Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
The new kid in town is about the musical competition to the Eagles. The Eagles were king of the pop music mountain in the early/mid 70s, but other musical acts were starting to emerge and get attention. Could be specifically Springsteen, but I don't think so, I believe its simply about the competition in general, from the perspective of the old guard Eagles.
"There's talk on the street, it sounds so familar", is the Eagles hearing about other new breakthrough bands/performers, and the verbiage harkens them back to thinking about how they were described and perceived a few years earlier when they were first acquiring fame and attention.
"You look in her eyes, the music begins to play," refers to creating/writing a new pop song. "Hopeless romantics here we go again ... But after a while you're looking the other way ... It's those restless hearts that never mend," satirizes the fact that so many pop songs describe exciting but ultimately hopeless or failed love, and promiscuity. Several if not most of the Eagles early hits were nothing but songs about exactly this. The Eagles are to some degree mocking themselves, and making a statement that they weren't going to create more of those syrupy songs. A risky move, considering this represented breaking from proven formula.
"Johnny come lately, the new kid in town ... Will she still love you when you're not around?" poses a rhetorical question to the newcomers ... will those women who are throwing themselves at you, proclaiming to you how great you are, be loyal to you when your out of town? The Eagles are saying, we've been there, done that, it doesn't end well.
"There's so many things you should have told her ... but night after night you're willing to hold her, just hold her ... tears on your shoulder," is a general statement about how pop stars of the time lied and used woman. Tears on your shoulder is the latent guilt that it seems some of the Eagles started to feel.
"There's talk on the street, it's there to remind you ... That it doesn't really matter which side you're on ...You're walking away and they're talking behind you ... They will never forget you till someone new comes along," is editorial about the ongoing buzz and hype of the musical business. How one day you're the greatest, media are chasing you asking you questions, the next day your back seat to the next big thing. It doesn't really matter which side your on, because it won't last anyway, and ultimately its just the opinions of a bunch of critics.
"Everybody loves him, don't they? And he's holding her and you're still around, oh my my," describes another performer being the new top of the pop chart idol, the new artist who can fill stadiums, getting all the attention. And the Eagles, the former hottest thing, are expected to react, to feel bad about being supplanted.
"There's a new kid in town ... I don't want to hear it," is the ending to the song, with the Eagles basically saying, they don't want to read or hear about how their time in the spotlight might be over.
Great interpretation.
I love the imagery of "tears on your shoulder". The one phrase represents both looking back into the past and mourning for it without explicitly saying either of those things.
this song is about a guy who is in a relation with a girl. at first its all great and everyone thinks their the cutest couple. but he starts feeling trapped
"But after awhile, you're lookin' the other way It's those restless hearts that never mend
after a while people start to catch on and shun him away from their lives. suddenly the woman he loves is with another man when he thought she would always love him
just another new kid in town
New Kid in Town is one of the finest lyrics ever penned. New Kid in Town is going for a new change where you always wanna revert back. The lyrics beautifully extrapolated the hidden functionality of society. This guy Johhy was a very popular guy in past in his society and everybody loved him and adore him. He got more than friends with this beautiful girl of that town and everyone in the town just adore Johhny and his behaviour around because every where he goes he spreads warm, jive and affection.
Then after a while Johhny have to leave the town for a while (a good time)(reason unknown but doing something good value addition), when he is back everybody in the town treats him with more respect and show him gratitudes.
The town still loves him but since when Johhny was gone a new Kid has come in place of him and he is having the same attributes and aspects as the old Johhny has it and the town loves him too..even the girl.
But the town is still honest with Johhny and wants him back and giving him stimulus about this new guy and about his activities.
And the Town wants that old Johhny must win his town again.
cmon your are right "Ritwajit" everybody is talking about politic and other stuff that doesnt even get close do the meaning of this beautiful song.... this song is about someone that left his town (jhonny) and his loving girl too, but then som other new kid comes around... and wins his place and his girl and like in the end of this song , its like someone calls jhonny and tells him about it "theres a new kid in town, i dont wanna hear it..." "where you been lately... theres a new kid in town ..."
its about that about how a man left his town and woman and other dude takes over it....
its sad...
i left my love and its just hard and its alot of fear around our heads....:s
It's definitely about the passing phases of fame and relationships. One minute you're the one on top with the glory and the girl but then suddenly someone new and fresh comes around and everybody will be into them instead. It's about not taking a good thing for granted because someday it's gonna be gone; and then where will you be? This works for fame and love. Take love for granted- it dwindles and dies out. Take fame for granted- it does the same thing.
this song is about a guy who is in a relation with a girl. at first its all great and everyone thinks their the cutest couple. but he starts feeling trapped
"But after awhile, you're lookin' the other way It's those restless hearts that never mend
after a while people start to catch on and shun him away from their lives. suddenly the woman he loves is with another man when he thought she would always love him
just another new kid in town
@Magicblue22 I agree that this song is about losing a girl. Maybe at one point he was the new kid in town but now since he's been there a while, he is thinking he is better than the town and the girl he is with. But then a new kid comes along, and because of the way he has treated the relationship, he loses the girl (to the new kid). The way he was acting before the new kid came along made the girl sad but he didn't do anything about it. He let her cry to him but didn't say anything to her to try and make her feel better: "There's so many things you should have told her, but night after night you're willing to hold her, just hold her. Tears on your shoulder." Emphasis on "just" hold her, "only" hold her. Then he regrets losing her so he sticks around: "And he[the new kid]'s holding her, and you're still around."
I don't see the politics thing at all.
In the book "Take it to the Limit" some of the truth behind this tune is revealed. The Eagles were the hottest thing in LA and rising fast until the end of '75. That was when Bruce Springsteen exploded with "Born to Run." He was their opposite. THe Boss sang from the gut and harmony was not what he did. He sang raw songs about city and urban life and love. He was the new hottest thing out there.
When the "concept" for "Hotel California" came up this song naturally flowed from their feelings of being cast off by "the New Kid in Town." Now this album put the Eagles back up and in the forefront but they wrote about the California lifestyle of the mid 70's and what the experienced and knew was that anyone can quickly be cast off when the New Kid came around.
This song was about the Eagles realizing that fame is fleeting and tried to relate it to a love relationship. The "she " refers to the fickle fan. With this album the Eagles made a large shift away from the Country Western sound that was waining at that time. I think Burce Springstein wasa clear sign to them that "they will never forget you till someboy new comes allong" And I think it was fitting that New Kid in Town was the only song on the Album with that Country sound to it.
With all due respect I think some on here are taking it too literally when they attribute the meaning to a simple love relationship between a couple. I totally agree with those who interpret it as alluding to the "fleeting nature of fame." That is, how the Eagles were top-dog once, but that it could change in a heartbeat as soon as a "new and hotter" act comes to town. The Eagles were the original "Johnny come lately" new kid, spoken of in the opening lyrics, then along comes another "new kid in town." ("where you been lately, there's a new kid in town...").