make her famous. The singer is left feeling hurt and isolated, struggling to find his place in the world.
The song’s opening lines speak to the singer’s bitterness and sense of alienation. He’s got a “bitter pot” of emotions he can’t define (“je ne sais quoi”), and he’s stirring it with a monkey’s paw, a symbol of bad luck and dark magic. He’s angry at the woman who left him (who he saw coming out of a barber’s shop in a “skimpy little halter top”) and jealous of the man she left him for. The lyrics evoke a sense of simmering resentment, a feeling that the singer can’t quite shake.
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on other geniuses throughout history, from Mata Hari to Albert Einstein. These figures become symbols of the price of genius: isolation, betrayal, and disillusionment. The singer sees himself as a failed genius, someone who has yet to find a place to stand or a method for his own “schemes and scams.” The song ends on a bleak note, with the singer feeling trapped and alone.
Overall, “Genius” is a powerful exploration of the downside of creativity and the ways in which it can lead to personal turmoil and heartbreak. The lyrics are filled with wit and historical references, making it a fascinating study of the strange and often tragic nature of genius.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a bitter pot of je ne sais quoi
I have a mix of indescribable feelings that are unpleasant
Guess what---I'm stirring it with a monkey's paw
I'm exacerbating the situation by introducing something that's considered bad luck
Since I saw you coming out of my barber's shop
Since I saw you with another man
In that skimpy little halter top
Wearing clothes that reveal a lot of skin
Did you light the candles? Did you put on "Kind of Blue"?
Did you try to create a romantic setting?
Did you use that Ivy League voodoo on him, too?
Did you use your education to manipulate him?
He thinks he'll be alright but he doesn't know for sure
He may not be aware of the negative consequences of his actions
Like every other unindicted coconspirator
Like someone who is guilty but not yet charged with a crime
Mata Hari had a house in France
Mata Hari was a famous spy
Where she worked on all her secret plans
Where she planned and executed her espionage activities
Men were falling for her sight unseen
Men were attracted to her without having met her in person
She was a genius
She was able to use her intelligence and charm to deceive others
There's a face in every window of the Songwriter's Neighborhood
People are watching and judging you when you're in the public eye
Everybody's your best friend whey you're doing well--I mean good
People are more likely to be friendly when you're successful
The poet who lived next door when you were young and poor
Someone who was your neighbor when you were struggling
Grew up to be a backstabbing entrepreneur
Turned out to be someone who betrayed you for their own gain
Albert Einstein was a ladies' man
Albert Einstein was popular with women
While he was working on his universal plan
While he was developing his theories
He was making out like Charlie Sheen
He was attracting a lot of attention
He was a genius
He was a brilliant scientist
When you dropped me and you staked your claim
When you broke up with me to pursue someone else
On a V.I.P. who could make your name
On someone who could help advance your career
You latched on to him and I became
You attached yourself to him and I became
A minor inconvenience
Someone who was no longer important to you
Your protege don't care about art
The person you mentor is not interested in art
I'm the one who always told you you were smart
I was the one who encouraged and supported you
You broke my heart into smithereens
You hurt me very badly
And that took genius
It took a lot of effort to cause such pain
You and the barber make a handsome pair
You and the other man look good together
Guess what---I never liked the way he cut your hair
I never approved of your relationship with him
I didn't like the way he turned your head
I didn't like the way he influenced you
But there's nothing I can do or say I haven't done or said
I have no power to change the situation
Everybody needs a place to stand
Everyone needs a sense of stability and security
And a method for their schemes and scams
And a plan for their deceptions and frauds
If I could only get my record clean
If I could only have a clean slate
I'd be a genius
I would be very successful
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KLEIN, ZEVON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind