LC Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 On the heels of my post revisiting "Run Away," I was naturally thinking about "I Can Remember" and comparing the two. Never mind "Tonight" vs. "Ecstasy." With this comparison, you get more than 16 minutes of music. Which one is your preference? How do you pick a favorite between these two? It's an interesting pairing because both are lengthy, ambitious, dramatic, tour-de-force-type productions. They came at different junctions in Eric Carmen's development, yet you can draw a straight line from one to the other. Both are packed with emotion and rawness, and both take you on musical journeys in which you can get lost. "I Can Remember," of course, is a love-lost lament where the singer is looking back on a wrecked relationship. Has anyone summed up the pain of a breakup better than this?: I can remember autumn skies and goodbyes Hurting so badly that I thought I would die. But the more things seem to change The more they stay the same. And the lonely ones get lonelier With every passing day. "Run Away" is the same guy set farther into the future and looking back at the same busted relationship. One difference: Whereas the chorus in "I Can Remember" is focused on the past ("memories, memories..."), the chorus in "Run Away" is taking on the future, reflecting a determination to get past it all... and to win back the romance. In the end, these are both masterworks. And no, it isn't a shocker that the same guy wrote both songs — and also played the hell out of them. In a way, they define Eric's strengths in singular (albeit long) songs: sensitive lyrics, emotional melodies, classical-sounding piano runs, rockin' guitars.... Heck, in the course of 8 minutes, you have time to do all that! So which is my favorite? I waffle greatly. They're so close as to be a dead heat. "Run Away" is more mature and benefits from five years' of experience and growth between Raspberries' debut in 1972 and Boats Against the Current in 1977. But if you put a gun to my head, I think I'd give the edge to "I Can Remember." It's got those three movements that provide drama and tension and release — that's a plus in my book (but not for some, I know). It's also got Wally Bryson's guitar (a major plus) and Jim Bonfanti's drumming (ditto). And it's got the 'berries' backup vocals — they were a well-practiced unit even in 1972. I also think Eric's vocal abilities are on display here as well as on any song he's performed. Is anyone here more decisive than I am in making a choice between the two? Go ahead — take 16 minutes and three seconds and listen to them back-to-back. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 LC, some great analysis there, but, other than the songs being of equal length, it's kind of apples to oranges for me. Runaway, is 8 minutes of, well, Runaway. I Can Remember is 8 minutes of Opus Magnum, with several movements and Grandiose ambitions! I could listen to either one repeatedly and wouldn't get tired of them. Push comes to shove, I'll take ICR. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCT Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 Love both but ICR gets the edge for me, mainly due to vocal quality. The pure beauty of his earlier "choirboy" tone moves me more, and I get upset when I think about him chainsmoking and screaming in stairwells in '77 to deliberately sabotage it. To me they're not about the same relationship. "ICR" has the earmarks of a lost love lament, while "Run Away" seems to be about an intense but unfulfilled desire. [Quote: "Run Away" is the same guy set farther into the future and looking back at the same busted relationship. One difference: Whereas the chorus in "I Can Remember" is focused on the past ("memories, memories..."), the chorus in "Run Away" is taking on the future, reflecting a determination to get past it all... and to win back the romance.] 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raspbernie Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 Wow, another great and thoughtfully written thread, LC. And I also appreciate RCT’s insight. For me, the choice can only be a tie. I love them both too much to choose. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LobsterLvr Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Great topic! First let me say, I love them both, but when asked to choose, I'm going with ICR. For me, it comes down to the lyrics. I've always loved ICR's lines "...the love long locked inside of me has finally been set free." and "I need you to be the other half of me." On the other hand most of the lyrics in Run Away try too hard to be thoughtful and deep, and then are totally un-done by what I think are Eric's worst cringe-worthy words ever " Got to run away, till I prove that I'm a man....to be the best I know I can." So in the battle of the opus's, my vote goes to ICR! Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Traditionally I've chosen ICR as Eric's best or 2nd best song, I think. But today "Runaway" wins, probably nudged by LC'S putting it out in front if us to ponder again. An underappreciated masterpiece that always plays 3rd or 4th fiddle to Boats, LIATM, She Did and even NTH. Runaway, in the end, might be the best of that album's lot, and even the best of his catalog. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 Ah, I like the support for "Run Away." Good point that it gets overshadowed by the four songs on "Boats" you cited — and that's without even mentioning "I Think I Found Myself." It was in amazing company, and being 8 minutes, we may overlook it... but it really is a masterpiece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew C. Clark Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 "I Can Remember" over "Run Away"!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda B Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I love these new EC song topics introduced by LC, because I think we all love talking about Eric's music obviously. No shocker, if you've ever read my previous posts on Eric, but my favourite of the two is "I Can Remember." I always think his piano compositions and his piano performances are underrated. His ballads, to me, are superior to most of his generation. And these lyrics: But the more things seem to change The more they stay the same. And the lonely ones get lonelier With every passing day. These special lyrics are the ones that I think of when I think of the song.. so very identifiable. I agree with RCT regarding his strong vocal performance in this song. I read also about the extreme measures he went to, to get the raspy effect to his voice. How unfortunate that he lost that unique quality to his vocals and the consequences are probably that he can no longer sing these songs. LC said: "In the end, these are both masterworks. And no, it isn't a shocker that the same guy wrote both songs." Yes, two different songs written by the same person but both contain those unique Eric Carmen qualities. So, "I Can Remember" wins with more than an edge for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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