408. Motörhead, "Ace of Spades"

 


I'm really not much of a metalhead at all but you know what?  I enjoyed listening to this album!  Of course, it's a classic, and I'm sure in 1980 it was outside the realm of civilized society but it's pretty tame now.  The title track is, of course, an all-time metal classic and as far as I can tell is just a straight-up song about gambling.  It doesn't seem like a metaphor for life or anything.  It's literally about getting an ace of spades when you're playing cards.

Other songs are, uh, more problematic.  I'm not sure "Jailbait" would go over too well today:

Teenage baby, you're a sweet young thing
Still tied to Mama's apron strings
I don't even dare to ask your age
It's enough to know you're here backstage
You're jailbait, and I just can't wait
Jailbait baby come on
Yeah, it was a different time or whatever I guess.

And then there are the straight-up goofs like "(We Are) The Road Crew," which Lemmy supposedly wrote in 15 minutes in a toilet and is, you guessed it, about the road crew:

I'm eating junk, feeling bad
Another night, I'm going mad
My woman's leaving, I feel sad
But I just love the life I lead
Another beer is what I need
Another gig, my ears bleed
We are the road crew

Radiohead it's not.  It' safe to say there are not a lot of deep ideas to engage with on this album, but it's not that kind of album!  It's a full-on black light poster, Tampico ditch weed, 40 oz bottle of Mickey's rock.  If you're thinking about it, you've already failed.

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