Music is a conversation. One artist says something through a song and then a different artist responds with his or her own song. Sometimes the response brings in a fresh idea and other times the response is a restatement, an elaboration on the first idea.
When I state that “Lonely Boy” is the one of the greatest modern Rolling Stones' songs, it’s meant as a complement. The blues inspired rock of the Rolling Stones with their profound lyrics are a statement that has been screamed down the decades of pop music and that continue to engender responses. The Black Keys did an amazing job doing just that, elaborating on what the Rolling Stones said while bring a fresh perspective.
It starts with a riff, a short musical idea that is repeated. This three-note pattern gives way to another riff, with contrasting musical colors and an upbeat groove. Each layers that is added has a grit, a dirtiness, reminiscent of “Rocks Off.” Alone these elements would be a musical train wreck, but the fact that they are tied together with a tight an infectious grooves makes something that should feel so wrong, feel so right.
Like the lyrics of “Under My Thumb,” there is a deeper story that is being told in this song. While the musical landscape of this song is aggressive and full of bravado, the lyrics reveal a sense of sorrow and insecurity.
The opening line is about a guy being “above” a girl. Despite the fact that he is so much better than her, he falls in love her anyways. She hurts him, but he says that “I don’t mind bleeding.” If she was really that much below him than he wouldn’t be “bleeding,” and he definitely wouldn’t be waiting.
The second verse continues this insecurity as he insults her saying he should have left her like her dad did. This is a horribly mean thing to say but like the statement “Under My Thumb,” it is an overcompensating response. He has been hurt so badly by this girl that the only way he can try to save face is to go to extremes. This is not an abusive man but a scared, torn down soul.
There's heartbreak and a resignation by stating “I’m A Lonely Boy.” While he tries to embrace his reality but he is clearly in conflict. Even though there is a chorus of voices and a glorious rock sound, this is a break-up song. It’s a song about feeling tortured, and responding to these feeling through anger and bitterness while at the same time not being able to let go of love. This tension mirrors the messy riffs being held together tightly by the groove.
Why does this song make us feel so good? Because love, even when it drives people to dark places makes us feel alive.
Showing posts with label Punk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Punk. Show all posts
Monday, November 12, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Handwritten by The Gaslight Anthem
“And with this pen, I thee wed from my heart to your distress.”
The most important messages in my life are handwritten: the cards I’ve received from loved ones, the notes of devotion I write to Diana and the first letter I wrote to my niece Amelia.
Writing things by hand is a pain for me. I’m left handed so my hand often cramps up when I write for too long. My handwriting is naturally pretty messy so it takes a lot of effort for me to write in a way that is legible. Also, there’s the fact that I write much slower than I type and there’s the lack of ability to edit. But it’s worth it.
Everybody’s handwriting is like a fingerprint and through this expression we not only read the words but feel who they are. The title “Handwritten,” the new single from Gaslight Anthem takes this idea and delves deep into feelings of loss and the connections between us that save us in our darkest moments.
The first verse starts by describing a song that the protagonist has been crying to since a young age. The fact that this song is out there and expresses the pain he feels helps him know that he’s not alone. He believes that “they’re waiting to heal,” and through this faith’s “holding his breath,” hoping for something better.
The chorus begins with “sirens that never come,” help that never actually shows up. So they write by the moon, to “ease the loss of youth and how many years I’ve missed you.” The chorus touches upon that idea that through self-expression, whether its music or writing we can find salvation.
The second verse deepens this sense of connection. There’s the holding of hands and the acknowledgment that they have both been hurt in the same way. “There’s nothing like another soul that’s been cut up the same,” isn’t a “misery loves company” sentiment but an expression of relief like in the first verse knowing that someone isn’t alone in their feelings.
The bridge pushes all the pain aside and describes the feelings of love through the beauty of the night.
One of the things I love about The Gaslight Anthem is the way they play around with the verse chorus form. Often just when you think they are going to end a song or simply repeat a chorus in the a way you expect that they do it in a slightly different way mirroring the journey their characters go on in their music.
The bridge has a different texture without drums and a thinner instrumentation. This isn’t really unexpected, but what they do coming out of this sections is creative and powerful. Instead of simply going straight back into the chorus, they sing the first two lines of the chorus slower with a different melodic line. They don’t finish the chorus but instead they build up to the introductory guitar riff. The song continues to build to one of the most beautiful lines I’ve heard in a rock song in recent memory: “And with this pen, I thee wed from my heart to your distress.”
