Am I In Sync?

[Image: 'Meltdown' Front Cover]

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Lyrics

Synthesizer rock ruled Jessica's feet
As a slave to that ubiquitous beat
Visions of the big screen danced in her head
"In a matter of time," she said

Jessie never got her Hollywood roll
And the pogo nights have taken their toll
She can do The Monkey off o' the cuff
But her mind has a missing link

Am I in sync?
Paint a picture on a subway train
Carve my name in a video game

Am I in sync?
Out looking for the camera crews
Sell my soul for a second on the evening news

Am I in sync?
Live 'til the bubble pops
Hold my breath when the big one drops

Am I in sync?
Immortality is what I'm buying
But I'd rather be immortal by not dying

Laboratory rats made Roger a fink
And the laws of science drove him to drink
Working for the taste of public acclaim
And a cure the bore his name

Nobel prizes would have been nice
But he lost his mind to renegade mice
Roger traded dreams of "man of the year"
For an understanding shrink

Am I in sync?
Paint a picture on a subway train
Carve my name in a video game

Am I in sync?
Out looking for the camera crews
Sell my soul for a second on the evening news

Am I in sync?
Live 'til the bubble pops
Hold my breath when the big one drops

Am I in sync?
Immortality is what I'm buying
But I'd rather be immortal by not dying

Recorded Appearances

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About The Song

From Clone Club News Flash Spring/Summer 1984, Spring/Summer 1984:

When asked if he hoped to achieve immortality through his work, Woody Allen replied that he'd rather achieve immortality by not dying. It seems that we as humans are at our most comical and pathetic when we're striving to gain some type of immortality, whether it's a kid waving at a t.v. camera, a doctor working for international recognition, or even parents having a child to insure that their name and legacy will live on. "Am I In Sync?" uses a man versus machine musical framework to take a light-hearted look at today's substitutes for eternal life.

From Now The Truth Can Be Told Liner Notes & Song-By-Song Essays, Now The Truth Can Be Told Insert Booklet, August 23rd, 1994:

Inspired by a Woody Allen quote ("I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying."), it seems we as humans are at our most comical and pathetic when we strive to insure some type of immortality for ourselves or our work (like writing liner notes for one's own boxed set, for instance...).

My biggest concern with this song was whether the joke of an out-of-sync sequencer would wear well with repeated listening (a concern that was obviously overlooked a year later with "Lifeboat"). Musically subversive or just plain annoying? I'm still rather fond of the track, but don't try dancing to it or you might get hurt.