Chris Bell was the founding member and guitarist/singer/songwriter for Big Star. Chris left after the first album never sold.. He played afterwards a little but then went into a huge depression.
This song has a hard trippy edge to it. I love his voice in this one…he sounds like he is on a mission and he was at the time.
He was doing drugs, drinking, and basically shutting himself off to people. He was this way for months and his brother David took him over to Italy to try to help him. His brother snapped this picture of Chris that was used on his debut album that was released after his death.
Little by little Chris started to get better and more religious…that helped him cut out the hard drugs. He would battle depression for the rest of his short life but he never got as bad as when he quit Big Star. You can hear the hurt in his voice in this song.
This song is about him finding God.. The lyrics are brutally honest. He did attempt suicide twice and states that in the song. Although this was recorded in the mid-seventies…it wasn’t released until the 90s long after Chris had died in an auto accident.
Better Save Yourself
I walk the streets
I’m all alone
I just can’t think
What I’ve been doing wrong
I know you’re mine
He treats you nice
It’s suicide
I know, I tried it twice
You should’ve given your love to Jesus
It couldn’t do you no harm
Should’ve given your love to Jesus
It wouldn’t do you no harm
You’ve been sitting on your ass
Trying to find some grace
But you better save yourself
If you wanna see his face
I guess there are things
You’d like to know
It’s getting late
And I know you want to go
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It’s a haunting, heartbreaking song. At the start, his sound reminded me of John Lennon.
I noticed that…he does sound like Lennon with the echo on his voice and the music.
From what I’ve read he was happy at the end of his life…but he went through a lot to get there.
That is exactly what I was thinking…John Lennon.
It’s a powerful song for sure…yea it does remind me of him.
When I got into Big Star i heard about this one and ordered it- I wasn’t disappointed.
Chilton gets a lot of credit for Big Star and rightly so but you can hear Bell all over that first album…. I like this album also…some great songs.
another one of those cheery early-’70s tunes, … You’re right about the Lennon sound… if I’d just heard the first 20 seconds or so and not known what it was, I would have guessed a John Lennon outtake.
It’s that echo he used on his voice and that guitar sound. I like how he used the somber words against that music.
LOL! Yeah…cheery…
This one is deep, really deep. The chord changes and his lamenting tone and knowing he was already passed on when it was released make it very sad to listen to.
It is sad…the part about the suicides got to me. The good thing is from what I’ve read he was happy with life when he passed…but it’s like looking at someone’s soul. Thanks for giving it a chance Lisa!
My pleasure, Max, and a good way of putting it.
It’s a pretty intense tune. I also like the sound. And while I’m not very familiar with the details, the story of Chris Bell surely sounds heartbreaking!
Thanks for listening Christian! Doesn’t it sound kinda like Lennon at the first?
Yep, I agree, it’s pretty striking!
I completely missed the Big Star train. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to an album, but lately I have been seeing so much about them (and seeing their vinyl show up in some local shops. I need to give these guys and Chris Bell a shot.
A lot of people missed it for sure…If you ever do…the first album is the most power pop…the second is a little more rawer.
Great pick, man… this is a really beautiful tune. Really quite haunting, too. He was such a great songwriter.
Im like the rough edge to the music on this one.
Thanks for listening CB…it has a Lennon edge to it .
Yes I picked that up right away. You think he was influenced or that was just the same vibe?
I believe it came naturally by this time but he was heavily influenced by them.