Added: 5 years ago
From: HiattHouse
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  • Smashing a cheap new guitar is perfectly fine....to do it to a classic piece of history is insanity and I dont think it is ever done.

  • Jeff Beck NEVER smashed his guitar on stage.............

  • this is probably one of the saddest songs I've ever heard

  • This is better then good!

  • Hiatt forever!

    

  • One of those songs you hear once and instantly have in your head. WHERE DID AL THE GOOD SONGWRITERS GO?!?!

  • Another great Hiatt tune.

  • I love this song

  • I remember when this song first came out...very slinky cool groove. loved it!

  • i was going through a box of old pictures and found this song written down on a small piece of paper!!! This song was my husband's favorite song way back when... Brings back a lot of nice memories......

  • Someone should play this at every Obama Rally, considering what he's doing to the folks at Gibson...

  • For Rhenna in Puget Sound, The guy from Wyoming you met in Petersburg AK.

  • whos that ball head sucker on the geetar?

  • @powerkor that dude has got mad charisma 

  • I dont think I care about the guitar smashin as much as hollywood car crashin tho...costs a fuckin fortune to get a car....then dan akroyd smashes 200 in one Blues Brothers movie? now thats painful! lol

  • Great song, from a great tunesmith!!!

  • I don't like every one of John's songs, but the best of them are some of my very favorites!

  • Smash my guitar- I smash your face AND take your wallet!

  • Fuck with my guitar- I smash your face.

  • My xhusband stomped my guitar,thanks john,he only sees stars,among other things

  • @imamcallen you should have made him see stars,unless it was junky ayyway

  • just saw him at the Radisson, Sacramento. He is awesome and I'm almost 60 years old. I will buy his stuff.

  • is that guy playing that gold top gibson or gretch,or what ever it is up stageing or what? i love it when some body is that good that they can say kiss my ass on stage and get away with it.

  • Baldy looks like the guy from the Wallflowers..is it? What ever happened to them any way?

  • that bald dude is owning it,just ask him

  • 16 people smashed a perfectly good guitar

  • Always come back to your tunes ... Mr. Hiatt has a way of making the hurt feel less....painfull...

  • 17 perfectly good guitars...

  • the vid from austin city limits is much better, and a real live performance.

  • this does not appear to be a live video. this looks like a staged promo vid from the record co

  • lol.. the lyrics are 'they all got wet when he smashed that thing', referring to the women, just noticed..

  • I used to turn it up on the radio in the beinning and it would scare me everytime! Great song!

  • I love it the white guy does hendrix trixs and does not smash it

  • I miss all the old songs whose names I can't remember anymore.

  • Music for my ears .

  • I've always wondered if I was some distant relative of this guy... I mean everyone in my family plays music, we share a last name... idk. Just always a nice hope to have.

  • One of the best from one of America's truly great songwriters and performers. Stupendous lyrics, great live shows...and he introduced the world to Sonny Landreth and company which, with proof of only TWO more miracles, should make him a consensus candidate for sainthood. HIatt is what real rock and roll is all about. Hey...When you have Dylan covering YOUR tunes ("The Usual"), you know you're doing something right.

  • 16 people like to smash perfectly good guitars. 

  • great john

  • just saw him at the akron civic center it was pretty awesome =D

  • I agree. Smash a guitar and you go to jail. You don't get out until you get some soul.

  • I agree. Smash a guitar and you go to jail. You don't get out unitl you get some soul.

  • what guitar is hiatt playing?

  • @thecockbusters a sunburst with a crack, and he's still trying to break his mamam's back!!!!!

  • THEY ALL GOT WET WHEN HE SMASHED THAT THING, OFF IN THE DARK YOU COULD HEAR SOMEBODY SCREAM

  • John Hiatt: Genius.

  • 15 people must be el kabong,cuz they been smashin a perfectly good guitar

  • We don't have a lot of money, but we have a Pearl Session Masters drum kit, a '72 reissue Telecaster with 2 humbuckers, a fat Strat, a very much rebuilt mid 80's Japanese Squier, four great guitar amps, 2 valve and 2 solid state, a Fender Precision Bass Japanese 1986 with quad box and head amp, good recording equipment and mics, lots of high quality amplifiers, mixers and speakers. We saved up for years to afford this stuff. These stars ought to give the stuff away rather than waste it. Morons.

  • this is one of the best songs ever,i'm crazy about it

  • This song says it all and is just too cool:)

    sunaj

  • Me too, edaj84! My sis and I were like 9 or 10 (both 25 now) and our dad would play this ALL the time! :-)

  • there ought to be a law

    with no bail, smash a guitar and you go to jail

    with no chance of early parole

    you don't get out until you get some soul XD

  • WOW......amazing song lyrics and catchy beat

  • love this song!

