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.
Assuming I know that people around are moving to downtown,
They're learning to get down, whoa.
And let me say here, I'm glad that they lost their fears
I'm glad that they cut their tears, 'cause I'm over that.
And change can, run around your head,
Kill your thoughts instead
Leaving you spinning around and all out of control.
And lately, oh, it's amazing, I'm not letting it phase me
But I'm feeling alive tonight.
(Will you let me shine?)
Whoa
You spelled my name,
When I was young, I need you right there
And you ran so fast.
You stayed the same.
Oh Melody, I hope that you care, you care, you care, you care.
Girls on the West Coast, sing it like you used to!
Boys on the East Coast, scream with some heart!
Six years, (six years) and I'm learning about the darker side,
I'm getting a feel for the faster life, I took sides.
Long nights (long nights) and the drives we made through.
Oh, what I did for you
Well, it took some time.
(Can I live my dream?)
It took some time.
You spelled my name,
When I was young, I need you right there
And you ran so fast.
You stayed the same.
Oh Melody, I hope that you care, you care, you care, you care.
And I'll never see the world without you.
And I'm all about how it's gonna be, and I'm all about how it's gonna be
(I can't complain, I can't complain)
You opened up the world around me, me, me.
I couldn't have made it through,
I'm counting all my debts in my head, in my head.
('Cause I'll always be radio)
You spelled my name,
When I was young, I need you right there;
And you ran so fast.
You stayed the same.
Oh Melody, I hope that you care, you care, you care, you care.
Girls on the West Coast, sing it like you used to!
Boys on the East Coast, scream with some heart!
I'll write a song to remember where I came from,
Just give me that sound, I'll be fine.
They're learning to get down, whoa.
And let me say here, I'm glad that they lost their fears
I'm glad that they cut their tears, 'cause I'm over that.
And change can, run around your head,
Kill your thoughts instead
Leaving you spinning around and all out of control.
And lately, oh, it's amazing, I'm not letting it phase me
But I'm feeling alive tonight.
(Will you let me shine?)
Whoa
You spelled my name,
When I was young, I need you right there
And you ran so fast.
You stayed the same.
Oh Melody, I hope that you care, you care, you care, you care.
Girls on the West Coast, sing it like you used to!
Boys on the East Coast, scream with some heart!
Six years, (six years) and I'm learning about the darker side,
I'm getting a feel for the faster life, I took sides.
Long nights (long nights) and the drives we made through.
Oh, what I did for you
Well, it took some time.
(Can I live my dream?)
It took some time.
You spelled my name,
When I was young, I need you right there
And you ran so fast.
You stayed the same.
Oh Melody, I hope that you care, you care, you care, you care.
And I'll never see the world without you.
And I'm all about how it's gonna be, and I'm all about how it's gonna be
(I can't complain, I can't complain)
You opened up the world around me, me, me.
I couldn't have made it through,
I'm counting all my debts in my head, in my head.
('Cause I'll always be radio)
You spelled my name,
When I was young, I need you right there;
And you ran so fast.
You stayed the same.
Oh Melody, I hope that you care, you care, you care, you care.
Girls on the West Coast, sing it like you used to!
Boys on the East Coast, scream with some heart!
I'll write a song to remember where I came from,
Just give me that sound, I'll be fine.
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Light Up The Sky
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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"
Mountain Song
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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."
No Surprises
Radiohead
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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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
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Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
this is what jordan has to say about this song:
"i put up a new song called "melody's song" it's about music and it's effect on me. as is probably the case with many people, music helped me a lot growing up [and continues to do so]. there are certain songs that if i listen to now will take me back to a certain time in my life. some songs remind me of a season, a year, or a week. it's kinda crazy.
i used to spend hours in my room listening to CD's on a little stereo i had, doing nothing else. contentment. i dug really deep into lyrics and the way they worked with melodies, always trying to associate the words to myself in some way or another.
i feel really lucky to get to call this obsession my life and "job".
music is the one thing that i've always been comfortable with, and i like to think it's always going to be that way.
the world would be a sad place without music."