Hey hey hey, fellow warriors!
Finally Saturday, after a long week of battles, time for some cool tunes.
"If I Ever Was a Child" for my beloved Wilco, from "Schmilco" - 2016.
The 'folky-punk-rockers' from Chicago released in 2015 an album full of bangers, "Star Wars" and the next year "Schmilco" went out.
A record that initially felt like a “minor” release, quiet and understated, but that actually contains some of the most intimate songs ever written by Jeff Tweedy.
The title was an ironic nod to Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson, while the disturbing and grotesque cover artwork was created by Spanish illustrator Joan Cornellà.
At that time, Joan Cornellà works were all the rage on the internet. You could see everywhere his brightly colored, comic-style illustrations that combined absurd humor with disturbing violence, social alienation, and emotional emptiness.
But let's get back to the music.
The emotional center of the album is probably If I Ever Was a Child, the second track and one of the most beloved songs from Wilco’s later years.
The opening line — “I’ve never been alone long enough to know if I ever was a child” — became one of the song’s most discussed moments among fans. Many listeners interpret it as a reflection on a “missed” childhood, on growing up too quickly, or living constantly inside one’s own anxieties.
Musically, the track is also considered a hidden gem within Wilco’s catalog. It eventually became one of the band’s most streamed songs.
For many listeners, that apparent “smallness” became the true charm of Schmilco: an album that avoids generational anthems in favor of emotional fractures, everyday details, and adult vulnerability told through the eyes of someone who never completely stopped feeling out of place.
So, my mates, this is a nod to you to listen TO THE WHOLE GODDAMN ALBUM!
See ya soon, lads!