Front Row

I am pretty sure the correct lyric is: Burned out stars they shine so bright

Which makes much more sense in the context of the song. The song is from the perspective of an obsessive fan of artist who is a "burned out star".

He's not perfect he's a victim Of his occupation Social insulation Secret intervention Charging him with possession I just wanna watch him Make a break and beat them

His lifestyle as a musician is the cause of his downward spiral, he's another victim of the rock and roll lifestyle like countless others have been. He's become an alcoholic, been arrested for possession of drugs.

But the fan doesn't care about these things and thinks no less of him, she is still a loyal fan.

He's not perfect he's my hero Smashing the piano Spitting on the front row Chronic confrontation Psychic conversation Radical compassion Louder than the action Of all of us

She knows he's not perfect, but it doesn't change the way she feels about him. Anyone who has ever felt a connection to their favorite artists can relate. Music evokes emotion, powerful songs can illicit the same emotions in the listener that the artist felt. It's no surprise we feel this connection.

And if your favorite artist goes in a downward spiral of alcoholism and drug addiction, the fan can regard them with a sentiment close to that with which they would regard a family member who went in the same downward spiral. They are forgiving of their actions because of their emotional connection with the artist. Her compassion for the artist is "radical", because they have had "psychic conversation" through his music. She feels she knows him on a deeper level by understanding his music and relating to his songs. The more we love someone the more forgiving we are of them. We want to be supportive and on their side, and we don't want to jeopardize our relationship with them.

He can smash his piano, he can even spit on her in the front row, but she is still forgiving. She still says he's just a victim, none of it is his fault. No matter what he does, she will still be there in the front row.

What makes this song so good, I think, is how the fan-artist relationship described in the song can be applied to many other relationships. Many, many people have had relationships like this with family members, friends, boy/girlfriends, etc. . It's a very common part of the human experience, and Emily Haines illustrates it so beautifully.

I think this song is actually about her Dad, who also used to play the piano. She has a few songs about him on her independent albums, too.

This is probably my favourite song from Fantasies. I think it's just about a fan thinking so much of their favourite musicians.

Totally agree with the soyeahitskyle's interpretation that this is about her father and her unwavering admiration of him. She draws the comparison to the fan-rockstar relationship here. "I'm the girl in the front row, with the bottle" has a double meaning referring to when she watched her dad play piano when she was a toddler.

Spitting on the front row Chronic confrontation

Sounds like Roger Waters!

This song is so stylish and so modern. And so are the lyrics. Ofc it's about "worshiping" an artist, but that's just the context. What's important is the (genius) poetry an ambience of the whole song and lyrics. Makes me feel like I'm walking in the city, in the late night, alone, near the road, with the cars passing by me, shining their lights. Makes me dream like never else did before.