Plane Crash in C

Plane Crash In C is an indie soft rock song by Rilo Kiley first released on 2001-07-31 as track 7 of Take Offs and Landings. It was composed by Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett. On the album recording, Jenny sings vocals, Blake plays guitar, Pierre de Reeder plays bass, Dave Rock play drums, Aram Arsalanian plays keyboards, Alex Greenwald plays synthesizer, and Phillip Watt plays trumpet.

I might have first heard this song in concert because I saw Rilo Kiley live before I bought Take Offs and Landings, and The Execution of All Things hadn't even been out for a year yet, so this song would still likely be in their rotation. When I did hear it on the album, I'm pretty sure I liked it, and, after many successive listens, I adore it and think it's one of the band's best.

Except for the wonderful trumpet in the middle and near the end, the song mostly has Southern elements, Jenny occasionally has a twang in her voice, and a lot of the time, Blake's guitar sounds like a steel guitar.

Like many of Jenny's songs, this one seems to be about self-doubt. A lot of the lyrics seem to be about being envious of someone who appears to have it all together. A couple of the lyrics might be Jenny criticizing this person, or that person criticizing Jenny, or the voice in her head criticizing herself, for example, "But you're so smart, how could they not know?"

Lyrics

If you're scared and it shows cause you're watching them grow
And traveling blows when you're out of road
And when you jump up the earth wants you back

Your resentment grows till you're all alone
But you're so smart, how could they not know?
When you're standing there in good humored white

And how do you do it?
And make it seem effortless
When it's all the stupid things
So overwhelming to me
Like paying my bills
Or showing up for work early
Or laughing at your jokes

When you first said that anything goes
Or a problem is a task disguised in work clothes
That's when I knew I had to move
And why do you do it?
And make it seem delicate
When it's all the stupid things
So damn confusing to me
Like talking it through
Controlling my temper
Like letting it go
Saying please forgive me
For laughing at your jokes

I have no idea what's going on lately
And I just wish you would come over and explain things

And I have no idea what's going on lately
And I just wish you would come over and explain things

And I have no idea what's been going on lately
And I just wish you would come over and explain things

And I have no idea what's going on lately
And I just wish you would come over and explain things

Why do they do it?
And show up anyway?
When they know that damn well
There's no room for promotions out here
And maybe it's wise
And maybe I'm just stupid
For laughing at your jokes

(Okay)

Videos

• youtube.com/watch?v=vSNbCOvGBcw - Album version.
• youtube.com/watch?v=yz17xrQA-7Q - Live at Cal State Fullerton, 2001-12-07.

Links

 

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Offs_and_Landings - Wikipedia - Take Offs and Landings page.