Being from Arizona and adoring the Format, I thought I should bring this up again. This song is almost completely autobiographical and remarkably literal in most parts. There are lots of songs that can be vague or interpreted different ways, but seriously, this is not one of them. This is about leaving the Format/Arizona and starting up Fun and where Nate finds himself now. Here is a copy/paste of an excellent paragraph from maelglon's top-rated explanation:
"This next verse is really him being honest and maybe blowing up and saying more than he should. He was super excited for fun. and wanted to take it far, but he's barely started and he's bored, just like he was in The Format. He's been a musician for 10 years now and he still doesn't feel like people get who he is, what he wants to be, and why he does this. He also admits that he had to be selfish and leave AZ and go make it big. The "desert sun" reference has NOTHING to do with the war. What a dumb suggestion. Go listen to "On Your Porch". There are other songs throughout his career where the "desert sun" is a clear symbol for Arizona. He spent a lot of time there, but he doesn't want to just die out here. He wants to make something out of his life."
Being from Arizona and adoring the Format, I thought I should bring this up again. This song is almost completely autobiographical and remarkably literal in most parts. There are lots of songs that can be vague or interpreted different ways, but seriously, this is not one of them. This is about leaving the Format/Arizona and starting up Fun and where Nate finds himself now. Here is a copy/paste of an excellent paragraph from maelglon's top-rated explanation:
"This next verse is really him being honest and maybe blowing up and saying more than he should. He was super excited for fun. and wanted to take it far, but he's barely started and he's bored, just like he was in The Format. He's been a musician for 10 years now and he still doesn't feel like people get who he is, what he wants to be, and why he does this. He also admits that he had to be selfish and leave AZ and go make it big. The "desert sun" reference has NOTHING to do with the war. What a dumb suggestion. Go listen to "On Your Porch". There are other songs throughout his career where the "desert sun" is a clear symbol for Arizona. He spent a lot of time there, but he doesn't want to just die out here. He wants to make something out of his life."