Hi guys. This is Alexia's dad and she knows me so well that....she's so right as far as my impression of Tool if this would have been the first song that I ever heard, and how it might have turned me off. Good thing that it wasn't the case. Hopefully your other listener will give it another chance, as this is not their usual style. Danny's drums are insane regardless, and that's what kept me engaged to be honest.
The lyrics are accurate and true, it’s basically calling out the likes of Hollywood and the general fakeness, shallowness and deviantness. And when you look at the events that have happened in LA since this song was written and the state the place is, it’s showed what he is saying was true and he was trying to warn people. LA has this picture perfect image and that’s it’s all sunshine and happiness etc when in reality when you look below the surface, it’s a very dark and seedy place and is only getting worse as time goes by
This is based off Bill Hicks comedy skit "Arizona Bay"...He was the one who was talking about LA specifically. In an interview Maynard said the song is more related to the world in general, and that something along the lines of a city falling into the ocean would need to happen before we could evolve as a race.
And also a dig at Scientology. Tool was invited to play a venue that was owned by the Church of Scientology and they didn’t find out until the moment of the show when Scientologists were actively trying to proselytize fans at the show. Maynard spent most of the show baaaing like a sheep . There is video of the show.
The whole premise is that nature is wiser than humans. It is impossible to argue with this until one realizes that nature does not exist without humans.
This is one of Tool's more "in your face" sort of songs, if not the most. Not a lot of nuance in the lyrics. What you hear is straight up what MJK means. No interpretation needed. LEARN TO SWIM!!! I LOVE IT!
Exactly! He goes straight for the throat and doesn’t take the foot off the gas! Been rocking to this since 1996 and I love it more than decades ago. See you down in Arizona bay!
The lyrics are definitely a double meaning. There's a live version where Maynard says before the song "this song is about better living through irrigation". He's comparing Los Angeles to be the ass hole of mother earth, and asking mother earth to give herself an enema, or Aenema, in order to cleanse the earth of LA.
I mean, he does include the line towards the end, “don’t just call me pessimist, try and read between the lines!” so I always assumed that this song was just an expression of a feeling of hopelessness about the sorry state of LA.
Consider this: Everyone who raves about Tool's *transcendental lyrics or thematic mysticism -- is referring to post-Lateralus Tool. That album really kicked off their "spiritual" journey. So when they approach EARLIER material (like Aenima album) they're really shocked about it. But Aenima is almost Tool's first foray into pscyhedelic rock. Check out Eulogy and Third Eye for instance. NO need to react to them if you don't want to, but compare. Aenima is their "bridge" album between societal aggression and "maturation". They really matured thematically in Lateralus (which was their next album). And by the time 10,000 days came along Maynard had buried his mom, who was the core of that storytelling. So Aenima is Tool getting "out of" themselves, moving away from the OVERTLY angry Undertow -- which was largely the kind of album you saw in the mi-90's post-Grunge angst music. But the reason Aenima is so well loved is this was the album where they first got Justin Chancellor, the current bassist, onboard. And he truly changed them musically. So you're talking about a point of lightspeed evolution with the vestiges of history. So the music is overtly painful...BUT SOOO GOOD.
It was actually inspired by a comedy routine from the late great Bill Hicks called Arizona Bay. ua-cam.com/video/jpninPNXHWg/v-deo.html (short version) Here is a link to what appears to be a full show. I didn't have time to watch the whole thing, but it starts out like an extension of the :50 clip I gave you previously. ua-cam.com/video/D91YsT5gi9M/v-deo.html I just see this song as a commentary on the sad state of L.A. based on all of the stereotypical artificial people that LA is full of. Actors, actresses, wannabes that really contribute little to society. I do have several friends out there now, and I have seen the good side of L.A., but you have to be familiar with the stereotypes. Some of those need to be fixed. lol I love this whole album.
Tool had some dark moments in the first few albums. Some of us really got into that. Hooker With a Penis is another amazing, angry tune that's not as problematic as the title would imply.
"AEnema" is a combination of words. "Anima" is the female archetype hypothesized by philosopher/psychologist Carl Jung to exist within the male. "Enema" is the purification of one's rectum through flushing water. The combination would mean something along the lines of flushing out the superficial crap within us.
Just found this reaction, this song is 17yrs old now and still rings true about society and the pressures/distortions/inadequacies of, these lyrics were TOOL'S artistic POV of Hollywood/LA at the time, like music its all subject to perception.........personally this is my favorite song in all my 44yrs on this earth for its chaotic beauty
Ugh that sounds unfair but I also would have loved to have seen everyone's face in the audience while this was being performed!! 😂 Thanks for sharing, Lex
@@NicknLex we haven't been back to that place since....it was mostly older people than I (I'm in my mid 40's) and I think they were mostly parents, I'm not one of those. So yeah, you can probably figure that scenario out from there. 😂 But yeah, the song was in the catalog so as far as I'm concerned, it's fair game!
This is their earlier work.They had a lot of anger and music is was heavier.They evolved more and grown more as a band during lateralus album and up until the most recent "Fear Inoculum"
Tool!! Very cool. They are like Rush, once you get hooked there is no going back and the rabbit hole gets very deep. 46&2, Stinkfist, 10,000 days\Wings for Marie, 7empest, Pnuema. Have fun, i hope you dive in the deep end.
