X – The World’s a Mess: It’s in My Kiss

I didn’t really start listening to this band until last year. A few years ago, CB mentioned the song Fourth of July and I loved that song with Dave Alvin. I didn’t listen further until last year. This song is from their 1980 debut album Los Angeles. This song has a cool punk feel, plus a vintage cool guitar riff. The song was written by Exene Cervenka and John Doe, the principal songwriters of X.

X was formed in Los Angeles in 1977 and comprised of founding members singer John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom, drummer D.J. Bonebrake, and singer Exene Cervenka. With their first album in 1980, their album Los Angeles was critically praised and considered a great one of that period.

The band was founded by Doe (real name John Nommensen Duchac) and Zoom. Soon, Doe would bring his girlfriend Exene Cervenka to band practice; she was a poet, and the band liked her work so she joined permanently. When trying to think of a name…Doe looked around the band members and focused on Exene Cervenka. Her unusual first name was shortened to X…Exene to X…

After Manzarek saw them live…he really connected to the lyrics. He was instantly struck by the lyrics to X’s song Johny Hit And Run Paulene: ‘He got a sterilized hypo, to shoot a sex machine drug/He got 24 hours, to shoot Paulene between the legs.’ Manzarek thought to himself…those are not lyrics…those are poetry.

Exene Cervenka:  It was the first song I wrote where I’d had the ambition to combine a lot of different things. I was writing about the bigger picture – “the world’s a mess,” which is about as big as you can get – and combined it with something more personal – “it’s in my kiss,” which was also a nod to “The Shoop Shoop Song” and the history of rock and roll. There’s a baseball reference in there too, and I feel like the line I wrote “Dirty night dying like a lovely wife” foreshadowed the death of my sister, which is weird. So, yeah, it is kind of a surrealist song, but I chose it because I feel like it was the first time I had a real, kind of developed sense of songwriting, with lyrics that were sort of combining aspects of all the writing I’d been doing since I was young.

Ray Manzarek produced this and also their following three albums. Exene has picked this song in her top 3 of all the songs she did. 

The World’s A Mess; It’s In My Kiss

No one is unitedAnd all things are untiedPerhaps we’re boiling over insideThey’ve been telling liesWho’s been telling lies?There are no angelsThere are devils in many waysTake it like a man

The world’s a mess it’s in my kissThe world’s a mess it’s in my kissThe world’s a mess it’s in my kissThe world’s a mess it’s in my kiss

You can’t take it backPull it out of the firePull it out in the bottom of the ninthPull it out in chords of red diseaseDrag on the systemDrag on my head and bodySome facts here (some facts here!)Which refuse to escapeI could say it strongerBut it’s too much troubleI was wandering down at the bricksHectic, isn’t it?Down we go, cradle and all

No one is unitedAnd all things are untiedPerhaps we’re boiling over insideThey’ve been telling liesWho’s been telling lies?There are no angelsThere are devils in many waysTake it like a man

The world’s a mess it’s in my kissThe world’s a mess it’s in my kissThe world’s a mess it’s in my kiss(Go to hell, see if you like it, then come home with me!)The world’s a mess it’s in my kiss(Tomorrow night may be too late)(Both moons are full like a lovely wife)The world’s a mess it’s in my kiss(Dirty night dying like a lovely wife)(Goodbye, my darling!)The world’s a mess it’s in my kiss(How high the moon? Well, I wish I was.)(The world is fine, goodbye, my darling!)The world’s a mess it’s in my kiss(Both moons are full like a lovely wife)(Dirty night dying like a lovely wife)(Goodbye, my darling!)The world’s a mess it’s in my kissThe world’s a mess it’s in my kissThe world’s a mess it’s in my kiss

The world’s a mess it’s in my kissThe world’s a mess it’s in my kissThe world’s a mess it’s in my kissThe world’s a mess it’s in my kiss

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

43 thoughts on “X – The World’s a Mess: It’s in My Kiss”

  2. Pingback: X – The World’s a Mess: It’s in My Kiss – MobsterTiger

  9. A band I’ve heard of for years but don’t really know. Have to admit, I liked the London ’70s punk sound more than the LA one. But it sure offered an alternative listening experience to locals who got tired of their rock gently sailing in on a yacht!

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      1. from what I have seen on old KROQ charts and reading a book about one of SoCal’s big radio people , it seems like they were big in LA for some years but I don’t think they caught on big elsewhere. Missing Persons and Berlin were tamer and both had some success nationally of course, but seemed like they were huge there. On the other hand, the British acts seemed to dominate more of the Toronto/Canadian alt or punk scene of the ’80s

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      2. Yea they were huge in California…it was also the time the heavy metal bands of LA were being heard like Motley Crue….I’m sure the same there.

