Being a sneaky, somewhat disingenuous, outside salesman has its perks - the whole free car and free gasoline thing chief among them. However, such luxuries aren't without their conditions / prerequisites, which is to say that if I'm going to have 'em, I gotta fuckin' use 'em. In other words, I drive... A LOT. This month alone I've made two quick trips to New Hampshire and back to Philly, with a few "quickies" to the assorted cities of NJ and NY sprinkled in there as well.
Alright, so why do I mention all of this? Don't worry, I'm not going to use this space to ramble on about work. No no. Instead, what I find interesting are the psychological diversions that inevitably seep into my mind during these ominously long business sojourns of mine so as to occupy it and keep it from getting completely lost. More specifically, during this most recent New England expedition, I just so happened to catch some of my all-time favorite song lyrics on various FM radio stations right in a row for about 20 minutes during the beginning of my six-hour trek home. And of course, this got me thinking -What are my top five song lyrics of all time?, which was quickly followed by, Why do I like listing/ranking things so much? I decided to ignore the latter, at least for the time being, and focus on the initial question. With that in mind, and since I gave this very idea approximately five hours and forty minutes of thought already in my car, I figured this would be a fun subject to write about, and perhaps even more fun to debate with my half-wit sibling.
And so here we are, time to reveal DJ's top five song-lyrics of all time. The criteria are very loose (here they are in case you'd like to comment with your own list, which, ya know, would be fun). First, it can't be a whole song's/verse's worth of lyrics; a few sentences at the most is what we're going for here. Also, there is no weight given to the popularity of the song; it can be the most obscure fuckin' thing in the world if you want. And lastly, it should probably apply to you in some way, whether it be inspirational, identifiable, it gets your heart beating faster, etc. Whatever, so long as it's good and it matters, that's it. Ok, off we go...Oh, wait, actually, one final word of admonishment: when Bill responds, brace yourself and try not to laugh when all five of his are fuckin' Bon Jovi lyrics (Yeah, we get it John, Tommy and Gina never backed down. Thanks. Let's move on...). Ok, here we go:
#5) "You can beat him, you can cheat him, you can treat him bad, and leave him when he's down. But I'm ready. Yes I'm ready for you. I'm standing on my own two feet. Out of the doorway the bullets rip, repeating the sound of the beat!" (Queen, "Another One Bites the Dust")
Every guy has been through relationships that have disintegrated. We've all had ex-girlfriends (or boyfriends! - hey, gotta keep the gays in mind here considering this lyrics WAS written by Freddie Mercury himself, whom I'm guessing was what they call a "power-bottom" in the gay community). And as ex's tend to do, they leave a very enduring and bitter taste in our mouths. And while we eventually get over them and/or how they wronged us - whether it be by, as Freddie notes, beating us, cheating on us, treating us bad, and leaving us when we're feeling down - we ultimately realize that we'll always somewhat of a resentment towards them. We realize we have to remember it so to prepare us for such a sad situation's potential recurrence if and when the next beeyatch comes around.
And it's in that aspect that I find happiness in these lyrics. Freddie's sayin' that some woman may come along and try to rip me to shreds (again), but ya know what, no. This time I'll be ready ("But I'm ready!"). This time I'm not layin' down for this shit ("I'm standing on my own two feet!"). This time, when you show up to crush my soul, I'm gonna see it coming and unload on your first in a way that is brutal. lethal. beautiful. rhythmic. ("Out of the doorway the bullets rip, repeating the sound of the beat!") Get it?
After all this, essentially these lyrics remind that I'm in control of everything, and anyone who dares try to take that from me is not going to get the chance. Because I'm better than you. And I can kill you. Hilarious.
#4) "It has to start somewhere. It had to start sometime. What better place than here? What better time than now?" (Rage Against the Machine, "Guerilla Radio")
Ya know what, who the fuck cares that virtually all of Zack De la Rocha's lyrics can essentially be boiled down to politically-driven bullshit? These lyrics right here nonetheless remain about the very best call-to-arms you're gonna find. It's the ultimate "if not now, when?" sentiment, and it is expressed in the most appropriate forum for such a concept, which is to say, in an aggressive hard rock song.
