Travis - Selfish Jean | Single & Video Review
I’m very late on reviewing this single by Travis, as it actually came out 3 weeks ago on the 9th July. I have got an excuse, as this is a young blog, and I’m trying to strike a balance between songs released in the last few months and brand new upcoming stuff. I’m sure you all understand? And if not, well bite me.
I love this track and even more so the video, and think it’s one of the best things Travis have done for a good few years. I don’t know if they’ll ever repeat the critical and massive sales success they achieved with their classic album ‘The Man Who’, but they still have it, as this song proves.
I’ll actually talk about the video first, as it’s probably the most striking thing out of the two. It’s a simple concept which works brilliantly, and I give credit to whoever decided to give comedian Demetri Martin a free reign to make his mark on the video. I mean, all he does is wear loads of t-shirts and strip them off one at a time, at the appropriate moments through the song. But it works.
It instantly reminded me of the classic Bob Dylan video for ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’, in which a young Bob is filmed holding signs which imitate the lyrics. I suspect even Demetri would admit to getting inspiration from Dylan, I mean who hasn’t been influenced to some extent by him?
The song itself is very strong, with a heavy drum beat and a great pop sensibility which has you nodding your head or tapping your foot the instant it starts. Written by Fran Healy and using a sample from Iggy Pop’s ‘Lust For Life’, the song is classic Travis. Even if you didn’t know the title, you could tell it was the Scottish band on first listen, especially with Fran’s distinctive voice crooning at you throughout.
I’ll admit to being a bit confused by the lyrics, not sure whether it’s referring to someone called Jean who is selfish, or rather referring to ‘The Selfish Gene’, a book by British atheist Richard Dawkins. The book is about gene centered evolution and states that we evolve and adapt primarily by survival of the fittest. If it’s the latter then Fran Healy is slightly more intelligent than your average Indie band member.
A bit of trivia for you is that this song uses a lot of the same lyrics and basic premise as ‘Standing On My Own’, a 1997 Travis B-side.
I really like this song, and the direction Travis seem to be heading in on their comeback. I’ve yet to hear the full album ‘The Boy With No Name’ but if it carries on in this mould, then I think the 3 years Travis spent away from the limelight did them the power of good.
Tags: Bob-Dylan, Demetri-Martin, evolution, Fran-healy, Iggy-Pop, Lust-for-life, Richard-Dawkins, Selfish-Jean, The-man-Who, The-Selfish-Gene, Travis, YouTube
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