This was my first song. And I was blown away by the delivery of Maynard on how direct one can be through their music. It's a phenomenal song . Those who don't like the lyrics are good people to make me and other 0.99% people unique as we get it
Been to LA. Maynards lyrics are spot on. Maynards writes about the truths in life. Sometimes those truths can be ugly, primal and even beautiful and inspirational.
This song is very much aggressively in your face both musically and lyrically. They are slamming the whole LA scene and all the bad things that result from living there. Other suggestions you may enjoy include, Schism, Sober, Jambi, And Vicarious.
If you listen very closely to the tone in which Manard sings this song it doesn't sound angry but almost sorrowful. That lyrical tone up against the very raw guitar and drums gives that amazing tension so prevalent in TOOLS music. Absolutely masterful.
And btw, this album and the previous ones are VERY aggressive in their lyrical content. This is just where Maynard was at that time in his life. He definitely has evolved so much over the years.
So funny that you brought up the headphones. This is the first thing I have watched from you guys, and, as soon as you brought them out, I immediately thought: "Those are some beefy, nice looking headphones!"
Hey Nick N Lex. This is the cd that got me into Tool. I was a member of a cd club and one month I for got to tell them not to send me the cd of the month and they sent this one. When I got it I decided to open and listen to it and was instantly hooked. Love their music very much. Great reaction. Keep up the good work.
Im so happy you got back to tool! You bring so much joy to so many! I hope you continue with a tool journey. Thanks for video. You should check soen! Great band! They just released a new album!
Hi there. I'm new to watching your channel. The jury is still out on Tool for me. Just not sure. What I am sure about , however, is how special your channel is. I really like how you react to various aspects of the song rather than one or two elements. It's also really cool to see you two experience the same song at the same time. Music can be so connecting and I appreciate your authenticity individually and together. Cool to see. Recommendation: Lingus by Snarky Puppy (or anything by Snarky Puppy). Thanks for sharing. Cheers.
Hey man go watch the trash talkers on UA-cam, they have tool Tuesday and they have a lot of videos that they've been checking out and they give a good review, and they've come a long way from the first to now. Tools are an amazing band I'm sorry you caught to you a bad song to begin with, but I recommend giving them another chance if you feel you can.
@@bio-hazard221 I'm going to really give it a go. Intellectually and as a musician, I'm a big thumbs up, I just can't get into them in ways I can other (including similar) bands. I'll give all recommendations a listen. Thanks for your response.
Middle-aged Adjectives My guy if you love Larnell and the snarks , you got tool inside ya. You just don’t know it yet 😅 often hard to jam to tool until you’ve just allowed the song to take you where it wants to go. Once you know the storyline to the song and you know the music and you get your mind blown by lyrics. Then you find yourself jamming to the odd time signatures. Doesn’t look like normal jammin tho. Looks like a seizure tbh😂😂😂 but fuck it when you know where tool is goin and can vibe with those changes. It gets better IMO. They are an acquired taste. But once ya taste em. Everything else tastes bland.
The "Learn to Swim" & "Arizona Bay" phrase comes from a Bill Hicks comedy sketch. Talking about the massive fault line in California, and the idea of the whole state floating out into the ocean after a huge earthquake. MJKs disgust of LA was apparent, and this idea to him almost seemed prophetic after a dream he had about this very thing. Not too soon after this he left LA and moved to Arizona and started a winery.
I always pictured this song in my mind as someone who's sitting in rush hour traffic after being fired on the same day that they found out that their spouse was cheating on them ! Just fed up with L.A. and wanting the whole thing gone !
This CD had lenticular art on the cover and inside pages and one image showe a map of the USA w/California there when you look @ it from one direction and when viewed from the opposite direction Cali is gone........so the lyrics "wash it all away" & "Learn to swim" are referencing that piece of art, which is referring to a prophecy where a big earthquake causes Cali to break off into the pacific. If you need to refer a great Tool song w/deep lyrics try Right Into.
Tool won a Grammy for this song, "Best Metal Performance " They've also won Grammys for "Schism" "7empest" and "Best Record Packaging " (10,000 Days album).
These lyrics are pure art, Being a private band often criticized and censored, it was a finger to the elitist critics. While they evolved they never caved to the pressure
Just had to come on here and shout BILL HICKS!!!! I'm sure I am not the only one that has mentioned he was the inspiration for this tune, as well as others from this album. R.I.P Mr. Hicks, you are remembered and missed. Peace.
This is the album that Justin Chancellor joined, it was transformative. The whole album is epic. I’d recommend Eulogy as many of the other songs get lots of reviews. Great work team.
Hey you two , I am so happy for the Tool and Rush ! They all have mastered their Instruments , including vocals ! This is why they stand apart from every one else !!
This is one of Tool's highest rated and most beloved songs. Maynard's lyrics are very straight forward. He's talked about hating LA, and California in general, many times in interviews. Acknowledging that there are both good and bad people there but stating that, as a whole, it's a bad place. Singling out places like LA and Hollywood while talking about it.
Great reaction and commentary! Right in Two us another great Tool song. It sounds a bit like the instrumental part of Different Strings by Rush because of the harmonics.
That's what's so unique and rewarding with Tool. They evolved from anger/hate to wisdom. As a fan that grew up with them, I'd like to think I evolved with them. Tool is more of an experience than a band- Spiral Out...
