(The) Harvey Danger Database

AMH: Michael’s rhythmic contributions breathed new life into “Cool James” and “Moral Centralia,” two songs that have roots in the olden days. He pretty much pulled that stuff out of his hat minutes before they were recorded.^10A

SCN: “Moral Centralia” began life near the end of HD v.1, but never came together rhythmically; the jaunty acoustic piano and distorted bass in the instrumental bits became the key, while the lyric walks a delicate line between confession and speculation in exploring the relationship between desire and narcissism; tried to get the I’d like to go back 10 years lines into at least 3 different songs over the years, so pleased they finally worked.^10A

SCN: The town of Centralia, WA is almost precisely equidistant from Seattle and Portland, and is said to be a popular destination for people from one town having affairs with people from the other.^P&F

SCN: Centralia, it’s equidistant from Seattle and Portland. Directly in the middle. And I heard a story one time there were so many motels in that area because people who were having romantic affairs, they would meet in Centralia, and it would be like they were meeting halfway.

And I happened to have been in—not quite all the way in a situation like that, but the idea that this midway point was—much like the affair itself, especially if you’re cheating on someone—it’s neither here nor there. Like, it’s not love exactly—doesn’t mean it’s not kind of love—but it’s not really love, it’s not really a relationship, but it definitely is a relationship, in a way… It doesn’t give anyone anything that they ultimately really need.

But you settle for this kind of compromised version, because of whatever reason: you’re too scared to be honest, or you’re too shallow to be kind, or whatever it is. There’s some kind of metaphorical something that I found really irresistible about Centralia. I guess the whole thesis of the song is that you may be engaged in some sort of emotional brinksmanship [where] you know you want to do this transgression, but you can’t really justify it, and all these things that get in the swirl of that particular group of emotions—that’s just a certain kind of narcissism, and a certain kind of indulgence in yourself that not only prevents you from being real in the troubled primary relationship, but it’s the reason you can’t have the satisfaction that you’re so yearning for. You’re still in this pursuit of some unattainable, I don’t know—whatever the feeling is that you get from being with someone else, but not quite all the way being with them.^AD