The Wagon

"The Wagon" is a song by alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr., released on their 1991 album Green Mind. Featuring lyrics inspired by the band's use of station wagons for transportation in its early days, the song was written by J Mascis and was one of the three songs on Green Mind to include drummer Murph.

For other uses, see Wagon (disambiguation).
"The Wagon"
Single by Dinosaur Jr.
from the album Green Mind
B-side
  • "Better Than Gone" (US)
  • "The Little Baby" (UK)
ReleasedJanuary 21, 1991 (1991-01-21)
GenreAlternative rock[1]
Length4:54
Label
Songwriter(s)J Mascis
Dinosaur Jr. singles chronology
"Just Like Heaven"
(1989)		 "The Wagon"
(1991)		 "Whatever's Cool With Me"
(1991)

The song was released as a single, reaching number 49 in the UK and number 22 on the US Modern Rock charts. It has since seen critical acclaim for its composition, production, and instrumental performance.

Background

J Mascis stated in an interview that "The Wagon" was partly inspired by the station wagons that he and Lou Barlow used to get around in the early days of the band. He explained:

I don't know, we always had a [station] wagon. Me and Lou, our parents both had a wagon, and that's how we’d get around, in our parents' cars. On our first tour, we did it in a station wagon. I guess that was all we knew of cars. It was a good car 'cause it held a lot of stuff. It was kind of a part of the band when we started. I wish cars still had the wood paneling.[2]

"The Wagon" was the group's first recording without original bassist Lou Barlow.[3] The song was also one of the three on Green Mind which features drummer Murph,[3] with Mascis and Jay Spiegel drumming on the other songs on the album. Don Fleming of Gumball appears on guitar.[3]

Release and reception

"The Wagon" was released as the sole single from Green Mind in 1991. The B-side, "Better Than Gone," was written and sung by Don Fleming. The song was a moderate chart success, reaching number 49 in the UK and number 22 on the US Modern Rock charts.[4][5]

Melody Maker named "The Wagon" one of its two singles of the week, with writer Everett True describing the song as "Sheer exhilaration!"[6] Tom Maginnis of AllMusic praised the song's wall-of-sound production and Murph's drum work, concluding that the song "sets the bar so high as an album opener that it's hard for what follows to match such intensity."[3] Pitchfork said the song "snarls with nearly as much pop hookcraft and gnarly guitar spizz as Bug's opener 'Freak Scene'"[7] Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune described the song as "pulverizing,"[8] while Michael Nelson of Stereogum called the track an "ebullient and wonderful rocker."[9]

Track listing

Vinyl, 7", (Sub Pop) SP68A

  1. "The Wagon" – 4:40
  2. "Better Than Gone" – 3:35

Vinyl, 7", (Blanco Y Negro)

  1. "The Wagon" – 4:57
  2. "The Little Baby" – 2:11

Vinyl, 12" (Blanco Y Negro, WEA)

  1. "The Wagon" – 4:57
  2. "The Little Baby" – 2:11
  3. "Pebbles + Weeds" – 5:25
  4. "Quicksand (Wagon Reprise)" – 4:34 (written by David Bowie)

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Ear-Bleeding Country: The Best of Dinosaur Jr. - Dinosaur Jr. | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  2. Grow, Kory (3 October 2019). "J Mascis on the Nineties, Nirvana, and Dinosaur Jr.'s Forgotten Masterpiece". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  3. Maginnis, Tom. "The Wagon - Dinosaur Jr. | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  4. "Dinosaur Jr. - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  5. "Official Charts Company - Dinosaur Jr. discography". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  6. Azerrad, Michael (2001). Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991. p. 374.
  7. Harvell, Jess (19 May 2006). "Dinosaur Jr.: Green Mind / Where You Been / J Mascis Live at CBGB's The First Acoustic Show". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 22 March 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  8. Kot, Greg (21 March 1991). "Dinosaur Jr.: Green Mind (Sire)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  9. Nelson, Michael (3 August 2012). "Dinosaur Jr. Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
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