Music Review: Sheryl Crow "Leaving Las Vegas"
Sheryl Crow
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
Leaving Las Vegas
Album: Tuesday Night Music Club
Year: 1994
Sheryl Crow resolves to start over in a new town in the plaintive ballad "Leaving Las Vegas."
Hopeful guitars open the single, setting a longing tone. In the first verse, she says she's walked down the Strip and seen the same people come out of the casinos. They find the ATMs and go back in again. Like her, they are searching for the big payout that would end their problems. She stopped believing a long time ago that Vegas would right her life. For the past ten years, she spent driving around in the desert. However, she already forgot what the reasons were. Was it an old boyfriend? A contact that led to a sketchy job? Maybe. Her television has gone snowy gone and she hits it to get it to work. She has a tattered brochure of Boston on the kitchen table. She has family there. They haven't talked since she left home. She gets her phone and calls motels around the area. She makes a reservation. She grabs wine from the fridge and toasts to herself. She shuts the blinds to shield herself from the reminders of what could have been. She thinks of what her life will be like in Boston.
In the chorus, she says she'sgoing to drive out of city by the end of the week. She will miss the Strip, with its streak of tawdry-lit signs. She will remember the gamblers she sat with at the tables on weekends. They would concentrate on the card as their sweat would leave a spot on the felt. But she's had enough. She's going to Boston and never returning to Nevada again.
In the second verse, she would go to California and find pick-up games. There, she would look for her mark: the macho trucker who bragged about his poker skills. However, she feels guilty for taking advantage of them. She feels has a real chance this time.
The chorus is sung again.
In the bridge, she says she's been holding onto her dream of being discovered one night while working. But the men she strips for are horny locals and tourists who are looking for a cheap thrill. She's learned from the experiences she's had and plans not to let it deter her for what she wants to do next.
The chorus is sung again.
In the third verse, she says she gave her notice as a stripper at the club. In between, she's been making money as a blackjack dealer in one of the casinos. She starts having second thoughts. She likes seeing the vast desert and feeling the sun singe her skin every day. Some of the regulars at the club are friendly and keep her company during her shift. However, it's necessary for her to move on if she wants to accomplish something in her life.
The chorus is sung again.
In the final section, she says she won't fall back on her old habits and come back after a week. She will stick to her plan.
Arriving in Vegas, she thought she was done with running. Her luck was going to change this time. In the city, she would get a glamorous, good paying job along the Strip. She would live in a McMansion and be married to a businessman. She had her life planned. However, the only job she could get was at a run-down strip club. She would hustle for some extra cash, if needed. A series of wrong decisions set her upon her path. She's tired of living on the fringes and degrading herself for a couple dollars.
Crow's rueful vocals are striving and worn. The flashiness of Vegas is gone and all she sees is the depravity. She's determined to get out of there and have another shot at her dreams.
The musing arrangement laments over the missed opportunities. But there's the flickering hope that maybe things will turn out.
"Leaving Las Vegas" is a fascinating story with a complex character as its center.
Album: Tuesday Night Music Club
Year: 1994
Sheryl Crow resolves to start over in a new town in the plaintive ballad "Leaving Las Vegas."
Hopeful guitars open the single, setting a longing tone. In the first verse, she says she's walked down the Strip and seen the same people come out of the casinos. They find the ATMs and go back in again. Like her, they are searching for the big payout that would end their problems. She stopped believing a long time ago that Vegas would right her life. For the past ten years, she spent driving around in the desert. However, she already forgot what the reasons were. Was it an old boyfriend? A contact that led to a sketchy job? Maybe. Her television has gone snowy gone and she hits it to get it to work. She has a tattered brochure of Boston on the kitchen table. She has family there. They haven't talked since she left home. She gets her phone and calls motels around the area. She makes a reservation. She grabs wine from the fridge and toasts to herself. She shuts the blinds to shield herself from the reminders of what could have been. She thinks of what her life will be like in Boston.
"Life springs eternal/On a gaudy neon street/Not that I care at all/I spent the best part of my losing streak/In an Army Jeep/For what I can't recall/Oh I'm banging on my TV set/And I check the odds/And I place my bet/I pour a drink/And I pull the blind/And I wonder what I'll find."
In the chorus, she says she'sgoing to drive out of city by the end of the week. She will miss the Strip, with its streak of tawdry-lit signs. She will remember the gamblers she sat with at the tables on weekends. They would concentrate on the card as their sweat would leave a spot on the felt. But she's had enough. She's going to Boston and never returning to Nevada again.
"I'm leaving Las Vegas/Lights so bright/Palm sweat, blackjack/On a Saturday night/Leaving Las Vegas/Leaving for good, for good/I'm leaving for good/I'm leaving for good."
In the second verse, she would go to California and find pick-up games. There, she would look for her mark: the macho trucker who bragged about his poker skills. However, she feels guilty for taking advantage of them. She feels has a real chance this time.
"Used to be I could drive up to/Barstow for the night/Find some crossroad trucker/To demonstrate his might/But these days it seems/Nowhere is far enough away/So I'm leaving Las Vegas today."
The chorus is sung again.
In the bridge, she says she's been holding onto her dream of being discovered one night while working. But the men she strips for are horny locals and tourists who are looking for a cheap thrill. She's learned from the experiences she's had and plans not to let it deter her for what she wants to do next.
"I'm standing in the middle of the desert/Waiting for my ship to come in/But now no joker, no jack, no king/Can take this loser hand/And make it win."
The chorus is sung again.
In the third verse, she says she gave her notice as a stripper at the club. In between, she's been making money as a blackjack dealer in one of the casinos. She starts having second thoughts. She likes seeing the vast desert and feeling the sun singe her skin every day. Some of the regulars at the club are friendly and keep her company during her shift. However, it's necessary for her to move on if she wants to accomplish something in her life.
"I quit my job as a dancer/At the Lido Des Girls/Dealing blackjack until one or two/Such a muddy line between/The things you want/And the things you have to do."
The chorus is sung again.
In the final section, she says she won't fall back on her old habits and come back after a week. She will stick to her plan.
"I'm leaving Las Vegas/And I won't be back/No I won't be back/Not this time."
Arriving in Vegas, she thought she was done with running. Her luck was going to change this time. In the city, she would get a glamorous, good paying job along the Strip. She would live in a McMansion and be married to a businessman. She had her life planned. However, the only job she could get was at a run-down strip club. She would hustle for some extra cash, if needed. A series of wrong decisions set her upon her path. She's tired of living on the fringes and degrading herself for a couple dollars.
Crow's rueful vocals are striving and worn. The flashiness of Vegas is gone and all she sees is the depravity. She's determined to get out of there and have another shot at her dreams.
The musing arrangement laments over the missed opportunities. But there's the flickering hope that maybe things will turn out.
"Leaving Las Vegas" is a fascinating story with a complex character as its center.