This song was inspired by a stand-up comedy bit from a comedian and hero of Maynard's named Bill Hicks, who detested Los Angeles and died the year they were writing this album. Hicks had a bit about how he longed for California to fall into the ocean, hence his album's title "Arizona Bay" (which Maynard explicitly references in the lyric "See you down in Arizona Bay." Maynard was also in a very angry and unhappy place, as his mother was in very poor health at the time.
As for the tuning: I don't know what the original tuning was for the recording, but I learned it tuned to drop D which especially made the crunchy intro work for me. As for the lyrics, for me they speak to the superficial / materialistic way too many people are living today and L.A. is just the metaphor to put a face on it. So basically, he's saying wake up and remember what it's really all about. Gotta love Tool, there is no choice, you gotta love them!
I'm not a Tool fan. I have only one album, this one. I love this song, I think the lyrics ring true. I don't listen to it that much, maybe I should...when my wife's not around. I know doesn't like it or their videos, which are awesome! It's all about taste.
Just my personal opinion, but MJKs best lyrics for me are: Right in Two Parabol/Parabola Sober Pneuma The Pot Stinkfist gets the award for the greatest double entendre of all time- "Relax. Turn around and take my hand." In 'Judith' by A Perfect Circle, Maynard uses Theodicy to express the anger from his mother's illness and death. I never know whether to recommend listening to the music or the lyrics in Tool songs first. The music is so complex and the lyrics typically so deep that concentrating on one lessens the experience of the other. Love your reactions. Thank you for sharing.
Here in Argentina there is a native folk rhythm called "chacarera". Aenima has exactly the same beat and rhythm. It is very curious the way in which the extremes are mixed.
From any other band, these lyrics would be “whoa, getting serious” but the Tool bar is so high they come off as a little too “on the nose”. But it’s nice to hear Maynard just say “no poetry in this one, fuck that and fuck them” I dig it.
This line here was what put the whole song in perspective for me: Yeah, don't just call me pessimist Try and read between the lines I can't imagine why you wouldn't Welcome any change, my friend
It is also the guitar that sounds different, with lots of textures and super metallic sound, a Gibson Les Paul custom silver burst 1979. Also the Amp Diezel VH4.
My favorite Tool song is the one vibrating closest to my ears.... such a great band! Also, I haven't read the comments, and it has probably already been said, but this song is in drop d.
I remember seeing an interview years ago about how Maynard thought that the environment and the people in such a geographically beautiful location was both contradictory and criminal. The entire atmosphere and scene in LA is what made him retreat to the calmer area of Arizona to open his Vinyard. I think some people just prefer a more calm and Rual lifestyle and living. I personally couldn't survive in NYC and would feel the same way Maynard feels about LA.
Hi Guys, missed you, so remember this is a 25 year old song...Maynard was an angry but developing young man with a huge mind and strong opinion....this whole album has more of a 90's feel, grimy guitars and tone....and one angry Maynard....it's more straight forward because it is straight forwarding Maynard being fed up with LA and the culture they had dwelled in for 6 years or so......the fake and high and mighty have never been Maynards thing....as gifted as you two are and as musically inclined as Alex is I would tell you for your next reaction to react to something from the newest album Fear Inoculum, I would recommend Invincible or Descending.........they evolved like no other band, with the same lineup and they grew up organically together
I forgot y'all already reacted to The Grudge but the is a lot of insight to that song too. Do a whole album. My suggestion is Undertow. One song at a time of course.
This album is much more angry and aggressive than their other albums, and I love it. It is stark difference between Lateralus. They just don't hold back.
Like others have said, read the verse that says "Don't just call me pessimist, try and read between the lines. I couldn't imagine who wouldn't welcome any change my friend". Tool was pretty angry up until Lateralus. Some kid gave me Undertow 25 years ago and a freshman in high school because it bothered him more then Marilyn Manson at the time. (The album pictures don't help.) That was my first introduction to Tool. Then my first concert ever '98 Red Rocks when I was 16 which was this Tour.
As others have implied here the song is written in respect to Bill Hicks. A stand up comedian that died in 1994 from pancreatic cancer and was a friend of the band. Maynard is a sarcastic fellow. He obviously doesn't really want a natural disaster to literally destroy California. I believe Danny and Adam live in or around Los Angeles. Maynard has expressed in an interview before that it would take something catastrophic like a meteor strike causing significant loss of life in order for people to forgo divisiveness and collaborate. But the song is completely satirical. And the song is pronounced Enema. Because enemas are for cleansing.
“Don’t just call me a pessimist. Try and read between the lines” is the most important lyric. To me he is talking about the culture that needs to be flushed.
"The anima and animus are described in Carl Jung's school of analytical psychology as part of his theory of the collective unconscious. Jung described the animus as the unconscious masculine side of a woman, and the anima as the unconscious feminine side of a man, each transcending the personal psyche." Maynard is all about transcendence. Becoming more. So, LA represents everything animalistic about humanity. Shallowness, vanity, ego, greed...the worst of us. So, to someone like Maynard, who wants to ascend....LA would be antithetical to everything he's about....however, his sense of humor/self awareness, he is aware of his own shortcomings that makes him want to flush it all down, therefore preventing his own ascension. It's an ironical concept.