  • awesome song, i remeber watching him on austin city limits

  • Smash a guitar and go to jail

  • The man can walk on water and not get his feet wet. Utterly brilliant. Not just this song, but every song the man has had a hand in making.

  • Amen, brother. Witness.

  • you dont hear the leadguitar

  • they need to arrest people who hurt guitars

    it hurts me so when it goes on

    like child abuse and steeling cars

    down with them that cause such scars

    

  • great song!

  • Nice song, but The Guilty Dogs are a bit pathetic of you ask me. That guitarist is giving it to the fullest, but I can't notice anything special. Could be just me though.

  • He must've gotten inspired to write this from hype Garth Brooks (remember him??) created by smashing an acoustic guitar in almost every show he did in the 80s....

  • @Zepster77 FYI ZEP: JOHN SAID IT WAS THE DESTRUCTIVE END TO A NIRVANA PERFORMANCE THAT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE SONG. ALSO, HE SAID HE'S SMASHED A FEW ON HIS OWN OVER THE YEARS. ANYWAY, A GREAT FUCKING SONG. WARN THE NEIGHBORS AND PLAY IT LOUD....

  • This has got to be his best song ever. I love neil young but God crazy horse has nothing on John

  • Age 55,found John a few years back and I'm glad I did.

  • His guitar player with the guilty dogs, Mike, in this video used to be in this cool band called School of Fish, check them out!

  • Smash my guitar.Die.

  • This may sound like a Geezer who walked 10 miles to school uphill BOTH WAYS :-), but I just love this song. I won't bore you with how hard it was for me to get my first guitar, and how I've turned it into a good living - but I have to say I've always not only HATED those who smash guitars, but even more, the DUMB ASSES who find it cool. This song has become my anthem re: my long time contention that the masses are asses, just some are more "massive" :-)

  • @robtsologtr hehe the masses are massive asses that kinda rhymes

  • @robtsologtr Yeah I was born and raised with nothing and had to save hard to get stuff. My kids are the benefactors and they realise how lucky they are and love their instruments as they should be loved. Not ahead of people but precious and cared for.

  • @robtsologtr those DUMB ASSES like Pete Townshend, Ritchie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix were (are) better musicians then you will ever be. those are real musicians, and one stupid ritual won't change that.

  • @surrealIdeal Doesn't mean they weren't asses, though.

  • @surrealIdeal spoken like a true non musician

  • @MrJake92662 I'm a musician :o

  • @robtsologtr Agreed, if your gonna smash that $2000 Gibson, you might aswell give it to me!

  • @fenrinstr

    Instead of whining about a guitar going to be smashed (which was a thing of that time to do btw) just listen to the song and enjoy the music instead :)

  • @MysteryHunterz You are right,I just got sucked into the smashing guitar argument and feel like a moron now for doing so!

  • John Hiatt = LEGEND!!!

  • Add kickin a dog or teasing a cat...we human beings shouldn't be like that!!!!

  • I saw these guys when they were touring this album. It was one of the best concerts I've ever attended. Great Band, great songs! I love just about everything John Hiatt does but I still think this is his best ever backing band.

  • Brilliant!

  • he is awesome =)

  • Amazing!

  • OwwwWhheee!!! You don't break a guitar!

  • He doesn't hate Jimi, you moron.

  • thanks man!

  • What a crooner!

  • Can you say "soul?" Sure...

  • Somebody had to say it, and I don't think it could be better said.

  • I still have the same guitar I have had since I was 12. Trust me I am really old now!

  • song crafers and song writers, and I dont belieive John H hates Jimmy H ..Remember we all hate what we all aspire to be or even want to be ...Hate is a strong word especially in music...I could say I hate them both but gosh I wish I was i/10 of the COMBO,love em both..

  • this man hates jimmy hendrix

  • @tomatenbrokje HUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • love john hiatt but why isnt the wreck of the barbie ferrari on you tube?

  • @glaatklingler i had totally forgotten about this song, you inspired me to go and find it, damn did it take some finding!!!! and no I couldn't find it on you tube either :(

  • If i had a harmony i'd smash it too

  • Love this song Peter Townsend hard to condemn!

  • This was the first John Hiatt song I heard, and I was hooked. Went and ordered the CD from the local Record store while in college and was the first to have it on campus. My room mate and I about wore it out. Glad i have his greatest hits now.

  • though I am listening metal mostly, this is a perfect song, perfect sound, perfect singing and perfect guitar. And they are flawless live...thnx

  • true words mr. hiatt!