The music video is a triumph as well. It follows the creation of song into a record, which is then passed around. This video is subtle and powerful, with moments of deep emotion illustrating the different personal meanings one song can bring to many people.
Next time you need to write someone a note, pick up a pen and write it by hand. It may or may not feel that different for the recipient but it will feel different for you. These words will mean more to you and to those who read your words by capturing feelings and memories that the heart sometimes forgets but the soul yearns to remember.
The most important messages in my life are handwritten: the cards I’ve received from loved ones, the notes of devotion I write to Diana and the first letter I wrote to my niece Amelia.
Writing things by hand is a pain for me. I’m left handed so my hand often cramps up when I write for too long. My handwriting is naturally pretty messy so it takes a lot of effort for me to write in a way that is legible. Also, there’s the fact that I write much slower than I type and there’s the lack of ability to edit. But it’s worth it.
Everybody’s handwriting is like a fingerprint and through this expression we not only read the words but feel who they are. The title “Handwritten,” the new single from Gaslight Anthem takes this idea and delves deep into feelings of loss and the connections between us that save us in our darkest moments.
The first verse starts by describing a song that the protagonist has been crying to since a young age. The fact that this song is out there and expresses the pain he feels helps him know that he’s not alone. He believes that “they’re waiting to heal,” and through this faith’s “holding his breath,” hoping for something better.
The chorus begins with “sirens that never come,” help that never actually shows up. So they write by the moon, to “ease the loss of youth and how many years I’ve missed you.” The chorus touches upon that idea that through self-expression, whether its music or writing we can find salvation.
The second verse deepens this sense of connection. There’s the holding of hands and the acknowledgment that they have both been hurt in the same way. “There’s nothing like another soul that’s been cut up the same,” isn’t a “misery loves company” sentiment but an expression of relief like in the first verse knowing that someone isn’t alone in their feelings.
The bridge pushes all the pain aside and describes the feelings of love through the beauty of the night.
Here, in the dark,He loves her and appreciates what is central to what she loves: the moonlight. This is foreshadowed in the early choruses “And we only write by the moon." It comes straight form his heart to the pen, the way that he expresses in more than any other way his love.
I cherish the moonlight
I'm in love with the way you're in love with the night
And it travels from heart, to limb, to pen.
One of the things I love about The Gaslight Anthem is the way they play around with the verse chorus form. Often just when you think they are going to end a song or simply repeat a chorus in the a way you expect that they do it in a slightly different way mirroring the journey their characters go on in their music.
The bridge has a different texture without drums and a thinner instrumentation. This isn’t really unexpected, but what they do coming out of this sections is creative and powerful. Instead of simply going straight back into the chorus, they sing the first two lines of the chorus slower with a different melodic line. They don’t finish the chorus but instead they build up to the introductory guitar riff. The song continues to build to one of the most beautiful lines I’ve heard in a rock song in recent memory: “And with this pen, I thee wed from my heart to your distress.”
The music video is a triumph as well. It follows the creation of song into a record, which is then passed around. This video is subtle and powerful, with moments of deep emotion illustrating the different personal meanings one song can bring to many people.
Next time you need to write someone a note, pick up a pen and write it by hand. It may or may not feel that different for the recipient but it will feel different for you. These words will mean more to you and to those who read your words by capturing feelings and memories that the heart sometimes forgets but the soul yearns to remember.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The Gaslight Anthem Returns
After the amazing side project the Horrible Crows (which led to some incredible songs like "The Hurricane"), Brian Fallon is back with The Gaslight Anthem. The first single off the album Handwritten is "45" was released this week.
Hey, hey, turn the record over.This song is about a breakdown, failure and regret. However somewhere in the driving beat, there's a voice of reassurance. Within the complex emotions, there's a simplicity, a symphony of broken dreams that somehow evolves into a sense of hope.
Hey hey, and I'll see you on the flip side.
There you go, turn the key and engine over.
Let her go, let somebody else lay at her feet.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Behold The Hurricane by The Horrible Crows
Brian Fallon of the founding members of one of my favorite bands The Gaslight Anthem started a side-project last year forming the band The Horrible Crows.
