Review of Veruca Salt's "American Thighs"

Good afternoon, everyone, and happy Tuesday! I hope you all had a restful fall break (I know I did!). There are only a couple of episodes of Hysteria left until winter break, but I have a lot of cool bands I want to talk about in the near future - stay tuned!

[american thighs album cover, taken from Spotify]

As for today’s Hysteria post, I’m going to discuss and provide a lyrical analysis of the album American Thighs by Veruca Salt. It’s a scarce kind of album that sounds sonically ethereal, and lyrically entertaining; the only problem is, you kind of have to grasp for straws to look at it through a feminist lens—but there’s still a couple of things I want to talk about. There are certainly feminist themes present, especially in the title, which evokes a vintage Americana aesthetic. Speaking of titles, even the name of the band is reminiscent of the rowdy, riot grrrl ideals of the nineties. If you didn’t know, Veruca Salt is a character in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory who is painstakingly spoiled and willing to complain as much as she needs to get what she wants. Initially annoying, the sentiment is much better suited to the riot grrrls, women who will claw and complain their way into equal rights. Honestly, though, having listened to this album multiple times, I’m not sure that attitude really fits this band; as I mentioned earlier, there aren't many explicit feminist themes present. I think the music more than makes up for it, though; all of these tracks are really accessible and easy to listen to, and Veruca Salt should be praised for how they portray feminine emotion and outrage.

Keep on reading to see the most interesting lyrics on this album, and a fun fact: this band is from Chicago!

—> All Hail Me

This song, like many others, is conceptually unusual, but features explicit references to femininity, loss, and motherhood. I find it refreshing how the band can take ownership of their narrative and responsibility through their lyrics. The song is tightly wound and deeply apologetic: “So sorry mother / I've let you down / I'm soaked in blood here.” I think this is a rather headstrong song, and you can see a similar influence on some of the other tracks. I believe this would work well as an independent feminist song; though it isn’t explicitly showy, it’s reflective, and genuinely not male-centered. 

—> Seether

Undoubtedly, the most popular Veruca Salt song, and very well, their most feminist song. “Seether” is an unapologetic ballad to the bouts of rage that lead singer Louise Post had faced as a young adult. It aims to subvert your expectations totally, sometimes describing the persona of the Seether as a “lovely daughter,” but then portraying a “snarl-toothed” version of the once picture-perfect girl. Though this song isn’t usually lumped into the riot grrrl amalgam, it certainly conveys a similar sentiment: that being the liberation women are denied every time they repress anger, disappointment, confusion, and so on. They are left seething.

—> Spiderman ‘79

“Spiderman ‘79” details an unfair and advantageous relationship, using the namesake of Spiderman to pivot into a fun metaphor. It’s an incredibly gloomy track, and throughout, you see the patterns of manipulation the speaker deals with: while the song comes back to the sentiment of the first lyric, “You’re so nice, you tie me in a web,” it returns to a resistant standpoint, displaying the loathsome opinion of the speaker, “I can’t take more of that / I can’t take more of that.” I deeply enjoy how this song tackles the feeling of slow helplessness and desolation that comes with the relationship. I think the lines, “You blaze up from the South / With oil on your hands / I'm streaked in grease and grime and idle mouths,” are genius! Definitely give this one a listen.

—> 25

I thought I’d include “25” because it's reminiscent of the poem “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath. Though this is my favorite poem of hers, I wouldn’t be crazy to throw it out there. Babes in Toyland’s “Ariel” is heavily inspired (and named after) her work, similarly to Hole’s “Good Sister - Bad Sister” among other pieces that reference Plath. The song “25” follows the speaker as she ages: “When I was five, I took a dive / When I was ten, I walked again.” Similarly, the Plath poem follows every time she’s attempted to end her life. Specifically, the poem states: “The first time it happened I was ten. / It was an accident. / The second time I meant / To last it out and not come back at all.” I noticed a fascinating parallel between the two pieces. Regardless, I think this song is fantastic, and I’m always trying to find the referential source material in these songs, so keep reading if you liked the Plath mention.

Anyway, I think this album is best listened to consecutively, track by track, focusing on the instrumentals before the lyrics. Surprisingly, I think its strong suits lie in the band’s instrumentation; that might sound weird now that I’ve covered this album, but Veruca Salt is pivotal in the inclusion of female-fronted bands in the grunge scene. I hope you guys enjoyed this one. I definitely loved listening to the album on repeat as “research” (haha). I’ll see you one last time next week before I go on winter break—but don’t worry, I’ll be back the second week of January! Have a great one.

Wishing you a good finals week!

Mila