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.
Rylan, you should try to get some sun
You remind me of everyone
Rylan, did you break your mother's heart?
Every time you tried to play your part
Is it easy to keep so quiet?
Everybody loves a quiet child
Underwater you're almost free
If you wanna be alone, come with me
Rylan, we can take the quick way out
You can turn blank-white in a blank-white house
Say that you're a pervert, you're a vulture
Don't you wanna be popular culture?
Is it easy to keep so quiet?
Everybody loves a quiet child
Underwater you're almost free
If you wanna be alone, come with me
Is it easy to live inside yourself?
All the little kids are high and hazy
Everybody got nowhere to go
Everybody wants to be amazing
Rylan, California's rotten
Dress light-blue to be forgotten
Eat your pearls on Sunday morning
Keep your conversations boring
Stay with me among the strangers
Change your mind and nothing changes
Don't let show any emotion
When you climb into the ocean
Rylan, you should try to get some sun
There's a little bit of hell in everyone
Rylan, you should try to get some sun
You remind me of everyone
Rylan, you should try to get some sun
There's a little bit of hell in everyone
Rylan, you should try to get some sun
You remind me of everyone
Rylan, did you break your mother's heart?
Every time you tried to play your part
Is it easy to keep so quiet?
Everybody loves a quiet child
Underwater you're almost free
If you wanna be alone, come with me
Rylan, we can take the quick way out
You can turn blank-white in a blank-white house
Say that you're a pervert, you're a vulture
Don't you wanna be popular culture?
Is it easy to keep so quiet?
Everybody loves a quiet child
Underwater you're almost free
If you wanna be alone, come with me
Is it easy to live inside yourself?
All the little kids are high and hazy
Everybody got nowhere to go
Everybody wants to be amazing
Rylan, California's rotten
Dress light-blue to be forgotten
Eat your pearls on Sunday morning
Keep your conversations boring
Stay with me among the strangers
Change your mind and nothing changes
Don't let show any emotion
When you climb into the ocean
Rylan, you should try to get some sun
There's a little bit of hell in everyone
Rylan, you should try to get some sun
You remind me of everyone
Rylan, you should try to get some sun
There's a little bit of hell in everyone
Rylan, you should try to get some sun
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
The key idea I'm getting, is that of someone so entirely obsessed with blending in and being socially normal, that they have completely lost any distinguishing features, however manage to deceive all but the speaker. "Rylan, you should try to get some sun." seems sort of like a plea in my mind, with sun being used in the sense of some light in his life "You remind me of everyone." is probably my favourite line, showing how this person's lack of personality can be used to represent society en masse.
Though the element of fitting in is present, this doesn't seem related to wanting to gain status or be socially acknowledged at all, Rylan in my mind has always been anxious about others, and genuinely does not know how to be like other people, making his actions stunted and insincere, because of how numb he feels to life in general. "Rylan, did you break your mother’s heart Every time you try to play your part?" the "play your part?" presents him as sort of contrived, his near autistic behaviours alienating him inwardly from his mother, who struggles with an emotionally incapable child.
"Is it easy to keep so quiet? Everybody loves a quiet child. Is it easy to seem so grounded? Wanna be alone in la-la-land." fairly self explanatory in what this shows
"Rylan, you can take the quick way out. You can turn blank white in a blank white house." Idea of "blank white" erased, obvious reference to suicide
"They say that you're a pervert, you’re a vulture." although he attempts to fit with everything, it slowly shows how detached he is, making him seem weird.
"Is it easy to live inside the role? All the little kids are high and hazy. Everybody got no where to go, Everybody wants to be amazing" because of how contrived the society he lives in is, it is easier for one who is truly pretending, to stay unnoticed.
"Change your mind and nothing changes." has created the image and semblance of a personality but without true ability to think and feel freely without guidance of social norms.
Perfect.
Although, on another note, I think the "blank white" line refers to someone trying to blend in, as opposed to suicide. Suicide also seems a little out of place.