Fallon and Ian Perkins released the album Elsie which has echos of the The Gaslight Anthem. Like his work with The Gaslight Anthem, Fallon's work is a combination fo punk and Springsteen-like storytelling, which is clearly evident in the lead sing "Behold The Hurricane."
While the story of this song is sad, there is a triumphant glory in the music that allows you to comprehend the darkness of the lyrics with a unique perspective. This song isn't suppose to depress, instead it makes you consider yourself and the choices in your life. Fallon, triumphs again pushing rock music into places that few musicians date to approach.
Fallon and Ian Perkins released the album Elsie which has echos of the The Gaslight Anthem. Like his work with The Gaslight Anthem, Fallon's work is a combination fo punk and Springsteen-like storytelling, which is clearly evident in the lead sing "Behold The Hurricane."
While the story of this song is sad, there is a triumphant glory in the music that allows you to comprehend the darkness of the lyrics with a unique perspective. This song isn't suppose to depress, instead it makes you consider yourself and the choices in your life. Fallon, triumphs again pushing rock music into places that few musicians date to approach.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Bring It On by The Gaslight Anthem
I woke up this morning tired and exhausted from too few hours to sleep. As I came to I noticed that my back and neck were tight for no logical reason. It is exactly this moment that I hit every single day. It's the decision to get out of bed and face the day.
Some days this decision is easier to make than others but some reason today was really hard.
What gets me out of bed is usually off aggressive self-talk. I usually tell myself in not such a nice way to get out of bed and get going. Instead of self-talk what mind played into my itself was "Bring It On."
I don't know why this song came up in my mind. After listening through the album, American Slang, I had decided it was one of the more forgettable songs on the record. Someone this song stuck with my in my self-concious and even though I didn't know this song meant something to me, this morning I found out it did.
Some days this decision is easier to make than others but some reason today was really hard.
What gets me out of bed is usually off aggressive self-talk. I usually tell myself in not such a nice way to get out of bed and get going. Instead of self-talk what mind played into my itself was "Bring It On."
I don't know why this song came up in my mind. After listening through the album, American Slang, I had decided it was one of the more forgettable songs on the record. Someone this song stuck with my in my self-concious and even though I didn't know this song meant something to me, this morning I found out it did.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
She by Elvis Costello (from Notting Hill)
She is song of contradictions, embracing the complexities, the mystery and haunting power of a woman. Reminiscent of Billy Joel’s “She’s Always A Woman” (which I discussed in this earlier post), Costello performs a portrait that is beautiful not despite of its contradictions but because of them.
Originally recorded in 1974 by Charles Aznavour, “She” was a major hit in the United Kingdom reaching the top of the charts
Costello recorded the song for the 1999 film Notting Hill starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
Modernizing the orchestral background creating a richer and warmer texture, Costello sing brings his punk rock-new wave edge to the song expressing the lyrics with a complex sense of frustration and wonder that perfectly reflects the film.
Notting Hill on the surface seems like a typical romantic comedy. Charmingly befuddle William Thacker (Hugh Grant), a small time book seller meets a huge Hollywood actor, Anna Scott played by Julia Roberts and they fall in love. Like a reverse Cinderella story the Princess makes the commoners dream come true. However this film is so much more than that.
Director Robert Mitchell creates a deliberately passes this film, has Julia Roberts have shockingly little dialogues and steers clear of the conventions that have made the Romantic Comedy the bane of the male movie going population.
William while at odds by the Hollywood lifestyle isn’t impressed by it. He has a sense of security and predictability in his life that Anna doesn’t. Anna is insecure and venerable who is simply “just a girl standing in front of a boy asking her to love her” as Anna tells William in the end.
The trailers does a horrible job expressing the mood of the film. Rather check out this amazing scene which shows the passage of time simply through the changing weather as William walks down the street.
“She” bookends Notting Hill serving as both the introduction of the Anna Scott and closes the film celebrating the love the William and Anna find (yes, I spoiled the ending for you, two characters in a romantic comedy fall in love in the end)
The amazing part is how the song transforms through the course of the film as we take the journey with characters and resonates with us long after the film is over. This is a rare example of when two art forms complement each other, trying them together in our memory creating an experience that makes us willing to a watch a Romantic Comedy.
