All of the
demo versions of the songs on Bleed American were changed, mixed, and produced very heavily before they were released on the album. Out of all of those tracks, A Praise
Chorus changed the most. In the demo version of this song, some
lyrics are different, and the parts that are taken from other songs are not even present.
On the album version, Davey vonBohlen sings all of the parts that are taken from the classic hits. vonBohlen is most definitely not a member of Jimmy Eat World; he's the lead vocalist and guitar player for The Promise Ring. When Jimmy Eat World were recording their demo, their guest vocalist was not included -- though the lyrics "Come on Davey, sing me something that I know" were. In lieu of his parts, there is a long interlude with the simple lyrics "Fast action", "Come on, come on, come on!", and "What are you here for?" repeated. vonBohlen wrote the additional parts himself and recorded them independently after hearing the demo version. The cooperation between Davey and Jimmy Eat World that resulted in the final version of A Praise Chorus took place entirely by mail. Because of this, those additional lyrics do not appear on the liner notes.
Neither version is really more accurate to the liner notes than the other, and many songs on Bleed American differ greatly from the liner notes. The lyrics from the demo and album version differ slightly, not counting the omission of Davey's parts. The lines "Someone's gonna write about this years from now / Maybe you were there, she couldn't tell" are in the demo version instead of "Someone's gonna ask you what it's all about / Stick around, nostalgia won't let you down".
Though the sampled songs' lyrics do not appear on the liner notes, additional artists are given a brief recognition in the credits. Here's a list of the "stolen" lyrics, and where I think they're from:
- "Crimson and Clover, over and over", from Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and Peter Lucia. Crimson and Clover was originally performed by Tommy James and the Shondells, and covered by Joan Jett.
- "Our house in the middle of our street" is from the song Our House, performed by Madness.
- "Why did we ever meet?" and "Why did we ever part?" are plugs by Davey vonBohlen for his own work. Why Did We Ever Meet is a song by The Promise Ring. It has a very old-school sound, as do many songs by The Promise Ring. So, it fits in with the other lines well and the plug is not totally shameless.
- "Started my rock 'n roll fantasy" is probably from Bad Company's Rock 'n Roll Fantasy.
- "Don't Let's Start" is from a They Might Be Giants song of the same name.
- "Kickstart my rock'n'roll heart" is not an exact lyric from Kickstart My Heart by Mötley Crüe, but it's pretty close. There's no doubt that this is where it came from.
Jimmy Eat World knew what they were doing when they asked Davey to do this. The added lyrics fit in perfectly with the rest of this song, which is all about nostalgia, reflection, and regret. Davey added a bunch of lyrics from old songs that bring back memories.