Even better, Zack apparently realizes that thunderous repetition of the song's short but powerful rhythm guitar/drum riffs in and of itself serves to instantly jack up your heart-rate so that it's furiously pumping blood on all cylinders (seriously, the instruments in this song are like the music equivalent of drinking a Red Bull laced with blow while watching the Eagles score a touchdown against the Cowboys), so he knows he doesn't have to take the easy way out and belt out his message by way of shrieking it at you. Instead, he waits until a brief moment when the music settles down a bit, all is quiet except for a gentle tapping of the high-hat (the gold cymbol shape atop most drum sets), and he whiiiiispers it at you. It's like he's planting a seed in your brain, but an important one that you won't forget. It's kinda like when the bad guys say, "Who...who...who ARE you?!?!" and Christian Bale pulls them close and whispers at them, "I'm Batmaaaan." Yeah, you get the idea now. That shit'll stay with you for-EVER! Also, Batman rocks.
Anyway, about the lyrics themselves... Do me a favor. Think about all the shit in your life you've never done, the things you wish you had more time to do, all that you fear it's getting "too late" to undertake, everything you fear you'll look back on one sad day as unfulfilled dreams. Then think about what's stopping you from getting on the fucking ball. Wife/spouse? Family? Career? Money? Are those things really stopping you, or are you just too fucking lazy to make it all work? Interesting to think about, and I think we both know the real answer there...
...So, while there are a myriad of different potential sources of inspiration out there, if you enjoy or can at least appreciate some quality hard rock music, you'll certainly find these lyrics here to be the gold standard. You know, I wanted to start writing - something, anything - for pleasure sometime around 2004. But it wasn't until 2009 when I was sitting alone in my apartment that I genuinely thought, What better place than HERE? What better time than NOW? Then I thought, That sounds cool when I put it like that. Where have I heard that before?...
#3) "And I wonder. When I sing along with you, if everything could ever feel this real forever. If anything could ever be this good again. The only thing I'll ever ask of you - gotta promise not to stop when I say when." (Foo Fighters - "Everlong")
Let's get one thing straight - Dave Groehl is the best living rock star in the world. (Side note: Pearl Jammers of the world, take a fucking hike and don't come back until you're ready to speak objectively about things, okay? Thanks). And so whatever he has to say, we're gonna listen. And whatever he has to say, chances are it'll be epic. That's the truth... And never has said truth been more evident than in this little excerpt from what I believe is the Foo's single greatest song, "Everlong."
When asked about the mood/feel of the song, Dave once remarked that the entirety of it is meant to feel ethereal, fleeting, tenuous, dream-like. And he's right, it kinda does. Think about it - the song employs some typical grunge/alt rock chords and such, but it never picks up and pounds away too aggressively despite the fact that at times you think it's going to - specifically during the little escalating guitar riff just before he says "Aaand I wonder...", you know the part I mean - and the pace of his vocal delivery throughout the song is somewhat slooooow and feels almost sedated ("Cooooome down....and waaaste away with me....doooown with meee."), so it all does kinda make sense. The rythym and lyrics of "Everlong" kind of steal you away from reality for a little bit. In other words, it's very easy to allow your mind to drift while listening to it, which, as I've learned from past experience, makes it a horrible driving song - "Ooooh I'm in the wrong lane and there's a truck coming right at me, but whatever I don't care cuz I'm rapt and floating in an ocean of Foo Fighters ecstasy... And I wonder. Could anything ever feel this goood aaaaagai... Fuck!, a truck's coming right at me!"
Ok, so why do I even mention the dreamy tone of the song? Well, because it makes the specific lyrics I chose here even more incredible. Simple as that. Allow me to illustrate... Clearly, Mr. Groehl is singing to the person he loves, and really what he's saying is that what he feels with her (presumably its a "her." I've heard no reports that Dave Groehl and Freddie Mercury had that much in common) is so good and perfect that it's actually hard to believe that it's real. You can tell he feels like he's in a dream from which he doesn't want to wake up, so the only thing he ever asks of her is that whatever she's doing, she doesn't stop ("Gotta promise not to stop when I say when...") Jesus, has there ever been another occurrence in rock history in which such a genuinely romantic and admirable sentiment has been so seamlessly emoted within the framework of a legit alt/hard rock song? I dare say no. And that's fucking awesome.
