| Arctic Monkeys – Fake Tales of San Francisco Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Dear ntwjones, "Fact: all British rock music is fundamentally about trying to be American, from Lonnie Donegan in 1956 onwards." I think its a pretty big stretch to simply say that because rock originated in america, all rock bands who are not from america are trying to be american. it ignores the fact that regardless of the origin of the genre they choose to play - bands try to bring in new and different musical style, their own experiences, their perspective of the world etc, alot of which is influenced by where they are from, which is why British rock sounds different to US rock. By your argument, anyone who produces electro is trying to be german.. or french or whatever. "Art can be about possibilities beyond your own reality, which is why bands like the Arctic Monkeys slagging off people with ideas strikes me as so essentially regressive." I do agree with the idea, but i think you are unfairly pointing the finger at the arctic monkeys. I think this song is more about slagging off bands who are all about image, but who have no substance - rather than simply bands who work to create their image. but whatever. you seem pretty convinced of what you are saying so i doubt this will have any effect on you. |
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| Klaxons – Atlantis to Interzone Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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......jesus christ..... that is the longest comment ever. sorry... im going to go and put my glowsticks on now and never speak of this again. |
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| Klaxons – Atlantis to Interzone Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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There is an endless pursuit of money and power by governments, corporations, and induviduals, and this song kindof talks about that and how its leading to our destruction, I think in this song, Klaxons are saying that if global warming and rising sea levels doesn’t kill us, war between China and the US will. Sounds a bit far-fetched and crazy i know.... i feel like a weird conspiracy loving hippy writing this... Good thieves of burning cars encircle poisoned rivers, minds and hearts: So this is kindof an Armageddon-y image of anarchy, burning cars (maybe some looting?) along with arson etc. Talking about how ‘rivers minds and hearts’ have been poisoned. You could say that this is the first reference to environmental destruction. It also seems to say that our minds and hearts have been poisoned (presumably capitalist ideology, in the most destructive sense of the word?) Horses want to dance but find their wings are damaged, water damaged: Given the references to sci-fi in the song (pointed out by some clever people who read in other posts) – im going to skip the fact that we are talking about winged horses, and say that maybe Klaxons are commenting on how rising sea levels (and environmental degradation in general) has meant that heaps of animal species (more and more as time ticks on) are dying out/unable to survive, or unable to do what it is they are meant to do because they have been damaged or displaced in some way. Gold is selling well but hurry nightly ocean rising fast: Klaxons are talking about how people seem to be still focused on their investment portfolios ‘gold is selling well’ – they are talking about stocks, I assume. And maybe commenting on a little bit of a dash in big business to secure their wealth before the sea levels rise too drastically? A big man with a plan has got a storm a-coming, monster coming.: ‘big man with a plan’ is either your standard person who embodies capitalist ideology, or a metaphor for a large multinational company. Knows that something big/bad is going to happen (global warming)… or maybe he doesn’t really know it… like he thinks he can see the metaphorical ‘storm clouds’ coming, but he really has no idea of the magnitude of the ‘monster’ From Atlantis to interzone You start on the edge and you end on your own. From Atlantis to interzone You start on the edge and you end on your own Atlantis – someone explained the origins of the myth of atlantis in another post… but Atlantis is the name for a mythological underwater city. Interzone - also pointed out earlier, is a collection of short stories by William S Burroughs and, my understanding of it (not having read it) is that the style it’s written in is really unusual. Almost to the point of incoherency, a new style of writing that is kindof anarchy-y? which might tie into the first lines image of burning cars and poisoned rivers and stuff? So ‘atlantis to interzone’ might be like ‘underwater cities and anarchy’? Not too sure about ‘you start on the edge and you end on your own bit’… We're fragments of fiction: maybe like they are saying that we are going to be a part of something surreal? Like something is happening that should belong in fiction? Oceans rising!! Ah! Your dead man half alive who hangs from helping numbers one to five: Dead man – they might be are talking about the inevitability of what’s going to happen to us with global warming- sea levels rising etc… half alive? Maybe the soul-draining money-grabbing existence a lot of people live in? …. Not too sure about the ‘hangs from helping numbers one