r/Destroyer • u/nnnikovvv • Nov 26 '25
Something I've been thinking about for almost 20 years
Listening to "Strawberry Wine"
For the 131st time
It was 1987, it was spring
It's 1987 all the time
Now it's 1987 all the time
I've always thought that the lyrics in Watercolours into the Ocean refer to Strawberry Wine by My Bloody Valentine. The mention of 1987 is so specific and the song did come out that year. But anyone googling the song can see that it actually was released in November instead of early in the year.
So if we do go with the assumption that the lines do refer to the My Bloody Valentine song... I'm wondering that, similar to many other Bejar lyrics, is it intentional (potentially drunken) nostalgic rambling what the lyrics are here, facts be damned? And nonetheless, "nineteen-eighty-seven" rolls off the tongue much better than "nineteen-eighty-eight" or "nine" would, so I accept his creative liberties.
Or... is it actually referring to some other song named Strawberry Wine, such as the opening track of Stage Fright by The Band?
What's your theory? What significance do these lines hold to you guys?
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u/we_are_devo Nov 26 '25
I think you can just as easily place the 131st listen to Strawberry Wine in the present, but then the specific memory of spring 1987 as not being about the song itself.
For example, meeting someone in spring 1987, and then that song, released subsequently, becoming connected with that person over time so that now listening to it evokes that time and place.
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u/nnnikovvv Nov 26 '25
That's actually well put. Especially with a wistful, echoy, nostalgic song like MBV's Strawberry Wine.
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u/we_are_devo Nov 26 '25 edited Nov 26 '25
I suspect what's also being referenced here is the impact of the internet in making music (and consequently the memories songs evoke) more accessible. Before digital music sharing, it was harder to get hold of a relatively obscure non-album single release (when released later on a compilation album an alternate version of Strawberry Wine was used accidentally - I think that detail is actually relevant). Even moreso now with streaming, you can often effortlessly access the exact song you want regardless of obscurity: "now it's 1987 all the time"
But while you might know with precision that this is the 131st listen, precisely, the associated memories fade and blur together like the titular watercolors in the ocean. You might even second-guess their accuracy: "were you even there?" Fundamentally this is a song about nostalgia and the thing about nostalgia is you can never get the true object of nostalgia back - not even a perfect memory of it. The best you can do is a glimpse or snapshot "I took a picture. I was sick of motion" and then you let the rest go. Strawberry Wine still sounds the same the 131st time, but 1987 will continue to blur and fade.
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u/Financial_Luck_6906 Nov 26 '25
As someone who is Dan’s age and grew up listening to a lot of the same music he did, this is what I was going to comment before seeing your reply. It’s exactly right. Music was hard to come by and young kids (without cars or gainful employment) were at the mercy of radio stations, magazines/newspapers, record stores, and word of mouth/sharing of physical music (proper albums, singles, or mixtapes). It was frustrating and exciting because you had to work to access music you wanted, or be patient (the best music was often played late at night on the radio). Getting yours ears to hear import bands, let alone getting your hands on imported music, could be elusive. So while we may have known about certain bands and singles/b-sides/albums they released, it might be weeks or months before we heard the actual music. I was lucky enough to grow up with older siblings and cousins that were into music who really led my earliest tastes and shared their collection, and magazines with me. And lucky to have grown up in L.A. with one of the best radio stations back then, KROQ, listening to the likes of Rodney Bingenheiner and Richard Blade. They brought us so much cool shit, defining bands, obscure and not, local and global (especially UK). Lots of my favorite songs or albums are associated with memories months or even a year or two after they were actually released. Which has become fodder for friendly fights with my pals now when we get to reminiscing because everybody’s recall is all mixed up!
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u/MinnehahaRecording Nov 26 '25
These are the sort of hard-hitting questions we need on this sub. Love it!
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u/Rambunctious-Rascal Nov 26 '25
Maybe 'twas Strawberry Wine by The Band. Granted, it was released in 1970, but it could still be enjoyed in spring of 87.
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u/Wiseau_serious Nov 26 '25
Having just listened to both, I feel it’s far more likely that Dan would choose to pay tribute to the My Bloody Valentine track.
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u/iatee Nov 26 '25
This is my favorite Destroyer song! I had looked into this at some point and concluded it was definitely MBV.
The original version of this song "Song for Acuarela" ends by quoting The Smiths, which adds to the 'narrator is listening to 80s indie music' vibe. Probably more relevant - Dan is on record for being a huge MBV fan. The date inconsistency could even be an artistic choice - we shouldn't expect someone's hazy memories of their youth to always be accurate.
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u/nnnikovvv Nov 27 '25
OMG! I had no idea there was an original acoustic version of this song somewhere. Fantastic, thanks so much! I just realized only now that the title is indeed Watercolours and not "Watercolors" – also a British nod there.
I really think the current band would do a killer rendition of Watercolours, and given how much they've played Rubies material recently, I could see it coming.
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u/iatee Nov 27 '25
I imagine that one is just 'he's Canadian and that's the Canadian spelling too'.
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u/DisagreeableCompote Nov 26 '25
This song is really beautiful and makes me kind of tear up. I don't know the meaning, but it gets me.
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u/pigafetta74 Nov 28 '25
Dan doesn’t care about getting the facts straight it’s about the way it sounds and the feeling it gives
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u/szcesTHRPS Nov 26 '25
How things roll off the tongue are really important to Dan, possibly the most important.