Plenty of rock stars have bellowed "I love you," "I need you," or some other less than memorable and conventional anecdote into a microphone, and they get their point across I guess. But nobody has ever done it quite like Dave did in "Everlong." Prove me wrong...
#2) "Ain't no surprise in the club to see Sly Stallone. Miami, my second home. Party in the city where the heat is on, all night on the beach 'til the break of dawn." (Will Smith, "Miami")
Ya know, people don't give Will Smith enough credit. His beats have always been catchy. His attitude is consistently classy, and his lyrics are, quite frankly, infectious. When you hear them, you can't stop singing 'em! And sometimes that's all you need from music, right? Just to feel it? I think so, and that's why "Miami" and everything about it works so well.
If you got this far, congratulations. I'm hoping your mouth is hanging open. Relax. Of COURSE this has been one big joke. "Miami" is the stupidest fucking song ever! Sly Stallone? Really? That's the best line you could come up with, Will? It doesn't even really rhyme with "home!" Ha! Ok, on to the real number two...
#2) "Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind." (Pearl Jam, "I Am Mine")
Ok, you got me. I'm joking again. There's no fucking WAY I'm gonna cave and arbitrarily deify these guys like so many other mindless lemmings whose adolescence just so happened to coincide with this band's proliferation in the early 90's. Guess what - if they didn't blow up at the exact same time you discovered what a guitar was, you wouldn't dig them that much either. PJ is good/very good, but nonetheless overrated as shit. Congratulations, you're the Tom Brady of rock music - despite your talent, nobody who pays attention to your craft has been able to lay eyes on you without getting nauseous since 2001. Eddie Vedder knows it, too. That's why he wrote that song "I am a Patriot." Zing, motherfucker! Ok, now, I promise we're on to the real number two.
#2) "I look at the world and notice its turning, while my guitar gently weeps. With every mistake we must surely be learning; still my guitar gently weeps." (The Beatles/George Harrison, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps.")
Ok, we're doing a thing here about timeless and powerful song lyrics, so why and/or how the fuck could I possibly justify NOT putting my favorite part from my favorite song by maybe the most legendary band/artist of all time on here? Well, I couldn't justify it, and so here it is.
One might think that the higher on this list I get, the more prophetic or profound the lyrics might strive to be. Definitely not the case here. In fact, this is quite the opposite. To me, these lyrics amount to nothing more than a pleasant little reality check. They're grounding. They're simple. They're a reminder that while so many rock-n-rollers are trying so hard to find that universally encompassing and legendary sound and voice, or to emphasize how painful life/death can be, or to remind the world how poignant, stinging, and enduring the pangs of love are, etc. that in the end, time, life, and the world will continue to move on unflinchingly. Despite the thickly dramatic mood that permeates so much of the music scene and is ultimately and ceaselessly rammed down our throats , the world continues to turn. That's always a nice reminder.
In other words, The Beatles - as admittedly guilty as they are as well of such heavy wording from time to time (after all, he does say "MY" guitar) - have the impressive ability to take a step back and tell the rest of the whining music community, "Hey guys. Why are we complaining all the time? Fuckin' relax. Life goes on. Deal with it." For a person who is so helplessly given to exaggeration (muah), that, again, is such a welcomed reminder, and one I don't mind hearing again and again.
#1) "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun." (Billy Joel, "Only the Good Die Young")
Quick, everyone who thought DJ was gonna save some Metallica for the top spot, go do a shot of Jager. I'll wait.... Doesn't taste quite as good as it did in college, does it? Noooo, no it doesn't. In fact, it tastes like shit. I don't know how I didn't realize this earlier. Whatever, moving on...
I enjoy that the theme/idea behind the Beatles lyrics I used immediately above dovetail so nicely into these from Billy Joel. To someone with a healthy penchant for rambling, segue is such a fantastic convenience to have. Oh, and with that in mind....