Re: Maynard's Lyrics. One of the things that has kept me a Tool fan since '91 and a huge fan of the first APC records is Maynard's lyrics. I love his thoughtfulness and complexity, the sub-textual meanings keep the songs from being explained away easily. If you look at a song like "Stinkfist" superficially, then you think it's a song about fisting, but if you read sub-textually, you realize it's more of a meditation on over stimulation the the numbness that comes from having your desires fulfilled without struggle. However, I would agree that Maynard's lyrics lately have become more overt. His work with Pusicfer and the later APC records since Emotive have been less complex as he has tired to open his artistry to a wider audience, and thus I feel MJK songs are not as good as they used to be. On the other hand, I think Fear Inoculum brought back the complexity and sub-textuality of his writing, but he took a much more background role on FI compared to his earlier work on Tool and early APC. In the end, as a 40 year resident of LA, Aenima is one of my favorite songs. Keep in mind that most of the other songs on Aenima (record) are NOT overt, so Aenima (song) and the other overty song Hooker with a Penis fits on that record as kinds of breaths of fresh air, breaks from the more critical interpretations required by the other lyrics.
Tool's lyrics are usually many meanings. I'm sure it's Maynard's true feelings about LA specifically, but many of these sentiments can be said about the rest of the planet. And it's a combination of 2 words, Enema (a physical douching), and Anema which is a spiritual cleansing (I think Carl Jeung)? Plus the drums and bass rock...
I think in this particular song the lyrics do not have double meaning. He meant that sh#t. The farther you go back into their music, the angrier Maynard is. He has since worked through that anger it seems. Music is therapeutic especially when you express yourself through it and grow through that experience. TOOL
It's amazing how art reflects life. I'm a former San Fernando Valley resident, now residing in the greater Phoenix, AZ. area - for the better! Lyrics are ALWAYS scrutinized - too naughty, too pure, too vague, etc. Don't let a comment stick with you... except this one! ;)
The lyrics are not contemplative like much of their later work. They are first of all tongue in cheek. And they are very direct. Their entire CAREER has been a journey toward enlightenment. This was where they were at that time. This is what they have evolved beyond. It's all about context. He even says "read between the lines". In this song, he's asking you to not take him so literally.
I love the contemplative side of Tool, but this track absolutely rocks! I also really love the lyrics. They're not subtle - although maybe more than they seem - but they are obvioulsy heartfelt, and IMO quite funny. Although he's obviously disgusted by many of his fellow humans, what I hear underneath that is a plea to reconnect with "Mom", ie mother nature, who's going to "flush it all away". On the Genius page for this song it talks about how the song's title combines "enema" with "anima" - the Jungian expression for the feminine part of a man. It's effectively a warning to the human race: reconnect with the Earth, and with femininity, or die.
This song has always been my favorite for some reason ever since I was 14 when I first heard it in 96. It’s definitely a departure from most Tool tracks but I just love the ferocity and it’s just always had a strange connection for me. However I still need to move to Arizona from California before it flushes away. ;)
Hi guys. This is Alexia's dad and she knows me so well that....she's so right as far as my impression of Tool if this would have been the first song that I ever heard, and how it might have turned me off. Good thing that it wasn't the case. Hopefully your other listener will give it another chance, as this is not their usual style. Danny's drums are insane regardless, and that's what kept me engaged to be honest.
Good father!
Sir, even in this song Maynard expressed something that many frustrated people in big cities who couldn't make it thought at that time.
The lyrics are accurate and true, it’s basically calling out the likes of Hollywood and the general fakeness, shallowness and deviantness.
And when you look at the events that have happened in LA since this song was written and the state the place is, it’s showed what he is saying was true and he was trying to warn people.
LA has this picture perfect image and that’s it’s all sunshine and happiness etc when in reality when you look below the surface, it’s a very dark and seedy place and is only getting worse as time goes by
This is based off Bill Hicks comedy skit "Arizona Bay"...He was the one who was talking about LA specifically. In an interview Maynard said the song is more related to the world in general, and that something along the lines of a city falling into the ocean would need to happen before we could evolve as a race.
Yes in this case I think the lyrics are exactly what they sound like👍
And also a dig at Scientology. Tool was invited to play a venue that was owned by the Church of Scientology and they didn’t find out until the moment of the show when Scientologists were actively trying to proselytize fans at the show. Maynard spent most of the show baaaing like a sheep . There is video of the show.
@@davidbailey6397 Baaaaa.... Baaaaaa... Baaaa lmfao Maynard is a legendary Troll
The whole premise is that nature is wiser than humans. It is impossible to argue with this until one realizes that nature does not exist without humans.
This is one of Tool's more "in your face" sort of songs, if not the most. Not a lot of nuance in the lyrics. What you hear is straight up what MJK means. No interpretation needed. LEARN TO SWIM!!! I LOVE IT!
"Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona Bay." He's now in Arizona running his own winery. I think he was being honest as well.
Exactly! He goes straight for the throat and doesn’t take the foot off the gas! Been rocking to this since 1996 and I love it more than decades ago. See you down in Arizona bay!
The lyrics are definitely a double meaning. There's a live version where Maynard says before the song "this song is about better living through irrigation". He's comparing Los Angeles to be the ass hole of mother earth, and asking mother earth to give herself an enema, or Aenema, in order to cleanse the earth of LA.
Damnnnn, spot on brotha!👽🔥👽
Mudflood
I mean, he does include the line towards the end, “don’t just call me pessimist, try and read between the lines!” so I always assumed that this song was just an expression of a feeling of hopelessness about the sorry state of LA.
He's actually stated in interviews that he hates LA and Hollywood. He even went as far as leaving LA off of his tours for a period of time.
