The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
There's a line on her jeans that a ball-point made
From a careless mistake that she can't wash away
And there's a heart on her sleeve from a spill of red wine
There's a piece of green in the blue of her eyes
She named it after me
There's a stray dog she feeds that she found in the street
And he loves her to hold him, but he won't let her keep him
And he claws at the door to be let out at night
And she makes do without him, and she worries about him
She named him after me
So if you ever decide that you have to escape
And travel the world, and you can't find a place
Well, you could wind up believing
That paradise is nothing more than a feeling
That goes on in your mind
So if ever find out what that is
There's something you could do
'Cause if I ever hold that golden dream again
I want to tell you
I'm gonna name it after you
From a careless mistake that she can't wash away
And there's a heart on her sleeve from a spill of red wine
There's a piece of green in the blue of her eyes
She named it after me
There's a stray dog she feeds that she found in the street
And he loves her to hold him, but he won't let her keep him
And he claws at the door to be let out at night
And she makes do without him, and she worries about him
She named him after me
So if you ever decide that you have to escape
And travel the world, and you can't find a place
Well, you could wind up believing
That paradise is nothing more than a feeling
That goes on in your mind
So if ever find out what that is
There's something you could do
'Cause if I ever hold that golden dream again
I want to tell you
I'm gonna name it after you
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I think that you have all rather missed the point. The song is written in the present tense:
While the first verse might not scan so well in the past tense, the second would so we can assume that the present tense has been deliberately used. Obviously the lyric associates the various slips, errors and the stray dog with the author, but because all of these things are in the present, not the past, the relationship itself is also being stated to be in the present.
There is clearly a wistfulness (added to beautifully by the tune) and sense of regret, but that isn't for the end of the relationship but an awareness of the author's shortcomings in not being able to give her the more conventional home-life she clearly wanted. What the song is about is an ongoing relationship in which the author is someone who has to have their own personal space, but still (like the stray dog coming back to be held - and fed, cheeky blighter!) needs to come back to this woman who provides the stability and comfort to which he can retreat. When he's not there, she makes do and she worries about him, but by keeping the relationship clearly in the present it is shown that he does come back every time.
The start of the final section ("So if you ever decide that you have to escape, etc) is a direct address to the listener. The author isn't writing about his own relationship any more, but suggesting that if the listener is also someone who decides that they have to escape and travel the world they may reach the same conclusions as he has, i.e that Paradise is a state of mind (in this case Paradise is implied to be his home life with the woman), not a place you can travel to.
The final verse, in which he notes that he will name the "golden dream" after "you" (no doubt the woman) is ambiguous. It could just be a slip in the writing - a lovely line and an emotional appeal that perhaps has been retained from earlier drafts in which the relationship was expressed to be in the past. Alternatively, perhaps it tells us that the "golden dream" of the relationship has passed, in the way that I am sure that we all know that the initial glory of romantic relationships mature. Whatever, it's sung with glorious emotional impact and depth and brings the song to a suitable climax.
It's a beautiful song, and a crying shame that it was left out of the original vinyl version of the LP, held back as a special for the CD. Unlike many of the other songs on Seasons End (fantastic tunes, but a bit hackneyed and bleedin' obvious in their lyrical themes), this one (along with The Space) does have a poetry that stands compare with the previous recordings with Fish.