Evil Laugh
What do people think it's about?
"Ha ha die, I love that song!" -- Kaia (age three).
"Don't bring the carnivore home to Paradise and expect nothing bad to happen. Dumbass." -- Shawn.
"Lunch." -- Mars.
When presented with this question, what does Seanan say it's about?
"Dinosaurs eat people. Same as the Jurassic Park movies. That's really all I need from life: dinosaurs, eating people. I mean, the fact that it's surf rock is just pretty much a bonus. A really, really hungry bonus."
What is it actually about?
Dinosaurs eat people.
This isn't hard.
Genesis of the song.
There is a certain show, which features a certain scene, during which a certain character plays with his little toy dinosaurs, to the severe misfortune of his little plastic herbivore. Alas, plastic herbivore, we hardly knew ye. Anyway, when I was finally convinced to watch this certain show by friends who shall remain nameless (Kate and Vixy), I was naturally enchanted by the great tragedy, the epic sturm und drang, of the dinosaurs.
And then I took a walk.
The first verse came entirely on its own, entirely uninvited, and entirely without permission. I, not precisely wanting to write songs about a show that I very much resisted watching, told it to go away. It refused, and acquired the branching lines into the chorus. I kept fighting...and then the chorus showed up, and I, like the duckbill meeting the tar pit, was lost. I believe I may have called Vixy to sing it at her while it was in the process of being written, thus making her the first person in the world to actually hear 'Evil Laugh'. Just one of the many pit-traps involved in being on my speed dial.
The little drop-in bits that the backing vocalists do were written about a week before recording, when I realized that there was something missing from the way the lyrics folded themselves together. Yes, I actually put thought into the lyrical balance of a song about dinosaurs, eating people. My head is a very strange place to live sometimes.
The 'ha ha MUNCH MUNCH die' in the chorus coming out of the bridge was suggested by Vixy, who gets blamed for so many things around here that she really should get credit where credit is due. So yes: Vixy understands the importance of sound effects when it comes to deep personal betrayal. I look forward to her comic retelling of the assassination of Caeser.
Story of the Song.
Dinosaurs eat people. Really, I don't know how many ways I can say this. They have teeth. And claws. And some of them can work doorknobs. And there's a reasonable chance they've already surrounded your house...
Arranging the Song.
Let me just say this right up front: I did not set out to write surf rock. I didn't even realize it would be surf rock until we put all the pieces together, and suddenly, hey! The Beach Boys go prehistoric. And girl group. And my comparison just sort of collapses there, so I'm gonna leave it alone.
'Evil Laugh' was the only song recorded completely in Seattle, under the guidance of the fabulous Tony Fabris, who put up with my arrangement of the song remarkably well -- see, I basically said 'here are the people, make it work'. I don't know what he did, and I don't know how he did it, but the result makes me insanely happy. I have recorded a song about dinosaurs. The dinosaurs do bad things to other dinosaurs. They would do bad things to you, if the opportunity presented itself. Life doesn't really get much better than that.
Sorry this one didn't have more depth to it. But hey -- dinosaurs!
Factual Bits and Bobs.
Written on: January 18th, 2006.
Structure: Verse/Verse/Chorus/Verse/Verse/Chorus/Bridge/Verse/Verse/Chorus.
Arrangement: Vocals, keyboard, guitar, drums, doo-wops.
Tempo: Saurian insanity. Also, surf rock.
Length: 3:25.