Consider this: Everyone who raves about Tool's *transcendental lyrics or thematic mysticism -- is referring to post-Lateralus Tool. That album really kicked off their "spiritual" journey. So when they approach EARLIER material (like Aenima album) they're really shocked about it. But Aenima is almost Tool's first foray into pscyhedelic rock. Check out Eulogy and Third Eye for instance. NO need to react to them if you don't want to, but compare. Aenima is their "bridge" album between societal aggression and "maturation". They really matured thematically in Lateralus (which was their next album). And by the time 10,000 days came along Maynard had buried his mom, who was the core of that storytelling. So Aenima is Tool getting "out of" themselves, moving away from the OVERTLY angry Undertow -- which was largely the kind of album you saw in the mi-90's post-Grunge angst music. But the reason Aenima is so well loved is this was the album where they first got Justin Chancellor, the current bassist, onboard. And he truly changed them musically. So you're talking about a point of lightspeed evolution with the vestiges of history. So the music is overtly painful...BUT SOOO GOOD.
Aka they started doing acid as well had to be said there’s no way these albums weren’t influenced by psychs
Great comment!
Tool has always had a great satiric sense of humor, not all songs have to be serious.
Are they serious? Are they joking? Are they sad? Are they angry? Do they hate us?
Yes
Lol
A song that is truly mind blowing. Was then, and still is.
It was actually inspired by a comedy routine from the late great Bill Hicks called Arizona Bay. ua-cam.com/video/jpninPNXHWg/v-deo.html (short version) Here is a link to what appears to be a full show. I didn't have time to watch the whole thing, but it starts out like an extension of the :50 clip I gave you previously. ua-cam.com/video/D91YsT5gi9M/v-deo.html
I just see this song as a commentary on the sad state of L.A. based on all of the stereotypical artificial people that LA is full of. Actors, actresses, wannabes that really contribute little to society.
I do have several friends out there now, and I have seen the good side of L.A., but you have to be familiar with the stereotypes. Some of those need to be fixed. lol
I love this whole album.
"Don't just call me pessimist, try and read between the lines"
This is they key to "unlocking" this song.
I LOVE the lyrics of this song. Especially when we're told to read between the lines.
The comedian Bill Hicks has an album called "Arizona Bay" that I believe inspired some of the lyrics.
I discovered recently that the album wasn't officially released until after this one, but yes, it's based upon that stand-up tour
And Maynard and Bill were friends.
And if cali or LA was to fall into the ocean what would be left is the bay of arizona
For sure. Eulogy is Maynard's tribute to Hicks
@@brandonhinrichs387 **fingers crossed**
Maynard writes some deep, spiritual, dark and funny lyrics. You guys are the most wholesome reactors out there. Keep up the good work.
I think the song embraces the destructive impulses we sometimes experience and amplifies them for effect.
nah read the lyrics lol its fairly straightforward
fuck the vapid culture propagated in places like la
Tool had some dark moments in the first few albums. Some of us really got into that.
Hooker With a Penis is another amazing, angry tune that's not as problematic as the title would imply.
"AEnema" is a combination of words. "Anima" is the female archetype hypothesized by philosopher/psychologist Carl Jung to exist within the male. "Enema" is the purification of one's rectum through flushing water. The combination would mean something along the lines of flushing out the superficial crap within us.
Anima is soul in latin. This word has thousands of years of history before Jung
@@DCer0 Exactly right. Therefore the album name is a call to ones purification of their soul.
Just found this reaction, this song is 17yrs old now and still rings true about society and the pressures/distortions/inadequacies of, these lyrics were TOOL'S artistic POV of Hollywood/LA at the time, like music its all subject to perception.........personally this is my favorite song in all my 44yrs on this earth for its chaotic beauty
I once got kicked out of a karaoke bar for singing this.....and they had it in their catalog!!! 😂😂😂🙄
Ugh that sounds unfair but I also would have loved to have seen everyone's face in the audience while this was being performed!! 😂 Thanks for sharing, Lex
@@NicknLex we haven't been back to that place since....it was mostly older people than I (I'm in my mid 40's) and I think they were mostly parents, I'm not one of those. So yeah, you can probably figure that scenario out from there. 😂 But yeah, the song was in the catalog so as far as I'm concerned, it's fair game!
Haha that's awesome
@@RyanMovingViolationz I would have been cheering you on!
@@davidbailey6397 respect, sir! 👍🏻
This is Tool’s best album, IMO. Love the whole thing but this song especially. Awesome reaction video. 🤘🏼
Tool "Schism" absolutely destroyed me. It's wonderful.
This is their earlier work.They had a lot of anger and music is was heavier.They evolved more and grown more as a band during lateralus album and up until the most recent "Fear Inoculum"
Tool!! Very cool. They are like Rush, once you get hooked there is no going back and the rabbit hole gets very deep. 46&2, Stinkfist, 10,000 days\Wings for Marie, 7empest, Pnuema. Have fun, i hope you dive in the deep end.
Oh and please think about doing a full listen through of Rush-Power Windows some evening.
Rush the spirit of radio is one of my absolute favorites
This was my first song. And I was blown away by the delivery of Maynard on how direct one can be through their music. It's a phenomenal song . Those who don't like the lyrics are good people to make me and other 0.99% people unique as we get it
Been to LA. Maynards lyrics are spot on. Maynards writes about the truths in life. Sometimes those truths can be ugly, primal and even beautiful and inspirational.