to five’ His ears pricked with the knife hears that the east are coming, west are coming From gravity's rainbow, the axis here is still unknown: Not sure about the ‘gravitys rainbow’ bit – someone said earlier that its another reference to a sci-fi novel… but… I think that that this ‘big man with a plan’ person kindof already knows something bad is going to happen, and the phrase ‘ears pricked’ means that you are listening out for something… like a “storm a-coming’. He hears that the ‘East are coming’. The reason I don’t think that this is talking about the middle east, is because, the song says ‘the axis here is still unknown’. George w. Bush, in his state of the union address in 2002 called Iran, Iraq (and North Korea) the ‘axis of evil’. So we already know how the middle east/its allies has been labelled. We don’t know how to react to China as yet, ‘the axis here is still unknown’. We know that Chinas power is growing reallllly fast. (Economically, Militarily and politically) but also that as it stands, the US isn’t really willing to challenge them because of the trade arrangements (hello, capitalism, globalisation, industrialisation resulting in huge environmental damage etc) /Chinas membership in the coalition of the willing for the war on Iraq etc. so “the axis here is still unknown’ means that we don’t quite know what to make of China But. In this song (set in the future), there is this image of the entire east and west coming into conflict. The children's faces glow: Nuclear war? The glowy-green associated with nuclear radiation and stuff… or it could be like as a big mushroom bomb (or whatever they use!) goes off – the light coming off the bomb is reflected on their faces as they watch it? The wasteland guides them, wasteland guides them: This fits in with the whole ‘end of the world/Armageddon’ thing. Or maybe I just need a nice cup of tea and a sit down. |
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| Hadouken! – That Boy That Girl Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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People have criticized Hadouken for distancing themselves from the 'indie kids' which supported them and allowed them to become successful in the first place. I think that their lyrics suggest that they want to preserve the scene that spawned them, rather than deny their part in it, by shunning the people who only go to indie gigs because they think its ‘cool’. Other songs probably show it more clearly, but lyrics like “Its not that i dont like your style, its just that now you act like a tool" (superstar) are pretty supportive of my point, i think They don’t have a problem with retro clothes, polka dot dresses and silk scarves - rather the fact that dressing like a schizophrenic has become fashionable, the result of which is that a lot of boring, elitist, stupid and lame people dress in a way which was once the domain of arty/interesting/awesome/fun people who started the whole ‘indie’ scene. People have forgotten what is awesome and cool about this little subculture, that is, that people get really messy and dance around like retards. It has nothing to do with ironic clothes, and I think that Hadouken does a good job of explaining that if you listen to their lyrics properly and in the context of all their songs. I blame the internet for this problem though. It’s far too easy for teenagers to find out which bands are awesome, which are passé (thanks vice), how ‘cool people’ dress (thankyou cobrasnake), and where they can find nightclubs which cater to that crowd (thankyou myspace). But still, they can’t fake the key element of being awesome – which is of course, actually being awesome. ‘Indie kids’ don’t stand a chance at imitating the people whom they so aspire to be like. Spontaneous, witty, crazy abstract-thinking, loose-getting people can’t be copied. PS- can we please stop listing out all our favourite obscure bands like it gives you any credibility? People who talk about ‘how into their music’ they are, are really fucking boring and pretentious. |
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| Uffie – In Charge Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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i think its: "Little Uff's got the sound thats why you movin' like that thats why you run to the phone after each track that we drop" Love this song. |
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| Nina Simone – Angel Of The Morning Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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I love this song, it puts some poetry into such a sleazy and meaningless occurrence - the one night stand - The woman in the song talks about how she is 'old enough to face the dawn' and expects no show of false chivalry from the previous nights partner 'there is no need to take me home', but there is some desperation in her voice when she sings the chorus "Just call me angel of the morning Just touch my cheek before you leave me baby Just call me angel of the morning Slowly slowly turn away from me" the woman speaks of her need for some small show of tenderness "just touch my cheek before you leave me', and her need for some dignity and respect to be shown to her when the time comes to part ways. i am surprised nobody has commented on this song, i think that its lovely and the lyrics are beautifully crafted, omitting the cliched 'baby' parts! |
