El Camino
"El Camino" is a song from the 1990 album GodWeenSatan: The Oneness.
Song Details[edit | edit source]
Recording and Composition[edit | edit source]
"El Camino" is a Latin/alternative rock song with psychedelic rock and flamenco elements. It revolves around two chords, E and Fmaj7#11.
The lead vocals are by Gene Ween. Guitar is played by Dean Ween. Like most of the songs on GodWeenSatan, the drums are played by Dean Ween and the bass is played by Andrew Weiss.
The "one pill makes you larger" verse is a quote from the lyrics of the Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit".
Live Performances[edit | edit source]
Played live as early as 1989, "El Camino" was a fairly common inclusion in live sets throughout the 90s and up to about 2001. Since then, it has been somewhat less common but has remained an occasional inclusion.[1] In addition, Gene Ween played the song a few times at solo acoustic shows in 2009 and 2010.[2]
A 12/9/1992 recording is heard on the At the Cat's Cradle album, and a 9/14/2001 recording was released on GodWeenSatan: Live.
Live Spoken Intro[edit | edit source]
[From Live at Pranzatelli’s]
- Dean: This is a song called El Camino. About all them Spanish cars you see on the highway.
[From April 18th, 1989]
- Gene: Y'know mang, when I'm cruising round the street, I see some heavy babeage. I say to myself-
- Dean: Show 'em your belly, papa Gener!
- Gene: No mang. Listen dude, I say to myself, I needs me an El Camino. And you know? They are like no other machine.
Lyrics[edit | edit source]
Official lyrics, handwritten by Dean Ween, were printed in the GodWeenSatan liner notes:
El Camino, blazing down the road
El Camino, fast never slow
El Camino, conquest of th' night
El Camino, Aztec machine speeding to the light
Toronado, concienda il ma pweeb
Toronado, she rules the laws of speed
Toronado, she's a bull of a machine
Toronado, beauty like I've never seen
Cordoba, hot siesta at high noon
Cordoba, she takes me to the moon
Cordoba, estiende ma chi esta que
Cordoba, el puentes masto mehta
Cuando cuando, cuando cuando, cuando cuando...[3]
Song Themes[edit | edit source]
Alcohol/Drugs, Screaming, Spanish, Sung by Gene Ween, Tape Speed Manipulation
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ https://brownbase.org/every_time_played.php?band=all%20bands&song_id=49
- ↑ https://brownbase.org/every_time_played.php?band=all%20bands&song_id=49
- ↑ From the GodWeenSatan liner notes; lightly edited for clarity.