In an interview with Grantland's Steven Hyden, Adams was surprisingly open and honest. He said things I've never heard him talk about regarding why he made "Wonderwall."
“'Wonderwall'” always belonged on Love Is Hell," Adams explained, "and it always belonged in that style, because it said something in the middle of that record that needed to be said, and it actually needed to be said in that context because that record was about a time that I spent between New York and London, and it was about losing someone that I loved very much and then falling in love with someone else while I was on a lot of drugs. [I was] taking pills and drinking and stuff, and sort of staying in this daydream to nullify a huge amount of psychological pain associated with losing someone that passed away.
Adams continued, "So 'Wonderwall,' I always loved that song. And I used to say to this person — this person that I fell in love with after I had lost someone sometime while I was living over in London — I used to say that song is so much sadder than anybody realizes. The conversation was this joke conversation that was basically me and this woman who was very much a Blur fan, and me being such an Oasis fan. She was there for that big Oasis vs. Blur thing, so by including “Wonderwall” on the record, it was commentary — a very private commentary — and probably meaningless to other people unless they could find a thread in that record to see what I’m saying.
That song is like in a movie when there’s a montage showing the past that’s not directly related to the arc of the film, it’s diverging for a second to humanize the character."
That's some heavy shit! And actually somewhat crazy because **TANGENT ALERT years ago I was working on a screenplay where a teenager witnesses his parents get murdered and then kills the intruder with the gun used to kill his parents. That's the first scene and something I wrote because I had a crazy dream that night of the exact same thing. Anyways, the second scene...hold on let me see if I can actually find it on Google Docs...I found it!
INT. BATHROOM. MORNING
The tall boy blankly stares through the mirror as he adjusts his black tie. He is wearing a black suit, black tie, and a white shirt. He never blinks nor moves, emotionless. "Wonderwall" by Ryan Adams begins to play (0:00-0:09).
EXT. GRAVEYARD. Morning
"Wonderwall" continues to play for this scene. A vast graveyard encapsulates the area which is surrounded by hundreds of people. ZOOM IN from a far distance of the crowd to see the tall boy standing alone in front of two caskets while the crowd stands behind him. A priest is speaking about the lives that each person lived. "Wonderwall" is softened (0:35) as some of the words are heard by the priest.
PRIEST
He saved lives and changed the way people looked at the world.
"Wonderwall" comes back (0:40) as the only thing to be heard. The priest continues to speak but nothing is heard from him. The boy continues to blankly stare into the closed caskets. People in the background weep and mourn. "Wonderwall" says, "And all the roads that lead us there are winding..." The music softens as the priest speaks.
PRIEST
And Grace...she took the road less traveled.
"Wonderwall" says, "And all the lights that lead the way are blinding..." The music softens as the priest speaks.
PRIEST
And God paved the path to righteousness and humility for her.
CLOSER SHOT on the tall boy as "Wonderwall" says, "There are many things that I would like to say to you but I don't know how." The music softens as the priest speaks.
PRIEST
We can no longer thank them for the lives they lead, but honor them by following in their footsteps.
The priest bows his head as he puts his hands over the caskets to bless them. Nothing is heard except "Wonderwall." After the priest blesses the caskets, the scene is put into hyperspeed. The guests move around, some the tall boy's age, others older, hugging each other, crying. The priest looks to the tall boy with compassion and then exits the scene. The guests begin to disperse. No one comes near the tall boy as he stares into the caskets. The tall boy and the caskets are the only things that move in normal motion. The caskets slowly descend into the earth. The boy continues to stare. He never moves the entire scene. Scene ends when "Wonderwall" ends.
So there you have it! I really need to finish that screenplay...** TANGENT OVER
So I thought of this because of that last quote by Adams where he said when referring to "Wonderwall,"
"That song is like in a movie when there’s a montage showing the past that’s not directly related to the arc of the film, it’s diverging for a second to humanize the character."
A little weird.
BACK TO RYAN ADAMS AND T SWIZZLE, Adams also spoke to Hyden about Swift's album, "These songs are incredible," he told Hyden, "You break them down from what they are to this raw element, and they’re just super powerful and they can tear you up. They’re very vulnerable and brave and all the stuff I love about Hüsker Dü or Bob Mould’s records. It’s the same thing to me. It’s about sharing who you are and where you are in your life in a very vulnerable way. And it was cool to find that in these songs."
Adams continued, "But when you break a song down to what it is, to its bones — the emotional structure, the way the words are, the cycles in the song — there’s usually a blueprint there, a fingerprint. Like, the DNA of the song usually tells the story of the writer. I played a few of them on acoustic guitar for the guys before we wanted to cut them, just to find the core of them. And you start playing them and I’m watching my grown-ass men dork friends get a little teary, and I’m feeling the same way. That’s totally awesome. That’s exactly what you want."
"Style" has that rock like "Love is Hell" sound:
