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.
Spirit slumbers in nature
And awakens in mind
And finally recognizes
Yourself in time
Call us what you will but
Love made us like this
So what? Yeah, this whole world is just
Artifice
Take a good look at my good looks
Then close your eyes
Keep the picture in your mind 'cause
I'll be gone
One rainy day, I saw ya smiling
You let me stay awhile
And it was all right
Living with you, not even trying
The pain is long gone
And it's all right!
Take a good look at my good looks
Then close your eyes
Keep the picture in your mind 'cause
I'll be gone
Hellishly transparent
Utterly divine
Every little timeless gesture of
Valentine
Memories hold onto illusion
Cause we're just human
And that's all right (Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
Duality is so confusin'
You think you're not dreamin'
Then you open
There's no foundation
No final resting place
Only emptiness and
Hellish grace
Some rainy day, I'll find ya crying
With love and animus
Sparkling in your eyes (Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
But you'll be the one to recognize me
You'll all get lost
Every time I fall (Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
Nothing you say will scandalize me
You'll be all right
You're just like it is (Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
It's all right, it's all right!
Our noisy years will seem like moments
In a film of
Eternal tears (Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
Seems so long to have romance
(Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
And awakens in mind
And finally recognizes
Yourself in time
Call us what you will but
Love made us like this
So what? Yeah, this whole world is just
Artifice
Take a good look at my good looks
Then close your eyes
Keep the picture in your mind 'cause
I'll be gone
One rainy day, I saw ya smiling
You let me stay awhile
And it was all right
Living with you, not even trying
The pain is long gone
And it's all right!
Take a good look at my good looks
Then close your eyes
Keep the picture in your mind 'cause
I'll be gone
Hellishly transparent
Utterly divine
Every little timeless gesture of
Valentine
Memories hold onto illusion
Cause we're just human
And that's all right (Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
Duality is so confusin'
You think you're not dreamin'
Then you open
There's no foundation
No final resting place
Only emptiness and
Hellish grace
Some rainy day, I'll find ya crying
With love and animus
Sparkling in your eyes (Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
But you'll be the one to recognize me
You'll all get lost
Every time I fall (Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
Nothing you say will scandalize me
You'll be all right
You're just like it is (Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
It's all right, it's all right!
Our noisy years will seem like moments
In a film of
Eternal tears (Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
Seems so long to have romance
(Take a good look at my good looks, baby)
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Light Up The Sky
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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."
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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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.