“You shoot me glances and they’re so hard to
read… I misconstrue what you mean…
Slip me a napkin and now that's a start... is this your name or a doctor's eye chart?"
A
clever tune about the mixed signals one often receives when dating, Paul
details various scenarios encountered during a particular courtship. For
instance, after giving him the eye at a bar, the woman in question gives him an
undecipherable note on a napkin. Then over dinner, she prefers reading a book instead
of making conversation. Finally, she gives mixed physical signals in the
bedroom, making him wonder if she is a timid lover or a wild woman. He wonders
if she is just playing with him for her own amusement, culminating in the
memorable line… “Do I hate you, do I date
you?”
Pulled from the soundtrack to the 1992 Gen X classic Singles, “Dyslexic Heart” was a US alt rock #4 hit, but despite the film’s popularity, and the fact that the movie produced two other alt rock hits, (Alice in Chains’ “Would?”, and The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Drown”), Paul’s soundtrack contribution earned no hot 100 crossover success. Adding to the song’s mystique is its exclusivity to the Singles soundtrack, as it has not appeared on a Westerberg LP to date.
“Do I read you correctly, lead me directly… help me with this part.”
Pulled from the soundtrack to the 1992 Gen X classic Singles, “Dyslexic Heart” was a US alt rock #4 hit, but despite the film’s popularity, and the fact that the movie produced two other alt rock hits, (Alice in Chains’ “Would?”, and The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Drown”), Paul’s soundtrack contribution earned no hot 100 crossover success. Adding to the song’s mystique is its exclusivity to the Singles soundtrack, as it has not appeared on a Westerberg LP to date.
“Do I read you correctly, lead me directly… help me with this part.”
Paul
Westerberg was a founding member of The Replacements, a college rock band of
the ‘80s that met with widespread critical acclaim, but no major success on the
pop charts. Their best showing was 1989’s “I’ll
Be You”, which topped the US Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts, but climbed
just halfway up the hot 100 to US #51.
As
a solo artist, Paul hit the #4 alt rock position a second time with his 1993 follow
up “World Class Fad”, but following
that, his only other charting song was the #21 alt rock “Love Untold” from 1996. Paul tends to contribute to movie
soundtracks and compilations in between releasing self-published albums these
days.
“You keep swayin’… what are you sayin’?
Thinkin’ about stayin’?”
I
hadn’t thought of “Dyslexic Heart” in at least 20 years until I heard it in my
local Kroger on a recent late night grocery run. As soon as I heard the cheeky “Naaa-na-na-na Na-na-na-NA-na” refrain, I knew I had
found the next song for the Radio Dial to spotlight.
On
a side note, Kroger’s in-store music playlists are created by someone (or more
than likely, many someones) that tend to share similar eclectic musical
tastes to yours truly. For every well-known mainstream hit, they’ll play an obscure
album cut or lower charting song, and they’ve run the gamut of rock, country,
soul, and dance… hmmm… maybe I should see about getting a position with the
Kroger in-store radio network!
So
take a listen to Paul’s humorous tale of a guy confused by his intended lover
(although to be honest, aren’t we all?) and stay tuned to the Dial for more
great tracks from radio’s past!
“I try and comprehend you but I got a
dyslexic heart... I ain’t dying to
offend, you, I got a dyslexic heart.”
