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.
I'm taking a ride with my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
He knows where he's taking me
Taking me where I want to be
I'm taking a ride with my best friend
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground
I'm taking a ride with my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
Promises me I'm as safe as houses
As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers
I hope he never lets me down again
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground
Never let me down
Never let me down
Never let me down
Never let me down
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
I hope he never lets me down again
He knows where he's taking me
Taking me where I want to be
I'm taking a ride with my best friend
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground
I'm taking a ride with my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
Promises me I'm as safe as houses
As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers
I hope he never lets me down again
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground
Never let me down
Never let me down
Never let me down
Never let me down
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
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Light Up The Sky
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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."
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.
I think that this song is about two best friends. The male telling the story is saying how his best friend is taking him away from a place that he hates. My guess, is that he hates the city.(possibly the addiction of drugs) Why would someone hate a city? Maybe because it's full of corruption at night or he isn't fit for a noisy/busy environment. Maybe he had a bad time at a club or bar.
The best friend gets him in his car and is driving and driving. He's driving fast, that the two men see the world pass by them. Lights stream past them and buildings with people's faces blur in the fast motion.
"We're flying high watching the world pass us by Never want to come down never want to put my feet back down on the ground"
When you speed in a car, the velocity climbs higher and higher. I think this is what he means by "We're flying high, never want to come down..."
"Promises me I'm as safe as houses"
The passenger is probably scared even though he really wants the best friend to be speeding and to get him out of the bad place. He tells him to slow down, but the best friend assures him that he's safe with him even though he's driving extremely fast. Houses stand still and don't have any chances of crashing lol, so they're safer than a car!
"As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers."
Wearing pants like a boss. 'Nuff said. lol no, I'm kidding, but I think he means that the driver is the one in control here, that from experience the two men know that the driver is a very good driver!!
"See the stars they're shining bright Everything's alright tonight."
Soon, they make it out of the city or wherever the bad place was and the two best friends realize that tonight was a good night out. They get to enjoy seeing the stars together and they realize that a person can really count on their bestfriends to help them escape when they need to. :)
@Bomberkid Hey guys, <br /> I was reading yours and RueArsins posts and I think you hit a lot of things right on the nose, and it was really interesting to see you personifying what I know as Heroin addiction. (I know in so far as it's exactly what the lyrics say to me.)Heroin always takes you to this perfect place where maybe your feet aren't<br /> on the ground, the world is blissfully passing you by, exactly where you want to be. Mr. Brown is driving the figurative car and he is all you care about, your best friend.<br /> When you talked about hating the city etc. that's kinda right in this scenario, only most times much bigger and more personal problems lead to using. His life is noisy and confusing and Heroin drives slow and reassuringly,never too fast,away from all that craziness and he is an excellent driver! <br /> <br /> "Promises me I'm as safe as houses"<br /> <br /> "As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers."<br /> <br /> Oh man what awesome and concise symbolism. Those 2 lines cemented the meaning and the importance of this song to me. I suffer from some crippling mental problems that 20+ years of proper medical attention and was sober for almost all my 20's. Think of what houses, our own houses mean. Ideally it's the ultimate place of safety. For me it was that relief from normal life, but as I soon learned, it's the addiction you need to be safe from. So now in the song he has scored, taking that ride, the little baggy is promising you that shelter. As long as you know who wears the pants in this relationship. Like you said "Wearing pants like a boss. 'Nuff said" Haha and yea from experience he is a very good driver! Yea that is the problem. It can control everything and whisper in your ear to do things that you spent your whole life knowing not to do. <br /> To me this is the hope to "Never Let Me Down Again" For me the end came when I started stealing money to never be down again. You make it ok in your mind that no one minds, it's just this once, no one will notice the missing 70inch plasma TV...<br /> But as the song states as it closes out:<br /> <br /> "Never let me down"<br /> See the stars they're shining bright<br /> Everything's alright tonight."<br /> <br /> Tomorrow is another day...<br /> So the funny thing is that the fact that it's the outlaw of it that seems to be the cause of it. If it was safe and easier to obtain, and you were smart enough to be a little responsible about it, you could smoke it everyday and be relatively ok. Maybe lung cancer down the line and definitely some constipation, but otherwise you can function pretty well. I don't know, I don't know all the answers but I do have my personal trials. Using really helped me, it probably saved me from suicide. I slept regularly for the first time in almost 33 years. So I take legal Paxil among others and it's just as addictive. No I don;t crave it but I stopped for a week and became violently ill. Found tons of of similar stories online. So is it the drug that's letting him down?<br /> <br /> Thanks for reading and letting me get some shit out. I was going to write something similar but saw your ideas and I know I'm assuming but it seems like you haven't been addicted. Your observations seemed like a good jumping off point because you said right at the beginning: I found a best friend to get me away from that place and even though it was scary I, he reassured me and got me out of that bad place.<br /> thanks again-A