WILL HERMES [ROLLING STONE] The song’s original name
WILL HERMES [ROLLING STONE] The song’s original name was “Frankie Teardrop, the Detective Meets the Space Alien.” Vega developed the narrative of a 20-year-old’s crash and burn: already a father, working 10-hour days to feed his family but unable to make ends meet, the character ultimately faces eviction, at which point he snaps. The breathless narration is interspersed with bloodcurdling shrieks, delivered over Rev’s relentless drum machine patter and a menacing turbine-like drone, culminating with the indictment, “We are all Frankies.” [2]