The Beatles reminded me that despite life's problems, the world hasn't ended. I'm still alive, which, ya know, is nice. But Billy Joel takes it a step further. He reminds me here that not only is it important to remember that life inevitably goes on, it's even more crucial to have some fucking fun while I'm at it. After all, what's the point in enduring if you can't take advantage of it? What's the point in spending all your time worrying and crying? Go out and live, even if that means sinning here and there, because - at the risk of sounding cliche - you only get to do so once. Whatever makes ya genuinely happy, people. When it's all said and done, thriving is of paramount and equal importance to simply surviving.
That's right, folks. DJ Mazzola's number one music lyric ever is little more than en endorsement of a purely hedonistic point of view. Is ANYONE surprised? I doubt it. Happiness at all costs. Fuck karma, fuck a suffocating sense of discipline, and above all, fuck everyone with a skewed and laughably sheltered view of right and wrong.....Ahhhh, that feels better.
Listen, I'm not advocating chaos. I'm not saying I'm encouraging people to hurt one another, drive drunk, consider drug-use to be a recereational activity, etc. I'm really not. It's more of a mindset than anything else. Don't feel bound. Don't get caught up. Don't fucking worry. Smell the goddamn roses. And yes, in some cases by "smell" I mean "mouth-bang" and by "goddamn roses" I mean "as many high-school girls as you can." Haha.
See, I just made a joke there about statutory rape. Ya know why? Because it was funny, albeit a bit juvenile. Because I laughed when I thought of it. Because you should laugh too. Because making people laugh makes me happy. Because it doesn't hurt anybody. Because I don't have the time to genuinely give a fuck what you think about my worldview. Because fuck 'em if they can't take a joke. That's why. Because it felt good to push the proverbial envelope as it pertains to etiquette, etc.
If you didn't join me in laughing just now, I suggest you do so next time. Why? Because I'm a fucking sinner. That's why.
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There you have it, my top five. Of course, there has indeed been a method to my madness all along here. If you care to notice, there is what I thought to be a nice little progression form my #5 to #1. The thoughts/meanings/interpretations of each slowly evolve from preparation for more pain to focusing solely on the positive elements of life during the relatively little time I have to live and letting the all other burdens of the world just fall away. In other words....:
Queen told me to get ready to fight back because pain/heartbreak may come again.
Rage Against the Machine told me that it's not enough to cling to such good ideas, but taking chances and risking more pain are nonetheless of urgent and immediate importance.
Foo Fighters told me that such actions are absolutely worth it when you acquire whatever it is I seek/find what it is I'm really looking for/etc.; so worth it, in fact, that it'll feel almost unreal when I get there.
The Beatles told me that there will be trying obstacles along the way, but I gotta just keep going and keep living because it's rarely ever as bad as it seems.
And Billy Joel told me that it'll all be over in a blink anyway, so I better make damn sure that I consider whatever road I'm on as a fucking gift, and not just a challenge to be conquered.
Got me?
One last note - seriously, it was like a hundred paragraphs ago, Pearl Jammers - fuckin' relax, I'm just playin'. God.
DJ
Hey - Bill here. I don't have a long introduction here. I think this is an awesome topic, and probably the most subjective topic one could write about. Everybody leads a different life, and everybody's unique life has a unique soundtrack. A lyric that strikes a deep emotional chord with someone may seem like toilet bowl lyrics to another. Just sayin.
Now that that's out of the way, I'll present my five favorite song lyrics ever. Fear not - despite what my legions (read: 7 - several of which are related to me) of fans and my loveable idiot brother think, there are no lyrics from Mr. John Bongiovi or Richard Sambora on my list. I love Bon Jovi for what they are, I have fun getting amped listening to their songs and fist pumpin in my stonewashed jeans and mocking the 50 year old women trapped in 1987 at their concerts - but lyrical poets they ain't. In fact, despite my deep seeded love of 80 hair metal, there is nary a hair metal lyric on my list.
I Can't say the same for DJ. "Another one bites the dust"? Really? We're gonna rip on Eddie Vedder but put Queen on the top 5 list - the band that gave us such gems as "We are the Champions, no time for losers".....I mean, talk about simple. But as my Grandmom would say, DJ is simple - so I guess that makes sense.
My choices here are simply lyrics that have touched me, stayed with me, made me think and have evoked emotion in me - whether it be a good, bad, happy, sad, depressing, or uplifitng emotion - or I just simply like the way the words sound when sung. These are the ones that have stayed with me over the now 33 years I have been on this planet.
