YMMV / Laurie Anderson

• Broken Base: Fans tend to be divided on Strange Angels, her most overtly musical, most accessible, and (very broadly speaking) "poppiest" album.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: She is, or was at one time, very popular with the Japanese media.
• Harsher in Hindsight: The lyrics of "O Superman" contain lines that, twenty years later, would seem to predict 9/11; a fact that was not lost on Anderson when she recorded a live version of the song in New York City only one week after the attacks.
• Hollywood Homely: The title The Ugly One with the Jewels was taken from something someone once called her.
• Nightmare Fuel: Depending on your feelings toward electronic music, most of her work could qualify. Special mention however, must go to "Walk The Dog" (found on the B-Side of "O superman"). The song features some rather sinister riffs, bizzare, vocodered dog barking, atonal screaming and the most insane, non-sequiter lyrics possible. These include random observations about trees, fancy parties, movies, spontaneous combustion...And a Dolly Parton impression. The fact that these lyrics are delivered in a childish-sing-song voice only adds to the aural discomfort.
  "I came home today, and you were all on fire! Your shirt was on fire...And your hair was on fire...And flames were licking, all around your feet!"
• Signature Song: "O Superman". However, except for a tour in 2001, she rarely revisits older songs in performance, preferring to debut newer works.
• Tearjerker: This line:
  "Did you ever really love me?"
  "Only when we were dancing."
  • Live In New York, recorded the week after 9/11, contains a very emotional "O Superman" that fully acknowledges the Harsher in Hindsight nature of lines like
  This is the hand, the hand that takes.
  Here come the planes.
  They're American planes. Made in America.
  Smoking or non-smoking?
  And the voice said: Neither snow nor rain nor gloom
  of night shall stay these couriers from the swift
  completion of their appointed rounds.
  'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice.
  And when justice is gone, there's always force.
  So hold me, Mom...

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