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.
Down a back road
Long, hot summer
A couple kids runnin' loose and wild
He kissed her
She said, "Mister,
Take an inch and I'll give you a mile"
I ain't here to do anything half-way
Don't give a damn what anyone might say
I just wanna free fall for a while
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy spark
I'll follow you where you're leading
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
About midnight, he tells her
"I ain't got no come-on lines"
"Well I'll love you, or I'll try to
We got nothing to lose but time"
Stick your hand into my back pocket
Light me up like a bottle rocket
I just wanna free fall for a while
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy spark
I'll follow you where you're leadin'
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
Oh, alright
Tonight is tellin' us we're way too young
Oh, that's alright
I've got forever on the tip of my tongue
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy spark
I'll follow you where you're leading
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy spark
I'll follow you where you're leading
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
Oh, alright
Long, hot summer
A couple kids runnin' loose and wild
He kissed her
She said, "Mister,
Take an inch and I'll give you a mile"
I ain't here to do anything half-way
Don't give a damn what anyone might say
I just wanna free fall for a while
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy spark
I'll follow you where you're leading
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
About midnight, he tells her
"I ain't got no come-on lines"
"Well I'll love you, or I'll try to
We got nothing to lose but time"
Stick your hand into my back pocket
Light me up like a bottle rocket
I just wanna free fall for a while
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy spark
I'll follow you where you're leadin'
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
Oh, alright
Tonight is tellin' us we're way too young
Oh, that's alright
I've got forever on the tip of my tongue
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy spark
I'll follow you where you're leading
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
That rebel moon is shinin'
Those stars burn like diamonds
Hell bent on chasin' down that crazy spark
I'll follow you where you're leading
To the first sweet taste of freedom
You got me runnin' baby,
You got me runnin' baby,
Wild at heart
Oh, alright
Lyrics submitted by Shattered Dreams
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
i love how well this song catches the emotions of a summer fling so well. the lyrics are catchy and well written also. this is deff one of my favorite bands =]
i absolutely love this song. it is amazing!
i love this song! i've got forever on the tip of my tongue is the best line of all. i am just so excited for this summer and this song just pumps me up even more
aghhh this song <3 summer fun, oh my. i can't wait. =]
little big town comes to mind when i hear this...good song though
so catchy!
I love this song, but tell me "Stick your hand into my back pocket Light me up like a bottle rocket" isn't one of the cheesiest lines ever written.