5) "It's a semi-true story
Believe it or not
I made up a few things and there's some I forgot
But the life and the tellin' are both real to me
And they all run together and turn out to be
A semi-true story"
-Semi-True Story
Jimmy Buffett
C'mon, who is really surprised? At least I didn't put Jimmy at #1. As you will kind of see with the rest of my list, I'm really big on musicians and bands who are storytellers. I like songs that kind of paint a picture, so that when I listen to it its almost like I'm reading a musical book, and for my money - Jimmy is one of the best storytellers out there. Every one of his songs sounds like some sort of sun soaked, alcohol fueled tropical anecdote that either happened to him or to someone he knows - and I like that.
This song in particular I think applies to almost everyone. Everyone's life is sort of a semi-true story. You remember the key points and the spots you don't remember - you kind of fill in with things that make the story funny and memorable. Every good story gets embellished more and more as time goes by.
When I was in college, the best year was my junior year - which was sadly, 1998. I was living with two other guys. I will change their names to protect their anonymity. Let's call them
Crank Fonicella and Gike Mivnish. Anyway - in the beginning of this alcohol fueled haze of a school year, the three of us threw a party in our room.
Here's how we tell the story:
As was the case with most of our parties, there were way too many people in the room - usually we say around 50, and way too much noise emanating from the room. We were bound to get in trouble. Almost everyone in the room was under 21 and some were RA's (resident advisors - dorm police) themselves, and theoretically we would all be in a world of trouble if caught. And before long - RA came to the room and knocked on the door so hard you would have thought a gang rape was going on inside.
Absolute pandemonium broke out as people looked to escape getting in trouble. In a moment of inspired stupidity, someone opened our second story window and begain tossing people out of it like they were paratroopers being dropped behind enemy lines during world war 2. People were smashing into each other trying to get out of the room. The RA was pounding on the door like he was busting into a potential meth lab. Crank Fonicella was shouting to the RA that he was putting on his clothes and would be there in a second. One guy, let's call him Karrod Jedersha jumped out of the window and landed on his tailbone. For some reason Gike Mivnish dove out of the window, even though he lived in the room, and broke his ankle. Just as the scores of people on the lawn under the window had run away, the RA had finally gone and gotten the master key to the dorm. Crank Fonicella and I stripped to ouor underwear, because we thought it would be funny, and when the RA finally barged in expecting a party, he found only me and frank in the center of the room surrounded by roughly a bajillion empty beer cans.
That's mostly true. In reality, it was probably 20 or so people, tops. I'm not really sure. People did jump out the window to avoid getting in trouble, but it was about a 4 foot drop. The RA did knock on the door, but probably fairly normally. Karrod Jedersha did jump out and land on his ass, but he was mostly fine. Gike Mivnish did sprain his ankle, mostly because he is incredibly unalthetic. The RA came in - Frank and I were probably not in our underwear, and there were surely some beer cans around, but not all that many - most were in the trash. We were probably sitting on the couch.
See - one story is clearly better than the other. I don't think any of us are precisely sure what happened that night, so when we re-tell the story, as we often do when we get together nowadays, it gets embellished a little more each time. When we're telling it to our grandkids, it will be a 6th story window and people will be hangliding out of it. There's a lot of stories from my life that are like that - and for some reason I think of this particular night when I hear this song. I dont really know why.
Anyway - thats a long winded way of saying that everyone's life is a semi true story. You get older, you forget details - but the key points remain the same. The life you lived and the telling of the story remain real, even if the details become lost or exaggerated. Thats life, and its pretty cool.
4) "Sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if it's just for today
Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord take you away"
-Aerosmith, "Dream On"
So, for my brother, it was Billy Joel. For me, its Steven Tyler. Ugh, sounds like I came out on the short end of that stick, since Aerosmith has lots its balls and Tyler is now a judge on American Idol. But back in the dizzay - Aerosmith rocked. I'm not advocating the use of recreational drugs, do em if you want to - its your life, but there's no doubt that early drug fueled, banging groupies backstage before coming out for the encore Aerosmith was awesome, and "Dream On" was their Mona Lisa.