This song is very much aggressively in your face both musically and lyrically. They are slamming the whole LA scene and all the bad things that result from living there. Other suggestions you may enjoy include, Schism, Sober, Jambi, And Vicarious.
my favorite tool song... and i got new appreciation for it once i found out the way adam actually plays the opening riff.. using one strum
If you listen very closely to the tone in which Manard sings this song it doesn't sound angry but almost sorrowful. That lyrical tone up against the very raw guitar and drums gives that amazing tension so prevalent in TOOLS music. Absolutely masterful.
And btw, this album and the previous ones are VERY aggressive in their lyrical content. This is just where Maynard was at that time in his life. He definitely has evolved so much over the years.
So funny that you brought up the headphones. This is the first thing I have watched from you guys, and, as soon as you brought them out, I immediately thought: "Those are some beefy, nice looking headphones!"
Thanks!! 😃 We’re still loving them like the first day!!
Tool is sooo good in their changing time signatures. You guys gotta check out Schism, Pnuma, Danny Carey rules
This is one of their more literal songs, the meeting is pretty evident and I think he does a great job with the lyrics myself.
"Don't just call me pessimist. . .
Try and read between the lines. . .
I can't imagine why you wouldn't welcome any change, my friend. . ."
Hey Nick N Lex. This is the cd that got me into Tool. I was a member of a cd club and one month I for got to tell them not to send me the cd of the month and they sent this one. When I got it I decided to open and listen to it and was instantly hooked. Love their music very much. Great reaction. Keep up the good work.
Im so happy you got back to tool! You bring so much joy to so many! I hope you continue with a tool journey. Thanks for video. You should check soen! Great band! They just released a new album!
I started listening to popular music with the Beatles, and this is one of my all time favorites, Aenema. Genius!
He's saying LA is a sh|t hole... And that was back in 1996..... Looking at LA now, it's undeniable
Hi there. I'm new to watching your channel. The jury is still out on Tool for me. Just not sure. What I am sure about , however, is how special your channel is. I really like how you react to various aspects of the song rather than one or two elements. It's also really cool to see you two experience the same song at the same time. Music can be so connecting and I appreciate your authenticity individually and together. Cool to see. Recommendation: Lingus by Snarky Puppy (or anything by Snarky Puppy). Thanks for sharing. Cheers.
Hey man go watch the trash talkers on UA-cam, they have tool Tuesday and they have a lot of videos that they've been checking out and they give a good review, and they've come a long way from the first to now.
Tools are an amazing band I'm sorry you caught to you a bad song to begin with, but I recommend giving them another chance if you feel you can.
@@bio-hazard221 I'm going to really give it a go. Intellectually and as a musician, I'm a big thumbs up, I just can't get into them in ways I can other (including similar) bands. I'll give all recommendations a listen. Thanks for your response.
Middle-aged Adjectives
My guy if you love Larnell and the snarks , you got tool inside ya. You just don’t know it yet 😅 often hard to jam to tool until you’ve just allowed the song to take you where it wants to go. Once you know the storyline to the song and you know the music and you get your mind blown by lyrics. Then you find yourself jamming to the odd time signatures. Doesn’t look like normal jammin tho. Looks like a seizure tbh😂😂😂 but fuck it when you know where tool is goin and can vibe with those changes. It gets better IMO. They are an acquired taste. But once ya taste em. Everything else tastes bland.
@@joshuaburgin5995 Gonna give it a hell of a shot with the help of some cubensis. Thanks for taking the time to make the case for Tool. Cheers.
The lyrics seem pretty straight forward on this one. Love it.
The "Learn to Swim" & "Arizona Bay" phrase comes from a Bill Hicks comedy sketch. Talking about the massive fault line in California, and the idea of the whole state floating out into the ocean after a huge earthquake. MJKs disgust of LA was apparent, and this idea to him almost seemed prophetic after a dream he had about this very thing. Not too soon after this he left LA and moved to Arizona and started a winery.
Tool pushit salival version is just beautiful, recommend the album version as well, they're both done differently.
Studio version is better though
Maynard singing about catastrophic geology and how “mother will put it back as it should be”. Brilliant.
This song is the very meaning of timeless classic, very fresh/relevant just as much today than the day it was released
I always pictured this song in my mind as someone who's sitting in rush hour traffic after being fired on the same day that they found out that their spouse was cheating on them ! Just fed up with L.A. and wanting the whole thing gone !
Loved this!
This CD had lenticular art on the cover and inside pages and one image showe a map of the USA w/California there when you look @ it from one direction and when viewed from the opposite direction Cali is gone........so the lyrics "wash it all away" & "Learn to swim" are referencing that piece of art, which is referring to a prophecy where a big earthquake causes Cali to break off into the pacific. If you need to refer a great Tool song w/deep lyrics try Right Into.
Tool won a Grammy for this song, "Best Metal Performance " They've also won Grammys for "Schism" "7empest" and "Best Record Packaging " (10,000 Days album).
I live in Arizona and have always loved this song my volume goes to full always.
These lyrics are pure art, Being a private band often criticized and censored, it was a finger to the elitist critics. While they evolved they never caved to the pressure
These lyrics are perfect. Hope it finally happens
*YES*
Just had to come on here and shout BILL HICKS!!!! I'm sure I am not the only one that has mentioned he was the inspiration for this tune, as well as others from this album. R.I.P Mr. Hicks, you are remembered and missed. Peace.
This is the album that Justin Chancellor joined, it was transformative. The whole album is epic. I’d recommend Eulogy as many of the other songs get lots of reviews. Great work team.
