Kids pay attention: This is what great rock and roll music is supposed to sound like.
In addition, it deals with the heaviest of subjects (suicide) in a very honest but most importantly, positive way in the sense that the person chooses to life due to the support of his friend.
Musically, the song is a celebration. It's full of tension and just keeps on driving and driving until the crescendo at the end where in 2 lines Dave sums up his world view, that you better appreciate the journey.
The lyrics are full of Pirner's patented turn of phrases with lines like, "You always turn to go and turn on you" and "Sign your will to survive". Moreover it's the staccato, off beat passion of the delivery that perfectly matches the tension in the music that gives the song it's soul.
Having never listened to all the lyrics, for a long time I thought this song was about
success in the music business. Soul Asylum being one of those bands who busted their rear ends for years and years before achieving what someone would call success.
Finally realizing the song has nothing to do with that, but is much more personal and impactful makes it even better. It's really hard to write a song about this subject and not have it come out sounding trite or depressing. This is the opposite. A great story told brilliantly in three and a half minutes.
This is extremely hard to do and done here with all the passion, commitment and
fearlessness that made them one of the best bands of their generation.
This one has it all.
Kids pay attention: This is what great rock and roll music is supposed to sound like.
In addition, it deals with the heaviest of subjects (suicide) in a very honest but most importantly, positive way in the sense that the person chooses to life due to the support of his friend.
Musically, the song is a celebration. It's full of tension and just keeps on driving and driving until the crescendo at the end where in 2 lines Dave sums up his world view, that you better appreciate the journey.
The lyrics are full of Pirner's patented turn of phrases with lines like, "You always turn to go and turn on you" and "Sign your will to survive". Moreover it's the staccato, off beat passion of the delivery that perfectly matches the tension in the music that gives the song it's soul.
Having never listened to all the lyrics, for a long time I thought this song was about success in the music business. Soul Asylum being one of those bands who busted their rear ends for years and years before achieving what someone would call success.
Finally realizing the song has nothing to do with that, but is much more personal and impactful makes it even better. It's really hard to write a song about this subject and not have it come out sounding trite or depressing. This is the opposite. A great story told brilliantly in three and a half minutes.
This is extremely hard to do and done here with all the passion, commitment and fearlessness that made them one of the best bands of their generation.