Love this song for two reasons - First, for me, the message in this song is the same message my dinkus brother got out of Billy Joel (which, admittedly was another fine choice). The message: Live for the now. Its not a new message - there are a bajillion and three songs out there that have the "seize the day" message, but for me, few are as memorable as this one. Tyler and Perry are saying it in the simplest way possible - celebrate life with me, celebrate the happy, celebrate the sad, celebrate it now - even if its just today, because if you don't, you might not get another chance. Sometimes life is awesome - sometimes is sucks, but you should be thankful for both the good and the bad, because it could all be taken away at any time.
Second, musically, the song flat out rocks. Besides having real meaning behind the words, it is one of the most hair raising, inspiring choruses to a song ever. I dare you to not get pumped up listening to this tune. It is one of the most overplayed rock songs of all time, and I'll still keep it on and turn up the volume every time I catch it.
3) "Now Muriel plays piano
Every Friday at the Hollywood
And they brought me down to see her
And asked me if I would
Do a little number
And I sang with all my might
And she said,
Tell me are you a Christian child
And I said - Ma'am I am tonight"
-Walking in Memphis
-Marc Cohn
So - when I was initially thinking about this, I originally thought that I would want each of my selections to not only be personal favorites of mine, but also have some sort of deeper meaning that one can apply to life or something. (hence - no Bon Jovi, Poison, Warrant etc....) I wanted to come off deep and poignant and thoughtful. I failed.
According to Mr. Cohn, this song is about Cohn's spiritual awakening when being introduced to the blues roots in the city of Memphis. Thats kind of a cool thing, but it has no practical application to my life, no deeper meaning that I can assign to myself or other people - but fuck it man, I love this song. I don't know what the lyrics mean, but I love them. I love singing them. I pretty much love every verse of this song, but I chose this one because I just love the way he nails the line - "tell me are you a Christian child and I said - ma'am I am tonight"
I just think its a beautiful song. I was gonna skip it, and put something in here that was more applicable to life, but I realized that would be lying. And the more I thought about it, the more I was ok with putting this here. There's something to be said for just loving something for the way it sounds and not looking so deep into everything. When I listen to this song, I can't help but sing it at the top of my lungs, and even though I'm not sure what the lyrics mean, I like the way they sound next to each other. Sorry if that wasn't a good explanation - but that's all I got.
2) "I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate.
perhaps that's what no one wants to see
I just wanna scream......hello
my God it's been so long, never dreamed you'd return
but here you are, and here I am."
-Elederly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town
Pearl Jam
First off, fuck you Donald. Pearl Jam is awesome. Do i think they are the greatest rock band of all time? No, I don't. Do I think Eddie Vedder is the greatest living rock star? No, I don't. Do I think Dave Groehl is? Not by a long shot. You do know that Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen are still alive right? Hell, even Bono.........kidding. But still - Dave Groehl as the greatest living rock star? A liiiiiiiiiiittle retarded there, pal. I think I'm speaking pretty objectively here - I think, if anything, calling Groehl the greatest rocker alive is not willing to be objective. As Chandler Bing would say - Hello, pot? This is Kettle. You're black.
Anyway - I think Pearl Jam has a friggin reservoir of songs that really strike an eomotional chord with me, which is probably why I love them so much. Also - they rock really hard. Anyway, this song - to me there isn't a hidden meaning or anything here. It's just sad as all hell. When Eddie was asked about this song he said:
"Its kind of about a lady, and she's stuck in this small town. Small towns fascinate me: You either struggle like hell to get out, or some people wanna stay because they're the big fish in a small pond, and then there are others that just kind of get stuck there. So here she is working in this little nothing place, and then an old flame comes in, and he's probably driving a nice car and looking kind of sharp. Not a fancy car i don't think - but he's has moved on. And she sees him, and at first she doesn't even remember who he is, and then she realizes who it is. But she's too embarassed to say hello."