Originally recorded in 1974 by Charles Aznavour, “She” was a major hit in the United Kingdom reaching the top of the charts
Costello recorded the song for the 1999 film Notting Hill starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
Modernizing the orchestral background creating a richer and warmer texture, Costello sing brings his punk rock-new wave edge to the song expressing the lyrics with a complex sense of frustration and wonder that perfectly reflects the film.
Notting Hill on the surface seems like a typical romantic comedy. Charmingly befuddle William Thacker (Hugh Grant), a small time book seller meets a huge Hollywood actor, Anna Scott played by Julia Roberts and they fall in love. Like a reverse Cinderella story the Princess makes the commoners dream come true. However this film is so much more than that.
Director Robert Mitchell creates a deliberately passes this film, has Julia Roberts have shockingly little dialogues and steers clear of the conventions that have made the Romantic Comedy the bane of the male movie going population.
William while at odds by the Hollywood lifestyle isn’t impressed by it. He has a sense of security and predictability in his life that Anna doesn’t. Anna is insecure and venerable who is simply “just a girl standing in front of a boy asking her to love her” as Anna tells William in the end.
The trailers does a horrible job expressing the mood of the film. Rather check out this amazing scene which shows the passage of time simply through the changing weather as William walks down the street.
“She” bookends Notting Hill serving as both the introduction of the Anna Scott and closes the film celebrating the love the William and Anna find (yes, I spoiled the ending for you, two characters in a romantic comedy fall in love in the end)
The amazing part is how the song transforms through the course of the film as we take the journey with characters and resonates with us long after the film is over. This is a rare example of when two art forms complement each other, trying them together in our memory creating an experience that makes us willing to a watch a Romantic Comedy.
Friday, July 2, 2010
No Surrender by Bruce Springsteen feat. Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem)
In 2009, The Gaslight Anthem played the Hard Rock Calling Festival in Hyde Park, London. During their set, Bruce Springsteen supported his fellow New Jersey musicians by performing “The ’59 Sound” with The Gaslight Anthem.
This gracious gesture brought excitement and attention The Gaslight Anthem and an amazing musical energy to this song. Bruce didn’t steal the spotlight but instead played as a member of the band providing an exciting guitar solo and a great vocal counterpoint to Brian Fallon, lead singer of The Gaslight Anthem.
Later that evening during Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s set Fallon returned the favor and performed “No Surrender” with Bruce.
Bruce looked like he was having the time of his life when he performed with The Gaslight Anthem, while Fallon looked absolutely giddy singing with Bruce. As much as it must have been a dream come true to have Bruce sing “The ’59 Sound,” singing with the E Street Band must have been on a whole other level.
Growing up in a house not far from where Springsteen grew up, Fallon identified with Springsteen as he describes in this clip.
Stripped of his guitar, Fallon starts the performance standing in the band clapping looking like a kid amongst these rock legends. As he joins Bruce for the chorus, we get a sense that something special is happening here. Then when Brian takes over the second verse it becomes clear why he is up there.
If I didn’t know that who was singing you could convince me that the guy singing the second verse was older than Bruce. There is something so mature, weathered and passionate in his voice. The pure expression that Brian injects into that second verse is spectacular. He strains for notes while soaring through them all at the same time sounding like a person who not only knows the words but has lived them.
There could not be a more fitting song for these two musicians to sing together. “No Surrender” is about the power of music and the bonds it creates between people. This performances uniting generations exemplifies this . . . I mean just look at how much fun Brian and Bruce are having up there, that's what it's all about.
This gracious gesture brought excitement and attention The Gaslight Anthem and an amazing musical energy to this song. Bruce didn’t steal the spotlight but instead played as a member of the band providing an exciting guitar solo and a great vocal counterpoint to Brian Fallon, lead singer of The Gaslight Anthem.
Later that evening during Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s set Fallon returned the favor and performed “No Surrender” with Bruce.
Bruce looked like he was having the time of his life when he performed with The Gaslight Anthem, while Fallon looked absolutely giddy singing with Bruce. As much as it must have been a dream come true to have Bruce sing “The ’59 Sound,” singing with the E Street Band must have been on a whole other level.
Growing up in a house not far from where Springsteen grew up, Fallon identified with Springsteen as he describes in this clip.
Stripped of his guitar, Fallon starts the performance standing in the band clapping looking like a kid amongst these rock legends. As he joins Bruce for the chorus, we get a sense that something special is happening here. Then when Brian takes over the second verse it becomes clear why he is up there.
