Tuesday, August 20, 2024

We're Going Wrong: New Twist on an Old Cream Classic

Sons of Cream, Newton Theater, August 16, 2024
Cream was one of the distinctive supergroups of the 60s. "We're Going Wrong" is a song that appeared on Disraeli Gears, their second album. From the time I first heard it I'd always interpreted it as a breakup song, about a person in a relationship that was going bad. The song's chorus is easily interpreted this way. "I found out today we're going wrong, we're going wrong."

This past Friday evening my brother and I went to see Sons of Cream in Newton, New Jersey. It was an upbeat energetic concert featuring the sons of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, along with a nephew of  Eric Clapton performing music from the Cream catalog, one of these being "We're Going Wrong."

The song is a departure from the more blues-rock driven sound that characterized much of Cream's work. The lyrics are sparse, and the instrumentation captures a sense of introspective despair that resonates on a deeper emotional level with those who engage it. Here are the lyrics, followed by the new insight I gained in Newton.

We're Going Wrong

Please open your eyes.
Try to realize.

I found out today we're going wrong,We're going wrong.
Please open your mind.See what you can find.
I found out today we're going wrong,We're going wrong.
We're going wrong.We're going wrong.We're going wrong.

* * * 


Newton NJ, August 16
Let's start with the music.

Musically, the song is built around a slow, brooding rhythm that complements the somber tone of the lyrics with a minimalist arrangement. Ginger Baker's drumming has the vibe of a swirling tidewater undercurrent, shifting from subtle haunting rhythms to intense crescendos that rise and recede again, mirroring the atmospheric emotions. Juxtaposed against the restrained guitar and basswork, the music generates tension which is followed by release like a receding tide. At various moments Clapton's guitar embellishes the interplay of the three artists so as to produce a sense of melancholy and unease, a perfect accompaniment for the lyrics.

 

The Lyrics  

Until this weekend I'd always interpreted "We're Going Wrong" as a break-up song, one in which one person in the relationship has had a realization which he or she is attempting to convey to the other person, a disturbing recognition of an unsettling truth.  


But what if it's something different, something internal, a flash of understanding about oneself?


If we separate the verses from the chorus, you get this message: "Please open your eyes," and "Please open your mind."


Who is talking to whom? From this angle, it could easily be a self-talk script. When wedded to the music we feel a sense of urgency and desperation, as if the speaker is pleading with oneself to wake up to an unsettling truth. The repeated phrase "We're going wrong" suggests a recognition that something has happened, though the specifics are left ambiguous. It's a vagueness that allows the song to take on multiple interpretations.


The simplicity of the lyrics emphasizes the emotional weight of the message. The use of direct appeals—"Please open your eyes" and "Please open your mind"—suggests that there is denial taking place.  


Philosophically there's a sense in which we're witnessing--hearing, seeing, feeling--an existential crisis. It may be an impending individual crack-up, a crumbling relationship, or even a societal collapse. As we engage the song all these possibilities open up to us.

 

* * *

Additional Details*
Pete Brown was the lyricist for all the songs on Disraeli Gears except this one, which
was penned by Jack Bruce. Bruce's falsetto vocals and crooning-like singing were accompanied with a slow bass line and Eric Clapton's bluesy/psychedelic guitar melody. Ginger Baker used Timpani drum mallets rather than standard drumsticks on this song (as does Kofi Baker in his Sons of Cream shows). The 6/8 time signature also gave the song a distinct and irregular sound. however Baker’s drumming is often frenetic and fast paced, making it completely at odds with the rest of the instruments.


Here is the song.

Here's an alternate version from the BBC:

* Wikipedia


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