One Of The Three - The James Band Archive

Born Of Frustration

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Born Of Frustration is the opening track on James’ 1992 album Seven. It was released as a single prior to the album release in January 1992.

First played at the Paris Locomotive secret gig in Feb 1991, Born of Frustration was the song that really got the critics backs up, fuelling comparisons with Simple Minds and stadium rock bands. The video was big-budget and set in the desert outside Los Angeles. Larry was replaced by tour manager Richard for the video shoot as he had been mugged on arrival in LA and took the next flight home.

Born of Frustration was the band’s first US release. It later appeared in a commercial for Western Hotels, the proceeds from which paid the massive tax bill that formed part of James’ infamous Black Thursday in 1995.

Details

LyricsListenReleaseAvailable OnGigsGuitar Tabs
All this frustration
I can't meet all my desires
Strange conversation
Self-control has just expired
All an illusion
Only in my head, you don't exist
Who are you fooling
Don't need a shrink but an exorcist
La la la la la la la la........

Show me the movie
Of who you are and where you're from
Born of frustration
Caught upon the webs you've spun
Where's the confusion
A vision of what life is like
Show me the movie
That doesn't deal in black and white

Stop stop talking about who's to blame
When all that counts is how to change

Stop stop talking about who's to blame
When all that counts is how to change

La la la la la la la la.......

All this frustration
All this frustration
Who put brown owl eyes on a butterfly's wings
All this frustration
All this frustration
Who gave the leopards spots and taught the birds to sing

Born of frustration
Born of frustration

I'm living in the weirdest dream
Where nothing is the way it seems
Where no one's who they need to be
Where nothing seems that real to me
What can we build our lives upon
No altar stone, no solid ground
The world is spinning endlessly
We're clinging to our own beliefs

Born of frustration
Born of frustration

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Single Version

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Song:Born Of Frustration
Released:20th January 1992
Main Associated Album (or Single):Seven
First Heard Live:Paris La Locomotive – 15th February 1991
Played at:
James - Born Of Frustration

Taken from the album Seven

Written and peformed by James

=====================================================================
Note: Capo at the 3rd fret. All notes/chords given relative to capo.
=====================================================================

Opening Riff:

e--------------------------------------------------------------
B--3-3-3-3-3-3-3--1-1-1-1-1-1-1--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-----------------
G--2-2-2-2-2-2-2--0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-----------------
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------

Main Riff:

e--------------------------------------------------------------
B--------------------------------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A------3---5-3------3---5-3---3------2---3-2------2---3-2---2--
E--5-5---5-----5--5---5-----5----3-3---3-----3--3---3-----3----

Comeback Riff:

e--------------------------------------------------------------
B--1-1w(3)-----------------------------------------------------
G--0-0w(2)-----------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------

End Riff:

e--------------------------------------------------------------
B--5/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--75-5-5-5--3/5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5--53-3-3-3--
G--------------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------

Song Structure:

The song opens with the nice effects laden Opening Riff, essentially it's just bits of D C and G chords played a lot. Then comes in Saul's Main Riff which continues throughout most of the song.
In my opinion the song is a 4 chord progression of D Am C G. Asus4 also works well instead of Am, but it doesn't really matter because it's never actually played, only implied by the A in the bass line. Just copying what Saul plays sounds fine.
Towards the end of the song (and during the "la la la la la" choruses) Saul gives up the Main Riff in favour of strumming the chords D C G, with the D twice as long as the other chords. When the song "ends" and comes back in again, Larry plays what I've called the "Comeback Riff." Basically it's part of a C chord bent up to part of a D using the whammy bar. (hence the w symbol, if anyone knows the standard way of tabbing whammy bar usage please e-mail me).
On the single version (note: not on either Seven nor The Best Of), and on pre-Oxaal live versions, Larry ends the song playing the End Riff.

Note: I don't think Larry's guitar has a capo, even though I've tabbed his parts as if he has. But Saul's certainly does.

Lyrics/Chords:

D Am
All this frustration

C G
I can't meet all my desires

D Am
Strange conversation

C G
Self-control has just expired

D Am
All an illusion

C G
Only in my head, you don't exist

D Am
Who are you fooling

C G
Don't need a shrink but an exorcist



La la la la la la la la........


Show me the movie

Of who you are and where you're from

Born of frustration

Caught upon the webs you've spun

Where's the confusion

A vision of what life is like

Show me the movie

That doesn't deal in black and white



Stop stop talking about who's to blame

When all that counts is how to change



Stop stop talking about who's to blame

When all that counts is how to change



La la la la la la la la.......



All this frustration

All this frustration

Who put brown owl eyes on a butterfly's wings

All this frustration

All this frustration

Who gave the leopards spots and taught the birds to sing



Born of frustration

Born of frustration



I'm living in the weirdest dream

Where nothing is the way it seems

Where no one's who they need to be

Where nothing seems that real to me

What can we build our lives upon

No altar stone, no solid ground

The world is spinning endlessly

We're clinging to our own beliefs



Born of frustration

Born of frustration




Transcribed by Alex Carter 2001.

alex@shandy3000.fsnet.co.uk
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