Spider Fingers features: Bruce Hornsby (piano, vocals, synthesizer); J.V. Collier (bass); John Molo (drums); J.T. Thomas (organ); John Dearth (trumpet); Bobby Read (saxophone).
Spider Fingers meaning of the song
Spider Fingers by Bruce Hornsby is a playful and self-aware song about the art of piano performance, the challenge of capturing an audience’s attention, and the techniques involved in mastering the instrument. The song reflects both the technical aspects of piano playing and the emotional experience of trying to connect with an indifferent or distracted crowd.
The title “Spider Fingers” refers to Bruce’s ability to play with agility and dexterity on the piano, a nickname given to him by fans of the Grateful Dead, a band he often collaborated with. The imagery of fingers moving like spiders across the keys highlights his nimble and intricate style of playing.
Seeking audience attention
The song opens with Bruce addressing the audience, asking, “Is anybody listening to what we’re doing tonight?” This line sets the tone for the entire song, as he expresses the frustration of playing music for a crowd that may not be fully engaged. The reference to “hit the sauce” suggests that some audience members are more interested in drinking and socialising than paying attention to the performance.
Bruce then sings about using flashy techniques to get the audience’s attention, with the line, “I might try a little flash up here just to get ourselves across.” This is a candid acknowledgment of the performer’s dilemma—sometimes technical skill and showmanship are necessary to capture the crowd’s interest, especially when the crowd seems indifferent.
The technical mastery of piano playing
Bruce uses the term “spider fingers” to describe his piano technique, which involves two-handed independence and fast, intricate playing. The phrase “spider fingers” conjures an image of fingers moving rapidly and gracefully across the piano keys, much like the legs of a spider. This technique is a hallmark of Bruce’s piano style, where each hand operates independently to create complex rhythms and harmonies.
In the line, “It’s just a little hand trick, a little prestidigitation,” Bruce refers to his piano playing as a form of sleight of hand. The word “prestidigitation” means magic tricks or illusions performed with the hands, reinforcing the idea that his piano skills are so swift and dexterous that they can seem like magic.
Bruce also mentions Hanon, a reference to Charles-Louis Hanon, a French piano pedagogue known for his finger exercises designed to improve technique and dexterity in pianists. By referencing Hanon, Bruce emphasises the amount of practice and repetition required to develop the level of skill necessary for his style of piano playing. He makes it clear that this “little hand trick” is the result of rigorous training.
Repetition to make a point
The line, “Sometimes you’ve just got to repeat yourself just to get your point across,” speaks to both the musical and social aspects of performance. Musically, it refers to the idea that repetition is often necessary to communicate a theme or musical idea clearly to the audience. In live performances, musicians may need to repeat sections or add flair to make sure the audience fully absorbs the music.
Socially, this line also reflects the challenge of communicating with an inattentive crowd. By repeating himself and using more dramatic or attention-grabbing techniques, Bruce hopes to break through the audience’s distraction and get them to engage with the performance. This highlights the performer’s constant balancing act between artistic expression and crowd engagement.
Playfulness and humour
Throughout the song, Bruce maintains a sense of humour and lightness. The chorus, “Let the spirit linger, well-uh, get up and do the spider fingers,” encourages the audience to have fun and participate in the energy of the performance. The repetition of “spider fingers” and the use of phrases like “a little spider tongue” adds a playful and quirky element to the song, showcasing Bruce’s ability to blend technical mastery with a light-hearted approach.
The song’s upbeat and jazzy rhythm reflects the playfulness of the lyrics. Bruce is not only showcasing his piano skills but also inviting the audience to join in the fun and feel the music’s groove.
Concluding thoughts
“Spider Fingers” is a celebration of piano virtuosity and the interaction between performer and audience. Bruce uses humour and self-awareness to explore the challenges of capturing an audience’s attention while demonstrating his technical skills as a pianist. The imagery of fingers moving like spiders, combined with references to classical piano training, gives the song both depth and playfulness. Ultimately, “Spider Fingers” is about the joy of performing and the persistence required to make a lasting connection with the audience, no matter how distracted they may be.
Your further thoughts
The opening part of the song sets the scene: “So nice to be here, with all you good people” – it suggests a gig to me, and indeed Bruce has used these opening lines on a few of live taped gigs I’ve heard.
The rest of the song is about a piano lick which seems to involve hitting the same note as many times as you can as quickly as possible. The next verse involves a lot of innuendo, which is surprising given that Hornsby is obviously still a Virgin…ian.
“I can show you on a table I can show you on a chair It’s best shown on the black and whites I know I can take you there”
Hornsby gives us a demonstration of this technique, and then the song seems to break into “Get up, get on up” before winding down, although the instrumental end seems highly compatible with “Jacob’s Ladder”, as has been proven with the two songs being occasionally linked in live gigs.
Carwyn Tywyn
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Spider Fingers
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Oakland, CA
January 27 1996
Elyce adds: Apparently, the song is named after a nickname that was bestowed upon Bruce by the Deadheads. The story goes something like; Molo was having dinner in a restaurant in a city where the Dead were playing. At the table behind him were a bunch of Heads who were talking about a show they had seen recently and they were hoping that Bruce would ‘do that Spiderfingers like he did at the (fill in date and city here) show’. I know I’m not 100% on my retelling of this story, but it’s something like that. Anyway – Molo didn’t have a clue what they were talking about, so he got a copy of the show they had mentioned and played it for Bruce. Together they figured out what technique they were talking about.
The song is, in part, about that inspiration and also in part about how in the old days of the “Steak and Ale” there were many times when he and his band would be up on stage, ‘givin’ it up for the folks’ with his Jazz licks and such, but the ‘pop-oriented’ people would be sitting there with their drinks ignoring them. He refers to this kind of thing in several songs, Spider Fingers and The Changes come to mind immediately.