Hey you two , I am so happy for the Tool and Rush ! They all have mastered their Instruments , including vocals ! This is why they stand apart from every one else !!
One of the best Bass riffs of all time, so fun to play on bass and guitar.I play in Drop D(DADGBE) tuning and pretty sure thats how it is written.
You are correct sir, definitely drop D👍
This is one of Tool's highest rated and most beloved songs. Maynard's lyrics are very straight forward. He's talked about hating LA, and California in general, many times in interviews. Acknowledging that there are both good and bad people there but stating that, as a whole, it's a bad place. Singling out places like LA and Hollywood while talking about it.
Great reaction and commentary! Right in Two us another great Tool song. It sounds a bit like the instrumental part of Different Strings by Rush because of the harmonics.
Please do a review of tool descending !! I have no doubt both of you will love it !!
That's what's so unique and rewarding with Tool. They evolved from anger/hate to wisdom. As a fan that grew up with them, I'd like to think I evolved with them. Tool is more of an experience than a band- Spiral Out...
If you've ever spent time in LA then the lyrics are perfect.
This song was inspired by a stand-up comedy bit from a comedian and hero of Maynard's named Bill Hicks, who detested Los Angeles and died the year they were writing this album. Hicks had a bit about how he longed for California to fall into the ocean, hence his album's title "Arizona Bay" (which Maynard explicitly references in the lyric "See you down in Arizona Bay." Maynard was also in a very angry and unhappy place, as his mother was in very poor health at the time.
As for the tuning: I don't know what the original tuning was for the recording, but I learned it tuned to drop D which especially made the crunchy intro work for me.
As for the lyrics, for me they speak to the superficial / materialistic way too many people are living today and L.A. is just the metaphor to put a face on it. So basically, he's saying wake up and remember what it's really all about.
Gotta love Tool, there is no choice, you gotta love them!
I'm not a Tool fan. I have only one album, this one. I love this song, I think the lyrics ring true. I don't listen to it that much, maybe I should...when my wife's not around. I know doesn't like it or their videos, which are awesome! It's all about taste.
Can’t wait for you guys to get into the Fear Inoculum album
Just my personal opinion, but MJKs best lyrics for me are:
Right in Two
Parabol/Parabola
Sober
Pneuma
The Pot
Stinkfist gets the award for the greatest double entendre of all time-
"Relax. Turn around and take my hand."
In 'Judith' by A Perfect Circle, Maynard uses Theodicy to express the anger from his mother's illness and death.
I never know whether to recommend listening to the music or the lyrics in Tool songs first. The music is so complex and the lyrics typically so deep that concentrating on one lessens the experience of the other.
Love your reactions. Thank you for sharing.
The Noose has great lyrics and meaning behind them
Here in Argentina there is a native folk rhythm called "chacarera". Aenima has exactly the same beat and rhythm. It is very curious the way in which the extremes are mixed.
We were first in line, to buy that, in 96.. In Williamsburg, Virginia.. We always said "AY-nuh-muh"
"Learn to swim" love it.. welcome to Tool.
Didn’t even know lyrics till 5 o 6 years after it came out music was so good
Badass band. All there songs videos are a master piece for sure. To understand tool, well where is my dmt!!!
From any other band, these lyrics would be “whoa, getting serious” but the Tool bar is so high they come off as a little too “on the nose”. But it’s nice to hear Maynard just say “no poetry in this one, fuck that and fuck them” I dig it.
This line here was what put the whole song in perspective for me:
Yeah, don't just call me pessimist
Try and read between the lines
I can't imagine why you wouldn't
Welcome any change, my friend
It is actually drop D tuning, but the root note is E for the song (2nd fret on the D string).
You've got to check out Tools cover of No Quarter by Led Zeppelin. It is so unbelievably epic!!
It is also the guitar that sounds different, with lots of textures and super metallic sound, a Gibson Les Paul custom silver burst 1979. Also the Amp Diezel VH4.
My favorite Tool song is the one vibrating closest to my ears.... such a great band! Also, I haven't read the comments, and it has probably already been said, but this song is in drop d.
I remember seeing an interview years ago about how Maynard thought that the environment and the people in such a geographically beautiful location was both contradictory and criminal. The entire atmosphere and scene in LA is what made him retreat to the calmer area of Arizona to open his Vinyard. I think some people just prefer a more calm and Rual lifestyle and living. I personally couldn't survive in NYC and would feel the same way Maynard feels about LA.
More Tool! 🤘
Bass is more than one quarter of the equation with this one !
Hi Guys, missed you, so remember this is a 25 year old song...Maynard was an angry but developing young man with a huge mind and strong opinion....this whole album has more of a 90's feel, grimy guitars and tone....and one angry Maynard....it's more straight forward because it is straight forwarding Maynard being fed up with LA and the culture they had dwelled in for 6 years or so......the fake and high and mighty have never been Maynards thing....as gifted as you two are and as musically inclined as Alex is I would tell you for your next reaction to react to something from the newest album Fear Inoculum, I would recommend Invincible or Descending.........they evolved like no other band, with the same lineup and they grew up organically together
So you’ve heard...
Yes please... INVINCIBLE!
I forgot y'all already reacted to The Grudge but the is a lot of insight to that song too. Do a whole album. My suggestion is Undertow. One song at a time of course.
This album is much more angry and aggressive than their other albums, and I love it. It is stark difference between Lateralus. They just don't hold back.
