The only Catcher In The Rye thread you need!

[AXL DEMOCRACY]

 I was a big fan of this song when we first got the leaks.   I thought the lyrics were the most personal and emotional to Axl in a lot of ways.   The album version takes the song to another level for me. Absolutely love it.
Axl's lyrics are very deep here. I believe the song is about his and his siblings' childhood and the loss of innocence. Especially that last verse.  Man, I get the chills from it.
I LOVED Brian May's solo in the leak and would have preferred for it to be on the album, but the solo (I believe it is Thal's though originally thought it was Robin's) is fantastic in its own way and takes the song to another level.

I still think we'll hear May on another track down the road (he did a lot of guitar work in his session) - so I'm not too bummed his solo is gone.

[SirTed]

I still think we'll hear May on another track down the road (he did a lot of guitar work in his session) - so I'm not too bummed his solo is gone.

I never heard that. That's awesome, I hope so!

[gunns1]

the intro sounds alot like
the intro to the blues ,
the guitar sound I mean,

it has that warm feeling to it, then just the "cold" piano..
I like it.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

My favorite vocals on this song are when Axl goes, "The CATCHER in the rye again, ooooohh."

The way he delivers that line (twice) always knocks me on my ass.

[The Catcher]

I don't understand all the complaints, wouldn't you rather have someone who's actually in the band play the solo?
This song is brilliant no matter how you look at it, the lyrics are deep and the melody is beautiful, the end part is simply epic and really warms my heart with joy and emotion. One of the best GN'R songs ever to be made.

[Thorned Rose]

This song is growing on me, love the redone intro with the guitar. Timeless type of song. Classic

[The Catcher]

the intro sounds alot like
the intro to the blues ,
the guitar sound I mean,

it has that warm feeling to it, then just the "cold" piano..
I like it.

Nice poem.

[TomFriend]

It would be nice if they'd release the version with May as a B-Side at least.

[AXL DEMOCRACY]

What a deep song.  Loves this song since the leak and find it so emotional.  Just thinking of Axl's interview he did with Kim Neely in Rolling Stone back in 1992 and from what he says in that interview you can see where "Catcher In The Rye" came from regarding the horrible things he and his siblings experienced in childhood.  That early loss of innocence.

What caught my eye on re-reading it, Axl talks about his first memory being a toy gun.

"you gave that boy a gun" - also a symbolic/metaphoric statement. Gave Axl his weapon in this life - his gift of expressing his anger and emotions through his voice - by both singing and also speaking out against what had happened as he did in this interview subsequently angering many of his family members and severing his bonds and relationships with them.

[Bruno Poeys]

(I did both Catcher solos...)

[CaughtMeInaComa]

Now we got 2 versions of the song. I say that's cool.

[Chief]

ok that is just great.. what a good observation!!! I think you really hit upon the meaning of this song.. nice!

now, what do you think he means when he is singing the chorus "oooh Catcher in the Rye again..." etc.

What a deep song.  Loves this song since the leak and find it so emotional.  Just thinking of Axl's interview he did with Kim Neely in Rolling Stone back in 1992 and from what he says in that interview you can see where "Catcher In The Rye" came from regarding the horrible things he and his siblings experienced in childhood.  That early loss of innocence.

What caught my eye on re-reading it, Axl talks about his first memory being a toy gun.

"you gave that boy a gun" - also a symbolic/metaphoric statement. Gave Axl his weapon in this life - his gift of expressing his anger and emotions through his voice - by both singing and also speaking out against what had happened as he did in this interview subsequently angering many of his family members and severing his bonds and relationships with them.

[ThatGuy]

to me, during the end of the song, with all the guitar solos going on, sort of takes focus away from the great melody and even greater lyrics of the song.  the demo was more raw, less produced, and you could hear the melodies and lyrics more clear.  the new version is starting to grow on me, there are a couple things i like better, such as the piano, and the beginning bass lines, its just the ending, there's so much going on!

[-Jack-]

to me, during the end of the song, with all the guitar solos going on, sort of takes focus away from the great melody and even greater lyrics of the song.  the demo was more raw, less produced, and you could hear the melodies and lyrics more clear.  the new version is starting to grow on me, there are a couple things i like better, such as the piano, and the beginning bass lines, its just the ending, there's so much going on!

Yeah that guitar over the last verse only distracts me...  . Other than that I prefer the album version to the demo

[gunns1]

to me, during the end of the song, with all the guitar solos going on, sort of takes focus away from the great melody and even greater lyrics of the song.  the demo was more raw, less produced, and you could hear the melodies and lyrics more clear.  the new version is starting to grow on me, there are a couple things i like better, such as the piano, and the beginning bass lines, its just the ending, there's so much going on!

yeh.. its a bit hard to understand the lyrics wihtout checking the booklet in the last verse, which is kinda dissapointing,
but I love the new intro and the piano at the end.. nice touch

Yeah that guitar over the last verse only distracts me...  . Other than that I prefer the album version to the demo

[LIGuns]

Funny how so many posts about CITR are comparing it to the demo...Are so many in love w/ the demo because Brian May played on it or for what Brian May had played on it..I personally like the CD version..My favorite lines are "a body took a body, someone gave that boy a gun"...Is it about the loss of innocence and the end is how John Lennon's murder was the loss of innocence for an entire generation? Interesting tid bit about John Lennons murder, is that hours before he had signed an autograph for Mark Chapman..
Wikipedi has been updated w/ a ref. to Axl writing the song..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye

[Lucky]

Yeah that guitar over the last verse only distracts me...  . Other than that I prefer the album version to the demo

I agree...
the solo is way to high in the mix.

[gunns1]

Yeah that guitar over the last verse only distracts me...  . Other than that I prefer the album version to the demo

I agree...
the solo is way to high in the mix.

yeh its hard to hear the last verse..

[JDA]

Love this song.  The album version brings it to a new level.  Great song.

[Is he struggling?]

I'm afirad that I agree with all those that preferred the Demo. All of the extra guitar overdubs obscure the shifting moods in the backing track and the lyrics. The final song is good, but just sounds overly sweet whilst the demo was toweringly melncholic and yearning.

Bumble foots solos are good, and rousing. But Brian May's were absolutely spine tingling.