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  10. X never enjoyed the commercial breakthrough that many believed they deserved, but they were massively popular in their hometown of Los Angeles, and they could successfully headline large outdoor venues like the Greek Theater, proving there was an audience for punk in the City of the Angels. 

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  11. I know a little of their music, but I appreciate what they were doing, because to me it was more like ssouped-up rockabilly than a violent thing. I’ve probably heard more John Doe solo. I love his version of Dylan’s “Pressing On”.

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    1. Souped up rockabilly is a great way of putting it. I’ve starting to listen to a lot of the Doe solo stuff…I love what I’ve been hearing.

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  15. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard the name X before, and I’m not talking about the social media platform formerly known as Twitter! 🙂

    “The World’s a Mess, It’s in My Kiss” nicely rocks. Manzarek’s organ certainly makes this an unusual punk song.

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  19. X released “Los Angeles” on April 26, 1980. Not 1981.

    I love this quote I found: “complex and dazzling in its brutality.” I always told John I could see and hear their influences, which were mine too: film noir, crime noir books, silent film vamps, and of course, poetry not found in most rock songs.

    I hung out with and photographed X probably starting around April 1977, prior to their first performances in November 1977. The woman who is the subject of “Los Angeles” named me “Jenny Lens” in their home, sometime late summer 1977. 

    I took photos of the band signing on the rooftop of Slash magazine turned record company’s rooftop, January 1980. 

    “Los Angeles” released April 26, 1980. X played the Whisky. I photographed Exene’s sister, Murielle, backstage. Whatta celebratory night! I probably took the last photos of her. I believe she died the next night. On the way to the Whisky to see her sister Exene again.

    Interesting what you and others wrote. There’s so much more to X than the post or comments. But whatever, nice to see people talking about them. 

    For many, X spoke of our real lives and challenges. Very personal yet universal. And as stated, very poetic.

    Ray’s organ ruined “Los Angeles.” Billy Zoom created memorable guitar riffs. Sadly obscured by Ray’s meandering, meaningless organ. Fine with the Doors. Ruined X’s “Los Angeles.”

    I prefer “Live at the Whisky.” That’s really energetic and the X I knew and loved.

    Kinda sad you all dismiss X so readily. Fine poets and musicians. And I don’t say that cos I knew and hung with them.

    X is my fave band, along with early Clash and early Ramones. None of these bands sound alike. And equating Exene to Siouxsie happens cos they were both dark haired with dramatic makeup.

    But beyond that, their clothing, makeup, lyrics and music very very different. Just how much listening and paying heed to the music and lyrics by X was done by those who responded?

    My take: talking about X in particular reminds me of this Lovin’ Spoonful song, “Do You Believe in Magic?” Although it’s upbeat, cos hey, hippies, it’s still about particular music resonating with some of us, but X’s take is darker. Which was elemental in early punk (1976-80):

    How the music can free her, whenever it starts
    And it’s magic, if the music is groovy
    It makes you feel happy like an old-time movie
    I’ll tell you about the magic, and it’ll free your soul
    But it’s like trying to tell a stranger ’bout rock and roll

    Thanks and rock on!

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    1. No thank you! I HATE mistakes when I make them and I apologize. Either I wrote it wrong or got the wrong info…I corrected it…thank you!
      That is so cool you got to hang out with them! I’ll do another one in a few weeks because it’s been a while. I just discovered them a few years ago and I’m glad I did. I love John Doe…his solo stuff as well.

      Thank you for that inspiring comment and the info. So cool you took their photograph and hung out with them!

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      1. Thanks for your kind comment! I sometimes type wrong year … cos I work too quickly at times. And we see what we think we typed, not always what we really typed.

        I just posted photos (on FB and my site) of Ron Asheton of the Stooges making out with me, just for fun, in my kitchen at a Halloween party I threw for Back Door Man, a fab early SoCal rock fanzine.

        I had no idea who he was nor who were the Stooges. (I later met and photographed Iggy several times between 1977-79).

        But I know darned well I threw that party in 1976! So why did I type 1977?

        Thankfully I discovered the error as I was about to post it. Then I had to change 11 other photos in the series.

        Dates are vital. So many think as long as we get the right year … and even then, they love to date my Iggy photos as 1980s photos …

        Details, right! Love what you are doing! Rock on!

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      2. Yea I stay away from months lol…I get enough wrong in years. I’ve done this for around 8 years and yea…I still make mistakes.
        Thank you for reading! And thank you for being nice. I once posted a picture of Groucho Marx…I’m a HUGE Marx Brothers fan but it had me fooled…it wasn’t him…it was someone dressed up as him perfectly! This guy was an ass about it…so thank you again for being nice.

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