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| Justin Timberlake – SexyBack Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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This song is off the fucking hook! I think that within a month it will be remixed to a deeper electro baseline and will be a massive club hit - thats just me... its awesome to see JT bringing sexy back! though this song has little to no actual relevance or meaning, its a rad tune! and it sure does make me glad that he is bringing sexy back! |
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| David Gray – This Year's Love Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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David talks about some pretty painful stuff (heartbreak, constant uncertainty in relationships), but i doubt this song was written as a representation of what david might say to a new love interest. Its too raw for that. To me, this song sounds like the thoughts going through the head of someone in a long term on/off relationship, those fears and doubts that have had time to cultivate and grow within you through a long,and unstable relationship. "Turning circles when time again It cuts like a knife oh yeah If you love me got to know for sure Cos it takes something more this time Than sweet sweet lies" You think about these fears that the pattern will repeat and pray that it wont, but even though it eats away at you, you cant tell the person to their face how scared you are that they will hurt you again, like they did the last time, and the last time. He alludes to some pretty destructive relationship patterns "But when you hold me like you do/ it feels so right/ i start to forget /How my heart gets torn/ When that hurt gets thrown" perhaps my interpretation is the way it is because ive had my heart broken many times by the same person, but nonetheless, i think that it at least provides a slightly different angle to the most popular opinions, which also work well this is what i love about music, it sounds different to everyone! |
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| The Prodigy – Funky Shit Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| im pretty sure it's "oh my god thats some funky shit".... oh well, both ways work... | |
| Nirvana – About a Girl Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| awesome song. | |
| Nirvana – About a Girl Lyrics | 20 years ago |
| awesome song. | |
| P.O.D. – Abortion Is Murder Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I am amazed that so many people have such solid opinions on this matter given that they clearly have never sought to question their belief or understaning of it. You may believe abortion is wrong, and this is understandable if you come from a christian background, but to claim that a law should be imposed so that noone has access to abortions, regardless of religion or belief, to me IS pushing your faith on other people, which should not happen in a society which is supposedly free. If, as a christian (or any other faith which does not support abortion), you feel that abortion is murder, just dont ever have one, its fairly simple. As for this song, my interpretation of it, is that as people have said before, it was written to provoke controversy and argument - but i think that it is clear that whoever wrote and approved it has never contemplated how poorly it refects on them, and their interpretation of the christian faith. |
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| Ben Folds – Carrying Cathy Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I think that most people have it prettymuch covered, the only addition id like to make is that to me it sounds like Cathy has always been priveliged and taken care of, although this is seemingly a good thing, it has paralysed her ability to take risks, make descisions and be independent. This is pretty clear to me in this section: "we gave you everything, you could have been anything....But to imagine a fall with noone at all to catch you" I love ben folds and i think his music combined with his lyrics are something incredibly unique and wonderful, they should be celebrated! |
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| Nancy Sinatra – Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) Lyrics | 20 years ago |
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I think its right to say that this is a song about a woman in love with a childhood friend who has no feelings for her "he didnt even take the time to lie" is such a powerful line, and so true of many men. Also, seeing as this has turned into a debate over the Kill Bill series, Its absolutely irrelevant as to whether or not the concept of a white, blonde american woman knowing the art of samuri, thats not what the movie is about, its a showcase for Tarantinos cinematographic skills which he uses to great effect, giving great significance to a seemingly tacky and ridiculous storyline. He uses a huge range of techniques to create a rich visual experience, and surely if anyone payed any attention to the movie, the storyline and such scenes as the 'breakdance samuri' and the idea of the five point heart exploding technique (or whetever it was called) were clearly dont with an extreme tone of irony. |
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