Life'll Kill Ya


Life'll Kill Ya is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon. The album was released on January 25, 2000, by Artemis Records. It was later hailed in Rolling Stone as his best work since Excitable Boy.

Themes

Several of the album's songs deal with the topic of death; for instance, "My Shit's Fucked Up" is a mournful lament on the aging process and the inevitable decay that accompanies it. "Life'll Kill Ya" and "Don't Let Us Get Sick" also have prominent death themes. Additionally, Zevon had a phobia of doctors leading him to avoid them for several years; that theme is included in the album as well. In 2002, just two years after the album's release, Zevon was diagnosed with mesothelioma and died a year later.
"Porcelain Monkey" is a meditation on the death of Elvis Presley, borrowing its title from a figurine on display at Graceland. Zevon often expressed a disinterest in Elvis' fame and some resentment towards how Elvis' death overshadowed that of Robert Lowell. A mocking laugh in "Porcelain Monkey" references Wynonie Harris, an early rock pioneer often seen as influencing Elvis, and Zevon would state he believed Bob Dylan was more deserving of the accolades Elvis had received. In an interview on the song Zevon stated: "We're in a world that objects so strenuously to pop culture. Sure, Elvis is fine, so what's wrong with Ricky Martin? He can dance. I guess Elvis danced. He choreographed himself. What's the difference? I think Ricky Martin is fine, too. Who's buying Ricky Martin and Backstreet Boy records? Ten-year-olds. And 50-year-old intellectuals weren't buying Elvis Presley in 1957. Ten-year-olds were."

Track listing

Note
  • On some releases, track 9 is omitted from the rear U-card but appears on the song list in the case booklet.

Personnel

Production