i completely agree boomerstyle. the album was released so shortly after 9/11 that there was no way the strokes could leave the song on the album. despite the fact that people are "overly sensitive" about the terrorist attacks, the album would have been received differently had they left this song on "is this it." it was a good move to leave it out, even though this is one of my favorite strokes songs (which is saying a lot).
i've always thought that the opening lines were, "here in the streets of american nights" but i could be wrong. julian's voice is appropriately scratchy in the opening. the unclear vocals contribute to the sense of confusion that pervades the song.
anyway, i think that this song needs some more interpretation. i don't think that this song is about a prostitute. julian finds himself in this girl's appartment in NYC late in the night. he's "studied all the rules" and he knows that he shouldn't be there but this night is particularly "fucking strange." we've all had those crazy moments at one point or another when we ask ourselves, "what the hell am i dong here?" you have every reason to get up and leave but for whatever reason you have to stay and see how it all plays out. this is one of those moments for julian.
if you listen closely, you realize that it's not julian who's saying that new york city cops arent smart, it's this crazy girl nina. she's evidently doing something illegal--maybe she's prostituting herself, but my guess is it involves drugs--and while a paranoid julian has his doubts about her dealings, nina foolishly believes that she can do no wrong. her answer to everything is "new york city cops, they ain't so smart." the irony is that nina is actually the "not so smart" one because eventually the cops nail her.
the lines, "they act like romans but they dress like turks" could apply to the cops themselves but i think they refer to nina (or girls like nina). it's nina who's the real threat to julian, not the cops. he has to leave her but he just can't will himself to go.
i think the lines, "darling i'm somewhere in between" sum up the sentiment of the song entirely. it's about finding yourself between day and night. it's about the indecision you face upon realizing that you're at some girl's apartment at 3am. it's about purposely doing the wrong thing just for the sake of obtaining a better story. it's about limbo.
i completely agree boomerstyle. the album was released so shortly after 9/11 that there was no way the strokes could leave the song on the album. despite the fact that people are "overly sensitive" about the terrorist attacks, the album would have been received differently had they left this song on "is this it." it was a good move to leave it out, even though this is one of my favorite strokes songs (which is saying a lot).
i've always thought that the opening lines were, "here in the streets of american nights" but i could be wrong. julian's voice is appropriately scratchy in the opening. the unclear vocals contribute to the sense of confusion that pervades the song.
anyway, i think that this song needs some more interpretation. i don't think that this song is about a prostitute. julian finds himself in this girl's appartment in NYC late in the night. he's "studied all the rules" and he knows that he shouldn't be there but this night is particularly "fucking strange." we've all had those crazy moments at one point or another when we ask ourselves, "what the hell am i dong here?" you have every reason to get up and leave but for whatever reason you have to stay and see how it all plays out. this is one of those moments for julian.
if you listen closely, you realize that it's not julian who's saying that new york city cops arent smart, it's this crazy girl nina. she's evidently doing something illegal--maybe she's prostituting herself, but my guess is it involves drugs--and while a paranoid julian has his doubts about her dealings, nina foolishly believes that she can do no wrong. her answer to everything is "new york city cops, they ain't so smart." the irony is that nina is actually the "not so smart" one because eventually the cops nail her.
the lines, "they act like romans but they dress like turks" could apply to the cops themselves but i think they refer to nina (or girls like nina). it's nina who's the real threat to julian, not the cops. he has to leave her but he just can't will himself to go.
i think the lines, "darling i'm somewhere in between" sum up the sentiment of the song entirely. it's about finding yourself between day and night. it's about the indecision you face upon realizing that you're at some girl's apartment at 3am. it's about purposely doing the wrong thing just for the sake of obtaining a better story. it's about limbo.
god, i love the strokes.