If I didn’t know that who was singing you could convince me that the guy singing the second verse was older than Bruce. There is something so mature, weathered and passionate in his voice. The pure expression that Brian injects into that second verse is spectacular. He strains for notes while soaring through them all at the same time sounding like a person who not only knows the words but has lived them.
There could not be a more fitting song for these two musicians to sing together. “No Surrender” is about the power of music and the bonds it creates between people. This performances uniting generations exemplifies this . . . I mean just look at how much fun Brian and Bruce are having up there, that's what it's all about.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Boxer by The Gaslight Anthem
A week ago Rolling Stone on it’s “Hear It Now” page posted American Slang, The Gaslight Anthem’s new album that came out earlier this week. Streaming this album through their website I’ve been moving my wife’s laptop around the house so that I can constantly listen to this album but now I finally have the CD.
I discovered The Gaslight Anthem through Rolling Stone when they made a list about the top 40 things to get excited about music and The Gaslight Anthem a band that I never heard of made the list.
I wrote about their amazing title track from their last album “The ‘59 Sound” in this previous post as I was stunned not only by the musical prowess but the depth of emotion writing a song about the hopes and dreams we have about the transition into death.
Almost every tracks stands out including the personal and powerful title track, a glorious anthem:
However the first glance we got of this album and one of amazing examples of this band's artistry is “Boxer.”
In less than three minutes, “The Gaslight Anthem” tells the story of a man reflecting on a friend he used to have who was a boxer. Somehow, in this short song we get the feeling that we’ve watched a three hour biopic.
The verses begins talking about the surface bravado of the boxer, “got your pride and your pose, tucked just like a tommy gun” and the transition into a deeper emotion as Brain Fallon, the lead singer, tells about how the boxer has a love that he denies he misses.
The chorus is a flurry of figurative language, beautifully arranged talking about salvation and healing in the act of writing and listening to music, “he found bandages inside the pen and the stitches on the radio.” The lyrics that immediately follow are subtle and profound speaking to regret and responsibility.
There was something heavy holding you down
And there were whispers that were driving you crazy
And now you hunt the heart of this town.
There’s a confidence in the craft from the mid-tempo groove to the contrast textures between and the verses and chorus. The story is sad but there’s a sheen of nostalgia, “remember when I knew boxer.” It’s almost like he’s thinking not only about the boxer but a simpler time in his own life. The song is about a boxer but it means so much more and it’s within this depth that there is not only artistry but also beauty.
“The Boxer” may not be the greatest song ever, but right now it certainly feels that way.
I discovered The Gaslight Anthem through Rolling Stone when they made a list about the top 40 things to get excited about music and The Gaslight Anthem a band that I never heard of made the list.
I wrote about their amazing title track from their last album “The ‘59 Sound” in this previous post as I was stunned not only by the musical prowess but the depth of emotion writing a song about the hopes and dreams we have about the transition into death.
Almost every tracks stands out including the personal and powerful title track, a glorious anthem:
However the first glance we got of this album and one of amazing examples of this band's artistry is “Boxer.”
In less than three minutes, “The Gaslight Anthem” tells the story of a man reflecting on a friend he used to have who was a boxer. Somehow, in this short song we get the feeling that we’ve watched a three hour biopic.
The verses begins talking about the surface bravado of the boxer, “got your pride and your pose, tucked just like a tommy gun” and the transition into a deeper emotion as Brain Fallon, the lead singer, tells about how the boxer has a love that he denies he misses.
The chorus is a flurry of figurative language, beautifully arranged talking about salvation and healing in the act of writing and listening to music, “he found bandages inside the pen and the stitches on the radio.” The lyrics that immediately follow are subtle and profound speaking to regret and responsibility.
There was something heavy holding you down
And there were whispers that were driving you crazy
And now you hunt the heart of this town.
There’s a confidence in the craft from the mid-tempo groove to the contrast textures between and the verses and chorus. The story is sad but there’s a sheen of nostalgia, “remember when I knew boxer.” It’s almost like he’s thinking not only about the boxer but a simpler time in his own life. The song is about a boxer but it means so much more and it’s within this depth that there is not only artistry but also beauty.
