| The Strokes – 12:51 Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I love this song. It always feels like one of the shortest Strokes songs to me, not sure why. Here's what I have to say meaning-wise. The tune is peppy and upbeat, but there's definitely a hollow current running under it, which fits the mood of the song. I've listened to it a bunch of times and it really evoked a story for me, of a couple that went out in high school but were never really into getting to know each other. They were sort of in it to be in it, and now they're getting back together. They wind up in the same place again by chance. In the beginning of the song, the speaker (Julian) is talking to the girl. He's told her friend he wants to get with her again, and asks the girl to change her plans for him. He tells her Friday nights have been lonely, trying to look back casually and sentimentally on the fairly complicated experiences they shared. He uses her friend, sentimentality, and memories to bait her, as well as saying that he's older now and things will be different - and they are, but not by much. For me, the second stanza was them talking together, reminiscing about old times, kind of fuzzily remembering one particular night they spent together. They drank 40s to get drunk fast, and had sex. It was obviously a big step for both of them, but they tried to play off as meaningless and drunken - again, contributing to the hollowness. I think throughout the song there's this idea that people play down reality (whether you care about screwing someone, and the destructive elements in your relationship) in an effort to save face. Also, I don't know if anyone gets this, but the language in the second stanza is so playful and casual, it seems to me like under it he's really saying "oh shit, this is a big deal." "F*ck going to that party" reeks of adolescent self aggrandizement, too - kids trying to be cool by doing their own thing or whatever. The third stanza seemed to me like an actual recollection by Julian of a big moment for him. He pretends not to care about everything, yet he knows the exact time this happened (12:51) - it's clearly a big deal. Not much to say here, except that he hardly ever gives us such an open window into his thoughts - I can picture him hating writing about the cliché of someone's "voice" and "finding the words," yet there it is. It must mean something to him. The fourth stanza seems similar. When he says "kiss me now that I'm older," I think his attitude towards the girl has changed. I think the recollection makes him think about who he was versus who he is. "Now that I'm older/ I won't try to control ya" is so true. In high school, people in relationships are immature and possessive. He's promising they're not in high school anymore and however serious things end up being, he won't be foolish again. Yet, we go from "talk to me" to "kiss me" - maybe he is still the same pushy guy trying to seduce her. In the end, they're still the same people they were before, and they make the same mistakes, hence the repetition of the '40s and the party, etc. Because the last lines are "alright, I'm coming/ I'll be right there," we, like Julian, are left in the memory at the end of the song. It gives me the idea that after what happened between them, they can't help but play the same roles they did years ago. They fall into a bad pattern they can't get out of. Just my two cents! There's so much allusion in this song, and you can see Julian using dialogue in the lyrics to paint a picture of the characters. Love this song! |
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