Superlatives
A Vulture series in which artists judge the best and worst of their own careers.
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And to repeat, he canreallyshred that guitar.
Song that sounds the best live
Do You Feel Like We Do is my favorite.
I cant imagine doing a show without that song.
But I think theres two.
The other top favorite for me is Lines on My Face.
I like playing it because its kind of a trance, including for us on the stage.
Its such a great vibe.
you’re able to hear a pin drop when we play it.
Everyones listening intensely and gets into the mood of it.
With Do You Feel, I didnt realize I was writing the best hangover song ever.
Thats what I had when I wrote it!
Im now 18 years with no alcohol and Im very proud of that.
Its one of those songs where its everybodys song.
They all sing it.
Its an up song.
Most people know what Im talking about with the hangover and full ashtray of dead cigarettes by the bed.
Thatll send you straight to the bathroom.
People identify with that.
It doesnt matter what mood youre in, and I think that goes for the whole album.
Even if you werent feeling that great before, theres great joy in that song.
He responded,Wheres Show Me the Way?
Wheres Baby, I Love Your Way?
Theres no acoustics!So alotwere almost cut.
Did he do the right thing?
Oh God, and the awful cover [art] with that.
Maintaining the pop-y image of satin pants and not wearing shirts.
Everybody else had moved on a little bit at that time but I was still stuck.
Time had stopped for me at that point.
I wrongly thought I should stay the same.
I shouldve reinvented myself in T-shirts and jeans for the Im in You cover.
Even though it was my only No.
1 single, it split the men up from the girls.
For the wholeComes Alive!tour, it was definitely a 50/50 audience because the music was great.
I let them do it to me up to a certain point.
When I realized what was happening, it was too late.
Talk-box song that gave you the most mouth discomfort
Its not that bad at all!
I would say its pretty comfortable.
It might not look like it.
Im basically biting it with my teeth to close it down and open it up to get different sounds.
The first song that we introduced it into before anything was recorded was Do You Feel.
I remember the first time using it during a performance.
It was at the end of Do You Feel.
It felt like the audience moved 24 inches closer to me.
I looked around at the guys and I couldnt believe it.
The effect was instantaneous.What the hell is that?Its humorous!
There was no auto-tune, there were no vocoders at that point.
It had this giant effect on the audience.
By the end of the talk-box solo, I had the audience in the palm of our hand.
Most romantic song
Its got to be Lines on My Face.
Its a very peaceful key in of song.
And everyone can identify with the lyrics.
Im sure a lot of people would say Baby, I Love Your Way is the most romantic.
Maybe it is for a lot of people, but Lines on My Face is the one for me.
Im trying to think of all of the songs on there.
I really dont think that there was anything overshadowed.
People generally listened to it from beginning to end.
I wouldve said maybe the acoustic numbers, but I dont think so.
Its such a powerful number and such a big part of me.
That one is always different every night.
The song has been with me so long.
It allows me after two songs of rock and roll to calm down.
The nerves are gone.
Im on the stage and in control.
I get to do that number and it just centers me.
Theres a lot of showing off there.
The climax is one of the most exciting parts to show off.
Thats when things get pretty hot and heavy.
That solo is a process that evolved over many years.
It goes back to every guitar player Ive ever listened to.
Today is the day where Im listening to me.
For the next five years until we recordedComes Alive!,it built on what Id call Peters style.
It actually developed into its own style.
I dont want to think about anything, especially about what to play next.
Its just something that comes from wherever it comes from.
It doesnt have to be guitar players; it can be, say, trumpet players.
I listen to a lot of Miles Davis for his choice in notes.
It doesnt matter what instrument it is.
Theyre all wonderful examples of where people are soloing.
Then you know,Wow, this is me.
I had one person with me it was in Detroit.
I had multiple shows in Detroit and I went to a tiny record store to sign some records.
I was behind the counter and they let everyone in.
There were so many people that the place became stuffed.
I had to be removed from the building.
The limousine was out back and I was hustled into it quickly.
There must have been 30 people just on the car alone.
Thats when I got a little scared.
And realized I needed someone with muscle around me.
I was like,What just happened?
What was that all about?!
For me, really?That was definitely an eye-opening moment.
That weirdness has never subsided for me.
Or in an elevator.