“The Boxer” may not be the greatest song ever, but right now it certainly feels that way.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Basket Case by Green Day
Grammy winner, concept album, protest music, Broadway show.
These are all phrases that describe Green Day of 2010. Is there anything in the Green Day of 1994 that would give us anyone clue of the greatness and the level of cultural relevance that Green Day would achieve 15 years later? I don't know but I always knew there was something special about Green Day even in middle school.
In 1994, there was the explosion of Grunge Music. This genre of music took Punk music added a layer of distortion, teen angst and cynicism to create a sub-culture that was both plaid, baggy and lacked the use of shampoo on a regular basis. Among the Grunge groups there were other bands that were grouped into this genre like that really were something different and one of those groups was Green Day.
Instead of creating a darker distortion of punk music, Green Day continued the tradition of punk from groups like the Ramones creating simple songs that were short, fun and featured pop influenced melodies. This is why many people beyond the alternative crowd found "Basket Case" appealing and why it has endured as one of there most popular song.
There is something special about the opening of this song. 22 year old Billy Joel Armstrong accompanied by his guitar inquiring to the world "Do you have the time to listen to me whine?" The statement is aggressive and brave. He's putting himself out there hiding behind nothing, simply speaking his mind and expressing from the heart.
What Armstrong is expressing isn’t exactly something that you would think is be an anthem but it is. This song is about embracing the things about ourselves that other people see as flaws. Yes, I’m melodramatic and neurotic, and it’s so bad “sometimes I give myself the creeps.” While the lyrics wonder about what it means to crazy the music embracing the question “Am I just paranoid?” like a victorious call.
This song builds like symphony adding layers of instruments with an unforgiving driving pulse that never lets go of our attention. The sounds can be replicated on stage and knowing this creates a connection with the audeince. It’s not just art in a studio, it’s something that is alive and like great folk music that makes it mean something more.
People who others called crazy are responsible for all the greatest accomplishments in history. We all dream big and hope to try something that people haven’t done before. “Basket Case” is the reaction we need to remember and reminding ourselves that we may be cracking up, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
These are all phrases that describe Green Day of 2010. Is there anything in the Green Day of 1994 that would give us anyone clue of the greatness and the level of cultural relevance that Green Day would achieve 15 years later? I don't know but I always knew there was something special about Green Day even in middle school.
In 1994, there was the explosion of Grunge Music. This genre of music took Punk music added a layer of distortion, teen angst and cynicism to create a sub-culture that was both plaid, baggy and lacked the use of shampoo on a regular basis. Among the Grunge groups there were other bands that were grouped into this genre like that really were something different and one of those groups was Green Day.
Instead of creating a darker distortion of punk music, Green Day continued the tradition of punk from groups like the Ramones creating simple songs that were short, fun and featured pop influenced melodies. This is why many people beyond the alternative crowd found "Basket Case" appealing and why it has endured as one of there most popular song.
There is something special about the opening of this song. 22 year old Billy Joel Armstrong accompanied by his guitar inquiring to the world "Do you have the time to listen to me whine?" The statement is aggressive and brave. He's putting himself out there hiding behind nothing, simply speaking his mind and expressing from the heart.
What Armstrong is expressing isn’t exactly something that you would think is be an anthem but it is. This song is about embracing the things about ourselves that other people see as flaws. Yes, I’m melodramatic and neurotic, and it’s so bad “sometimes I give myself the creeps.” While the lyrics wonder about what it means to crazy the music embracing the question “Am I just paranoid?” like a victorious call.
This song builds like symphony adding layers of instruments with an unforgiving driving pulse that never lets go of our attention. The sounds can be replicated on stage and knowing this creates a connection with the audeince. It’s not just art in a studio, it’s something that is alive and like great folk music that makes it mean something more.
People who others called crazy are responsible for all the greatest accomplishments in history. We all dream big and hope to try something that people haven’t done before. “Basket Case” is the reaction we need to remember and reminding ourselves that we may be cracking up, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem
There’s a difference between what we want to believe and what we actually believe. As much as I would like to believe in the afterlife, in my heart I wonder.
Throughout the history of music artists have explored the nature of death trying to find comfort, solace and understanding of the greatest mystery of the human experience. Many songs about death have provided answers about the afterlife like “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.
While other songs like “The Rising” by Bruce Springsteen explore the journey into the afterlife.
