Yum-Yum was signed by Atlantic's short-lived Tag Records imprint in late 1995. The Yum-Yum album, 1996's Dan Loves Patti, was recorded with Chicago mainstay David Trumfio (the Pulsars) at the controls, and was the object of an enormous promotional blitz upon its spring 1996 release. Fewer than 10,000 copies sold; Holmes was dropped by Atlantic and Yum-Yum dissolved. Holmes then jumped on the techno bandwagon, forming the electronica act Ashtar Command. Normally, the story would have ended right there, but in March 1998, Holmes' childhood friend and former roommate Thomas Frank wrote a ten-page article about Yum-Yum for Harper's Magazine, in which Holmes claimed that Yum-Yum was meant as both an ironic joke and a deliberate attempt to create a subtly mocking commercial powerhouse. (This would be a misguided attempt if true; chamber pop never did fly off the shelves.) Now, if Holmes had created a tricky, discursive parody of the Backstreet Boys.... This after-the-fact revisionism didn't catch on, as many other folks related to the project disputed the idea that Holmes was anything but sincere in his wish to make the big time, but the fact remains that Yum-Yum, no matter what the intention, was never destined to be anything more than a pleasant footnote to a quickly forgotten subgenre of mid-'90s indie pop.
sister
Yum-Yum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you're beautiful and that you're sick
That you're an addict politely struggling to fit
You've got the power there so how come you can't find it
How many tragic accidents did it take
For you to burry every fiber of your faith
How many tragic accidents did it take
What can i give to you that could counter
The offers you took in sister
And if i could change everything
Would it be enough to change your mind
And let your tears fall down
Let your tears fall down like they need to sister
You're living you life on somebody elses clock
And you realize it's stealing every second that you've got
And you think that your smile is convincing
But it's not
How many tragic accidents did it take
To burry every fiber of your faith
What can i give to you that could counter
The offers you took in sister
And if i could change everything
Would it be enough to change your mind
And let your tears fall down
Let your tears fall down like they need to sister
Let your tears fall down
Cuz they'll soothe you
Sister how come you won't admit
You've got the power there so how come you can't find it?
The lyrics of "Sister" by Yum-Yum are a plea to a loved one who is struggling with addiction and self-doubt. The singer of the song is begging their sister to acknowledge that she is sick and in need of help, despite her attempts to seem functional. The use of the phrase "politely struggling to fit" highlights the facade that people often put up when they are trying to hide their problems. The singer also acknowledges that their sister has the power to overcome her addiction, but needs to recognize it first.
The chorus of the song asks how many "tragic accidents" it took for the sister to lose her faith and bury her true self. This could refer to actual accidents or metaphorical ones, such as instances of trauma or loss that have caused the sister to turn to addiction as a coping mechanism. The singer is trying to remind her sister that she is still beautiful and worthy of love, and that her addiction does not define her.
Overall, the song is a poignant and heartfelt plea for a loved one to accept help and acknowledge their worthiness, despite their struggles. The use of the word "sister" gives the lyrics a sense of familial love and loyalty, which heightens the emotion of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Sister how come you won't admit
Why won't you acknowledge, my dear sister
That you're beautiful and that you're sick
That you're both beautiful and unwell
That you're an addict politely struggling to fit
You're an addicted person trying to fit in gracefully
You've got the power there so how come you can't find it
You possess power, why can't you locate it?
How many tragic accidents did it take
What number of unpleasant events occurred?
For you to burry every fiber of your faith
For you to hide every aspect of your belief
What can i give to you that could counter
What can I impart that could oppose
The offers you took in sister
The offers you agreed to, sister
And if i could change everything
And if I could transform everything
Would it be enough to change your mind
Would it suffice to alter your thoughts?
And let your tears fall down
Let your tears trickle down
Let your tears fall down like they need to sister
Let them pour freely how they're meant to, sister
You're living you life on somebody elses clock
You're living your life according to someone else's timing
And you realize it's stealing every second that you've got
You comprehend that it's consuming every second of your life
And you think that your smile is convincing
You believe that your smile is convincing
But it's not
However, it's not
Cuz they'll soothe you
For they'll comfort you
Sister how come you won't admit
Why won't you acknowledge, my dear sister
You've got the power there so how come you can't find it?
You possess power, why can't you locate it?
Contributed by Evan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Swingman 56
I've got this 78,also. Many veteran recording artists,by this time, had a few rock'n roll inspired discs under their belts.
hebneh
I also used to have a 78 of this, which I got back in the 1970s. I have no idea where it went, but since I can listen to it on YouTube, that's no longer a concern.
Cornell Waters
🌾 Music!