Soap Star Joe

Album: Exile In Guyville (1993)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Liz Phair was 26 when she released her debut album, Exile In Guyville. She channeled her experience of dating older men into "Soap Star Joe," about an aging ladies' man who rolls into town looking for new conquests. The denim-clad lothario is too full of himself to realize his appeal is getting stale - his "mysterious" persona is wearing as thin as his hair and he wears too much aftershave. Phair told Rolling Stone in 2018: "When I was in my twenties, I was always dating older men, and they would always pick me up in cars and take me to dinner. I felt like I was always sitting in the interior of some dude's car on my way to or from dinner and just how weirdly generic it all felt. Like, every Friday, Saturday night, someone was taking you out somewhere. I just had all these thoughts and feelings that I never shared, and it kind of came out in my songwriting, and 'Soap Star Joe' is a perfect example. I'm kind of skewering the guy, but at the same time, I'm also lovingly aware of his plight in a weird way."
  • Phair used the Rolling Stones' 1972 album, Exile On Main St., as a template for writing Guyville, with each song loosely corresponding to a Stones track. This links to the honky-tonk drug tune "Sweet Virginia."
  • Phair alludes to Greek mythology in the second verse, singing:

    They say he sprung from the skull of Athena
    Think about your own head
    And the headache he gave


    The goddess Athena sprang full grown out of Zeus' skull. Phair flips the narrative by comparing Joe, a god unto himself, to the most wicked of headaches.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Yacht Rock!

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo LyricMusic Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.