Teenage Angst

It's about teenage angst but it's also a bit sarcastic, I think. "Since I was born I started to decay. Now nothing ever - ever goes my way." Sort of sums up the battle cry of angsty teens... like there's nothing to be cranky about so lets be cranky about the world not being fair (and we all know it never is lol) and dying eventually (because you know we all do and its nothing we can stop). I really like how tongue in cheek it all is.

Yeah, I agree with vrai and Strange Child. It's funny because a lot of people dismiss placebo as very angsty, but a lot of the time it's just ironic. Brian has also said that a had a sort of "second adolescence" in his twenties, so it's like he's laughing at the angst from the inside, rather than looking at it from the outside.

I'd have to agree with vrai, I mean if something has a title with as pretentious a word as 'angst' in it, its bound to be a bit sarky. There are plenty of songs that seem to very accurately capture the stereotypical psych of the teenager and seems to half agree and half laugh along. I love this song ^_^

I would imagine this line

"I'll stick to my needle, and my favourite waste of time, both spineless and sublime."

Is actually referring to the needle of a record player and his favourite waste of time is staying at home listening to music.

Also its been written in such a way to also invoke images of drug taking. Therefore invoking images of lazing around in a daze listening to music.

Obviously this song's general theme is "teenage angst", hence the title. To me this song means a hell of alot, this song gives me flashbacks of my early teen angst years.

But anyway, where Brian is saying "You see through my disguise" He's saying how people see through you when you try to be pretentious and be something your not.

This is just my opinion but the "Shine the headlight" and "roadkill" lines before he might be relating it to some old boy racers pretending to be more of themselves.

"Since I was born I started to decay. Now nothing ever ever goes my way "

• This is self-explanatory, obviously he would be fed up when everything crashes down..

This is just my personal interpretation but in the line "I'll stick to my needle and my favourite waste of time" even though it's about a drug addiction I think it could be about looking for someone you love that has mysteriously dissapeared off the face of the earth, and trying to find them is a waste of time like they are a needle stuck in the haystack. It's spineless to look for ages and sublime when you've got the result.

I heard a piano version of this song and it was so beautiful! I would love to find it but I have had no luck. If anyone knows where I can buy or download it can you please email me at marama72@hotmail.com Thanks

the piano version kicks ass, it's wicked pretty. I've only seen it in the music video, though.

the piano version is available as a b-side on the cd single of 'the bitter end'

this song makes me cry

agreeing> tongue in cheek... but also

Shine the headlight, straight into my eyes. Like the roadkill, I'm paralysed.

I was thinking this could be the oncoming lights of adulthood.