Cut Out Kid

Revisiting “Slow Dog” By Belly Some Twenty Years Later

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Upon hearing Belly’s “Slow Dog,” some 20 years later, I was reminded of what a great song it was and just how powerful Tonya Donnely’s voice is. I sometimes forget that this is the same woman who played bass in the Throwing Muses and wrote “Not Too Soon,” one of my favorite high school memories.

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It’s one of those songs that gives me cold chills every time I hear it. Tonya Donelly can go from a whisper to a scream better than anyone. She’s vulnerable, then dangerous, in that order. It’s a benefit to us all that she got out on her own and continues to write and follow her muse.

Anyways, I’m listening to The Breeders, on Spotify, and what comes on next? “Slow Dog,” of course! I’m singing along:

“Maria, carry a rifle/Maria, carry a dog on her back
That dog is hit again/That slow dog is hit again
With his see-through skin/He’s shot again“

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Such a great hook, and what seems like a happy song, for a dog that got hit by a car for the umpteenth time.

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Once I heard “Slow Dog,” I had to go back and fully listen to Belly’s famed album, Star. “Gepetto,” and “Feed The Tree” are both amazing singles, but the song that struck me most was “Full Moon, Empty Heart.” I forgot what I was listening to for a moment and it took me a few minutes to place it. For a second I thought it was a song off of Sinead O’Connor’s epic album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.

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What a great album. I saw this tour and a few of her in-store performances, and I might have formed a little crush?
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Filed under:
Album Reviews, All About Music

Tags:
“Not Too Soon”, Belly, Slow Dog, Star, Throwing Muses, Tonya Donelly