That doesn't really apply to me at all - I'm from a big city (fuck yeah, philly) and I've never been in that kind of situation - and I don't imagine I ever will be, but fuck me if that isn't the saddest thing of all time. Life has just kinda passed this lady by, she's the same person now as she was in the past, and its so humiliating and embarassing, she can't bring herself to talk to this guy. My favorite line is the "i changed by not changing at all" bit. I love that. Most people change by spreading their wings and exploring. Leaving home, getting a job, getting married etc...but this lady hasn't changed at all - and in doing so, she has become unrecognizeable even to someone who used to be romantically involved with her. That's incredibly profound to me. Maybe I'm simple, but man, that gets me. I just can't think of a lot that is sadder than this.
This song always puts me in a thoughtful mood, and I think that is what the best songs do. I'm sad for the lady in the song, but i'm happy that it's not me. It makes me wonder about all the people and places from my own past. How have they changed? Who is the exact same as they were when I knew them? Would I recognize the people from my past? This song also makes me think about how eventually everything fades, and we are really pretty powerless to do anything about it. Man, it's a sad ass song, and I guess that's why I love it. Anything that can bring about that powerful an emotion, whether it be good or bad, happy or sad, uplifting or depressing - and in this case, a sort of mish-mash of all kinds of emotions - that's gotta mean its an incredible song, no? Methinks yes.
1) "Hey what else can we do now
except roll down the window
and let the wind blow backyour hair
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes can take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real'
To trade in some wings on these wheels
Climb in back, heaven's waiting on down the tracks
Oh, oh come take my hand
Riding out tonight to case the promised land
oh-oh thunder road, oh thunder road, oh thunder road"
-Thunder Road
Bruce Springsteen
I realize I wrote a lot of the lyrics there, but really - I could have written the whole song down. I think Thunder Road is the greatest American rock and roll song ever written, by the greatest living rock star we have right now. Even better than Dave Groehl. It's also my favorite song of all time. I talked before about how I like storytellers, so i won't re-hash it, but I dont think there has ever been a song that is so.......cinematic. I can almost see the movie playing as I'm listening to the song.
I don't think there is any one meaning behind Thunder Road. Springsteen himself said that "the song means different things to different people" - but you can make that argument about almost anything. My point is that some songs are clearly about love, some clearly about heartbreak, some clearly about kicking ass - but this song doesn't fall neatly into any category. I found an article by Nick Hornby (author of High Fidelity and About a Boy) who believes it is the quintissential American rock song. He says, among other things -
"I love the ambivalence of the song, how you can feel the narrator's desperation and the fear that he might not realize his dreams. You don't know if the narrator of the song is capable of achieving his dreams, but you can certainly identify with the plight of young people with the uncertain road of life ahead of them. Its a scary time. Some people wander that road forever. Thunder Road has been heard by almost everyone on the planet, and somehow I think it is still underexposed, and certainly overlooked for how genius a song it is."
Clearly there is a reason Nick Hornby is a successful author an I'm not (YET!) - I'm not nearly as eloquent. I've heard a lot of interpretations of this song - some like Mr. Hornby's are hopeful, some people see it as tragic - that no matter what they try, the narrator and Mary aren't going to escape the small town they are in. Some people think it is about the redemptive power of rock and roll (which I like). Some people think its a just a love letter from Bruce to cars and guitars (nothin wrong with that).
For me this song is about driving full speed toward the great unknown. Not death, but life. Anything, absolutely anything is possible. The open road in this song is a symbol for the freedom to do whatever the hell you wanna do with your life. Grab the girl (or guy) you love, jump in the car and go live your dreams. It's an incredibly exhilirating, upifting, tap your foot and pump your fist rock and roll song that to me, is a metaphor for why living is so great. Because whatever happens in your life is completely up to you. Yeah - that's a little idealistic of me, but who cares. that's what rock n roll is for.
So there you have it. Today, October 18th, 2011 - those are my five favorite song lyrics out there. Tomorrow, the list might look different. There were a lot of songs I had on here and dropped, and put back on - it was a tough list to make. Some honorable mentions - I wont write all the lyrics here - but i considered portions of "And so it Goes" by Billy Joel, "The Pass", by Rush, "In my Life" by the Beatles, "Fade to Black" by Metallica, "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel, and absolutely, unequivocally nothing by U2. Fuck Bono.
I think the one thing we can all take away from this is that my songs are better than my brother's, because I am better than him.
Bill
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