Please do songs on their new album, descending, pneuma, 7empest, etc
“Don’t just call me pessimist , so you read between the lines”
Like others have said, read the verse that says "Don't just call me pessimist, try and read between the lines. I couldn't imagine who wouldn't welcome any change my friend". Tool was pretty angry up until Lateralus. Some kid gave me Undertow 25 years ago and a freshman in high school because it bothered him more then Marilyn Manson at the time. (The album pictures don't help.) That was my first introduction to Tool. Then my first concert ever '98 Red Rocks when I was 16 which was this Tour.
lyric in this very song---"...Don't just call me a pessimist...try and read between the lines"
As others have implied here the song is written in respect to Bill Hicks. A stand up comedian that died in 1994 from pancreatic cancer and was a friend of the band. Maynard is a sarcastic fellow. He obviously doesn't really want a natural disaster to literally destroy California. I believe Danny and Adam live in or around Los Angeles. Maynard has expressed in an interview before that it would take something catastrophic like a meteor strike causing significant loss of life in order for people to forgo divisiveness and collaborate. But the song is completely satirical. And the song is pronounced Enema. Because enemas are for cleansing.
First to leave a like! Rock on! Greets from Germany!
“Don’t just call me a pessimist. Try and read between the lines” is the most important lyric. To me he is talking about the culture that needs to be flushed.
"The anima and animus are described in Carl Jung's school of analytical psychology as part of his theory of the collective unconscious. Jung described the animus as the unconscious masculine side of a woman, and the anima as the unconscious feminine side of a man, each transcending the personal psyche."
Maynard is all about transcendence. Becoming more. So, LA represents everything animalistic about humanity. Shallowness, vanity, ego, greed...the worst of us. So, to someone like Maynard, who wants to ascend....LA would be antithetical to everything he's about....however, his sense of humor/self awareness, he is aware of his own shortcomings that makes him want to flush it all down, therefore preventing his own ascension.
It's an ironical concept.
Hi guys, you might want to check out Pain of Salvation. That's a Swedish prog-rock/metal band, very unique and unfortunately underrated.
one of my fave tracks of that album is "Eulogy" hope u guys can react to that song ....
I like the Lateralus image behind you.
Re: Maynard's Lyrics. One of the things that has kept me a Tool fan since '91 and a huge fan of the first APC records is Maynard's lyrics. I love his thoughtfulness and complexity, the sub-textual meanings keep the songs from being explained away easily. If you look at a song like "Stinkfist" superficially, then you think it's a song about fisting, but if you read sub-textually, you realize it's more of a meditation on over stimulation the the numbness that comes from having your desires fulfilled without struggle. However, I would agree that Maynard's lyrics lately have become more overt. His work with Pusicfer and the later APC records since Emotive have been less complex as he has tired to open his artistry to a wider audience, and thus I feel MJK songs are not as good as they used to be. On the other hand, I think Fear Inoculum brought back the complexity and sub-textuality of his writing, but he took a much more background role on FI compared to his earlier work on Tool and early APC. In the end, as a 40 year resident of LA, Aenima is one of my favorite songs. Keep in mind that most of the other songs on Aenima (record) are NOT overt, so Aenima (song) and the other overty song Hooker with a Penis fits on that record as kinds of breaths of fresh air, breaks from the more critical interpretations required by the other lyrics.
Tool's lyrics are usually many meanings. I'm sure it's Maynard's true feelings about LA specifically, but many of these sentiments can be said about the rest of the planet. And it's a combination of 2 words, Enema (a physical douching), and Anema which is a spiritual cleansing (I think Carl Jeung)? Plus the drums and bass rock...
I think in this particular song the lyrics do not have double meaning. He meant that sh#t.
The farther you go back into their music, the angrier Maynard is. He has since worked through that anger it seems. Music is therapeutic especially when you express yourself through it and grow through that experience. TOOL
It's amazing how art reflects life. I'm a former San Fernando Valley resident, now residing in the greater Phoenix, AZ. area - for the better!
Lyrics are ALWAYS scrutinized - too naughty, too pure, too vague, etc.
Don't let a comment stick with you... except this one! ;)
The lyrics are not contemplative like much of their later work. They are first of all tongue in cheek. And they are very direct. Their entire CAREER has been a journey toward enlightenment. This was where they were at that time. This is what they have evolved beyond. It's all about context.
He even says "read between the lines". In this song, he's asking you to not take him so literally.
Most comments are spot on times the whole west coast
I love the contemplative side of Tool, but this track absolutely rocks! I also really love the lyrics. They're not subtle - although maybe more than they seem - but they are obvioulsy heartfelt, and IMO quite funny. Although he's obviously disgusted by many of his fellow humans, what I hear underneath that is a plea to reconnect with "Mom", ie mother nature, who's going to "flush it all away". On the Genius page for this song it talks about how the song's title combines "enema" with "anima" - the Jungian expression for the feminine part of a man. It's effectively a warning to the human race: reconnect with the Earth, and with femininity, or die.
This song has always been my favorite for some reason ever since I was 14 when I first heard it in 96. It’s definitely a departure from most Tool tracks but I just love the ferocity and it’s just always had a strange connection for me. However I still need to move to Arizona from California before it flushes away. ;)
Best Tool album ever 😉
People who want a more melodic Tool, probably listen to Disposition, an Reflection, then finish with an instrumental Triad. Very zen, very spiritual.