What’s unique about “The ’59 Sound” by The Gaslight Anthem it doesn’t provide answers. It's about our questions, hopes and fears about the journey to the afterlife.
I discovered The Gaslight Anthem in a recent issue of Rolling Stone that featured the bad as one of their “40 Reasons To Get Excited About Music.” Rolling Stone called lead singer Brian Fallon “The Next Jersey Rock Hero.” There are many comparisons between Bruce Springsteen and The Gaslight Anthem made in a complimentary way. Taking the passion, the storytelling and the depth of human emotion that Springsteen expresses in his music and adding a modern punk mentality has created a musical landscape that is both beautifully referential while surprisingly fresh.
The first verse starts pondering what music they will play when they “float into the ether.” There is a beautiful literary allusion to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, “I hope we don’t hear Marley’s chains before July” hoping that the Marley (the ghost of Christmas Past) won’t visit them at the end and tell them they have something to regret about life. This allusion is carried through to the last line of the verse stating that “the chains I’ve been hearing now for most of my life.”
The chorus is a series of questions asking someone who is yet to be identified what they heard when they died. Was it something comforting: “the ’59 sound”? Was it Marley coming to haunt them: “the rattling chains?” Was it something religious and revelatory: “the old gospel choir”? Or was it something comforting and personal: “your favorite song”? Even though this song tells a sad story, there is a celebratory tone in the chorus as the questions doesn’t so much focus on the negative possibilities of death but the positive ones.
In the second verse the “you” from the chorus is identified. It’s someone who the protagonist cares about who has died in a car crash. The narrator apologizes for not being the “spirit left your body.” Even though this is sad point, there are things that the singers holds onto in the assertion that he still knows “the song and the words and the name and the reasons."
The Gaslight Anthem proposes that maybe it’s not in the answers that we find meaning but rather in the questions. This process of wondering defines who we are in life and maybe it defines our journey into death. I have still have a lot of questions and maybe I’ll never stop wondering and “The ’59 Sound” shows us that this is something not to be feared but to celebrate.
Throughout the history of music artists have explored the nature of death trying to find comfort, solace and understanding of the greatest mystery of the human experience. Many songs about death have provided answers about the afterlife like “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.
While other songs like “The Rising” by Bruce Springsteen explore the journey into the afterlife.
What’s unique about “The ’59 Sound” by The Gaslight Anthem it doesn’t provide answers. It's about our questions, hopes and fears about the journey to the afterlife.
I discovered The Gaslight Anthem in a recent issue of Rolling Stone that featured the bad as one of their “40 Reasons To Get Excited About Music.” Rolling Stone called lead singer Brian Fallon “The Next Jersey Rock Hero.” There are many comparisons between Bruce Springsteen and The Gaslight Anthem made in a complimentary way. Taking the passion, the storytelling and the depth of human emotion that Springsteen expresses in his music and adding a modern punk mentality has created a musical landscape that is both beautifully referential while surprisingly fresh.
The first verse starts pondering what music they will play when they “float into the ether.” There is a beautiful literary allusion to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, “I hope we don’t hear Marley’s chains before July” hoping that the Marley (the ghost of Christmas Past) won’t visit them at the end and tell them they have something to regret about life. This allusion is carried through to the last line of the verse stating that “the chains I’ve been hearing now for most of my life.”
The chorus is a series of questions asking someone who is yet to be identified what they heard when they died. Was it something comforting: “the ’59 sound”? Was it Marley coming to haunt them: “the rattling chains?” Was it something religious and revelatory: “the old gospel choir”? Or was it something comforting and personal: “your favorite song”? Even though this song tells a sad story, there is a celebratory tone in the chorus as the questions doesn’t so much focus on the negative possibilities of death but the positive ones.
In the second verse the “you” from the chorus is identified. It’s someone who the protagonist cares about who has died in a car crash. The narrator apologizes for not being the “spirit left your body.” Even though this is sad point, there are things that the singers holds onto in the assertion that he still knows “the song and the words and the name and the reasons."
The Gaslight Anthem proposes that maybe it’s not in the answers that we find meaning but rather in the questions. This process of wondering defines who we are in life and maybe it defines our journey into death. I have still have a lot of questions and maybe I’ll never stop wondering and “The ’59 Sound” shows us that this is something not to be feared but to celebrate.
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