I Can't Put My Finger on It
| "I Can't Put My Finger on It" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Ween | ||||
| from the album Chocolate and Cheese | ||||
| B-side | "A Tear for Eddie"/"Now I'm Freaking Out"/"Bakersfield" | |||
| Released | July 1994 | |||
| Recorded | c. Fall 1993–Spring 1994 | |||
| Length | 2:46 | |||
| Label | Elektra Records | |||
| Ween singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"I Can't Put My Finger on It" is a song by Ween from the 1994 album Chocolate and Cheese.
Song Details[edit | edit source]
Recording and Composition[edit | edit source]
"I Can't Put My Finger on It" is in the key of D minor, though for live performances the song is transposed down to C# minor.
The lead vocal is sung by Gene Ween. Deaner has stated that the vocal is sung in the style of a "guy working behind a counter at a falafel shop."[1] The idea for the song, and the title vocal refrain, were conceived by Dean Ween, and then the rest of the song was written by Gene Ween.[2]
Live Performances[edit | edit source]
Many live performances of the song feature an extended intro where Gener would improvise in faux-Hebrew chanting, which Gener has said was imitative of a Jewish cantor. He has said it is like "speaking in tongues" and comes naturally to him due to his Jewish upbringing.[3] An instance of this, from their European tour in late 1997, can be heard on the album Paintin' the Town Brown.
Ween performed this song on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on January 18, 1995.[4]
In addition, "I Can't Put My Finger on It" was played by the Gene Ween Band in 2015.
Video[edit | edit source]
The official video was directed by Chris Applebaum. The concept for the video was conceived by Gene and Dean Ween. The falafel shop scenes were filmed at the now-defunct Mohamed's Falafel Star, located on 8th Street and Avenue A in New York City's East Village. The shop's owner, Mohamed, appears in the video with his brother. The beach scenes were filmed at Coney Island. Deaner has called it the best Ween video, and Applebaum has also called it his own personal best video.[5]
Single Release[edit | edit source]
The 1994 CD single also contains the album track "A Tear for Eddie," and two non-album B-sides: "Now I'm Freaking Out", and "Bakersfield".
Lyrics[edit | edit source]
Official lyrics were printed in the Chocolate and Cheese liner notes:
Is it alive, does it writhe
Can it survive under the sun?
I can't put my finger on it
Is it green, is it red
Is it alive, or is it dead?
I can't put my finger on it
Scathe with a lathe
All the days in the past
I can't put my finger on it
Is it brown, is it white
Is it really out of sight?
I can't put my finger on it
Can it squeal, does it squirm
If it's fresh, will it burn?
I can't put my finger on it
Can it fly, will it try
If the wings are still wet?
I can't put my finger on it
Can it heal, is it real
Can it feel the threads of time?
I can't put my finger on it
Does it glow, will it shine
Does it leave a trail of slime
I can't put my finger on it
Are you surprised when I touch the dwarf inside?[6]
Song Themes[edit | edit source]
Brown, Judaism, Sung by Gene Ween
Credits[edit | edit source]
- Gene Ween: Vocals
- Dean Ween: Guitar
- Andrew Weiss: Bass
- Claude Coleman: Drums
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ H. Shteamer, Chocolate and Cheese, p.110
- ↑ H. Shteamer, Chocolate and Cheese, p.110
- ↑ WTF Podcast - Aaron Freeman Time=16:40
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIX7WD-MiLQ
- ↑ H. Shteamer, Chocolate and Cheese, p.110–113
- ↑ From the Chocolate and Cheese liner notes.