  • Popular music buried guys like Hiatt, Prine and McClinton back in the day. And such a shame.

  • @johnofbham Oh, BUT, they did get by!

  • Fabulous song! John Hiatt is a great storyteller, an awesome performer and one of the most original American singer song writers. Great to hear he's on tour again. If you haven't seen him life yet, please take your chance and enjoy his show, you won't regret it!

  • So glad I found this. Just heard it on the radio for the first time today. It's great!

  • You see where my name was derived...

  • My Dad Loved this song... RIP Victor Radford...

  • 9erfandex has an excellent point - and Zevon.

  • Only Brilliant !!!!!!!!!

  • Actually, my Nashville music comment isn't quite fair. Just because an artist may reside in a music capital doesn't mean anything. That would make, if I'm not mistaken, Larry Carlton, Steve Winwood, and Peter Frampton, etc. country artists. An ignorant comment for sure.

  • It's so refreshing to come back to my old standbys, when 99% of all the music I hear on major labels is crap. John Hiatt, Ry Cooder , and Richard Thompson don't let me down. These old men have the stuff! I think it's cool too that this is Nashville music. Not your father's country.

  • Just watched a great documentary about the Who and thought of this song and just had to listen to it! Peter T. and the rest of The Who were pretty screwed up and John Hiatt sure captured it with this song!

  • Prine, Earle, Hiatt, Young, Dylan, McGuinn are the best songwriters of the last 35 years.

  • @GuiltyDog7532 That's a nice list sure, but you forgot Bowie, Knopfler, Townsend, and Raymond Douglas Davies (and no I'm not just pro Brit) let's not forget Lowell George, Randy Newman, Townes Van Zandt, The Boss Bruce Springsteen, and Brian " A Veritable Musical Genius" Wilson, and last but not least Willie Nelson!

  • And Warren Zevon!

  • @apacolipps Zevon? O K , but a pox upon me for forgetting our N. American brothers and sisters from Canada: Cohen, Cockburn, Mitchell, Young, Mc Laclachlan, Timmins et al ad infinitum!

  • 9er, if you were indeed pro-Brit, you would not have overlooked Richard Thompson. Meet on the Ledge? 1952 Vincent Black Lightning? I Feel So Good? Come on!!

  • @apacolipps A Thousand pardons Sahib, a mere oversight on my part, I've been extolling the virtues of R. Thompson's song writing prowess since his days with Fairport Convention! By the way, IMO "Hard Luck Stories" is my fave of all of his compositions!

  • Anything from Mock Tudor qualifies as an indisputed masterpiece. The fact that an LP like that was able to be conceived during the jaded late-90s is one more testament to that man's genius.

    Actually, he really belongs in a slot of his own. One our best songwriters & certainly the best guitarist on the face of the earth.

  • @apocolipps Hey, if you're loking for an argument concerning R.T.'s talent, you ain't gonna get it! I find no fault with any superlatives directed toward Sir Richard!

  • This song used to be the opening song for the Laura Ingraham radio show.

  • One of his best albums, period! I love this one, Blue Telescope and Something Wild!

  • great song, been listening to for decades. Is it just me? the bald guy is a cross between michael stipe of REM and the lead guitar of AC/DC and then the guy with the cap reminds me of Cheap Trick, Jimi Hendrix with dreads, and Jerry Garcia on bass?

  • I love a song that tells a good story. This is really great. The music and lyrics are just cool.

  • Some great rock. I love it

  • Rockin at its best is all I can say

  • Great song.Great performance.

  • I was introduced to John at the getgo.... still one of the biggest fans of one of the best singer songwriters that there has ever been. I am 50 years young and still rockin myself in a 3 piece band.

  • I agree!

  • Luv ya, Man!

  • my dad introduced me to this amazing singer when i was about 12 and I am still lovin it (i am 24 now)

  • My dad introduced me to it too when I was around the same age....I am 33 now.I love Real Fine Love

  • @edaj84 - I couldn't remember the singer name , but a few years ago I saw him on Austin City Limits ( I think ) That's to U Tube we can all listen to our favourite Singers. Thanks for posting this .

  • @edaj84 Same here. This is the stuff my parents listened to-and it was COOL! John Hiatt is a genius and doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves.

  • @edaj84 Weird, same story with me, only difference is that I'm a year older;) Great music!

  • @Sondrani so am I now :)

  • @edaj84 me to man thats crazy lol, but im only 20 lol

  • @SRV18947 You're actually 20? You type like you haven't finished primary school yet.

  • @edaj84 25 now....

  • @edaj84 Interesting. I saw John Hiatt live, when I was 24.  He was double-billed with John Hammond. I'm now 60 and the 3 of us are still plugging.

  • Love John Hiatt!

  • U listenin' Kyle B?

  • Any John Hiatt fans....you gotta hear his CD, Walk On. I've worn out 3 of them, and can't find it in the stores anymore. It's so awesome. "You were born to wander, born to wonder, born to blunder." Treat yourselves to this priceless gem!

  • "Shredding the Document" alone is worth the purchase price.

  • You are absolutely right my friend, with some of the best lyrics ever written, along with each and every songs' great structure and sound quality, it is definitely one of the best crafted albums ever! The song-writing trinity of Hiatt, Richard Thompson, and Steve Earle, keep my soul on fire!

  • you might throw in John Prine into your mix of Richard Thompson and Earle

    Mike

  • @amarilloman54

    Yeah, Prine is great storyteller and pretty fair entertainer as well

  • Kyle Busch is such a Punk ! I lost what little respect I was starting to develop for him. Jerk !

    This song rocks !

  • This one is for Kyle Busch!

  • When I saw him doing that, the first thing I thought of was this song!

  • Must love it!!!!!!!!!

  • greatsong, wise man. this and master of disaster are my favorite hiatt songs

  • cool,i whas looking for how to be a good guitarist and apeers this woow!god bles everyone here!

  • I don't know about this psycho-babble.

    Fuckin BRILLIANT song

  • I'd never thunk of it before, Humboltus, but you are absolutely right. This song CAN be a metaphor about self-destruction... But Fairlane is also right... Symbolism isn't always the artist's intention.

  • haha he's windmilling at the end, maybe its about Pete lol. Man I love The Who.

  • What this lyric actually means is, not that important guys. Surely what matters is what it says to the listener. Anything else is purely academic. Just enjoy

  • The song is also obviously metaphoric--not just literally about guitars. Clearly also about guys who abuse their women/destroy their relationships.

    On of my favorite Hiatt songs from one of my favorite artists.

  • Bullshit !!!

  • Well if that is the most intelligent thing you can contribute to the discussion, then I won't elaborate on why I think that.

  • are you f-ing high?

  • Comment removed

  • Friend, not everything is metaphor is music and poetry. Sometimes a guitar is just a guitar.

  • If I try to explain I will just get flamed more. I would advise everyone to listen to the song with a different frame of mind, and also think of it in the context of Hiatt's life and you may see that my analysis is at least plausible.

  • Interesting analysis. But, I doubt it's restricted to women. Lots of guys toss off lots of things I wouldn't like to think about.

    But, since I miss my guitar, I'll just relate to it as a guitar.

  • It was my understanding that John wrote this, as kind of a mockery of guitarists who had smashed their guitars - his grandma wondered why someone would "smash a perfectly good guitar" - watching The Who on Ed Sullivan or something.

  • Why would a person smash the very thing that enables him to make the music he loves?

    You might want to ask your shrink...

  • This was Hiatt's best band. I wish that he still had these guys with him. I've seen him play several times. He was always at his best with these fellas.

  • I heard John in an interview some time back on Cities97 radio out of the Twin Cities. He laughed about the reaction this song had provoked when released, stating it was all "tongue-in-cheek". He said he had smashed a few fine guitars himself over the years and considered it a time-honored tradition among guitarists. We can only hope they're not smashing rare Fenders or Les Pauls.

  • I dont know at first I thought he was overreacting a bit than i realized... I'd kill to have the cheapest of the guitars those guys have smashed! so it's kinda rubbing it in us kids faces in a way when someone smashes a really nice guitar

  • I'm a giant John Hiatt fan- I bought Slugline when it came out, fer cryin' out loud.

    I've met and interviewed him for college radio (what a nice,nice guy!)

    But I've never liked this song- it's just a little too sanctimonious for my liking.

    Sometimes, smashing a guitar is exactly what's needed.

    Pete Townshend

    Paul Simonon

    Jimi Hendrix.

    They knew something John has forgotten.

    That said, smashing guitars can be stupid.

    PerteTownshend

  • diiirty tunee.

  • Effin BRILIANT

  • Wow, the hatred hehe. I dig this tune!

    I don't hate John Mayer, but I don't buy his stuff. As a singer I think he should try harder, seems almost too comfortable to be him : )

    Hiatt rules in a different league for now though. imho

  • Come on John play the guitar as uaual

    Greta great song

    Frank

  • who's the guitarist with the baseball cap? looks like tom morello

  • gisteren John ontmoet! :D

  • shut up John Hiatt Rules!

  • Going to see him TONIGHT in Dallas!!!!!

  • u gotta crank this one up !!!