A Praise Chorus

Actually, I love the way this song works... "The don't, don't let's start" comes from a really early They Might Be Giants single (Don't Let's Start) while the "Kickstart my rock'n'roll heart" is a paraphrase of "Kickstart my Heart" by Motley Crue, from the Dr Feelgood album.

For me, this song is about the inextricable link to what you feel and what you're listening to when you feel it, and the way we reach out to music for that connection. "I want to always feel like part of this was mine" seems to beautifully illustrate how we internalise our experience of music into something we can own -- like, just about everybody my age (29) has their special Violent Femmes moment, or their special Cure moment -- and probably somewhere secret, the Motley Crue moment... yeah well, I was a kid in love, OK... "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away" seemed incredibly relevant to my life at the time and I can still remember every word of it.

IN SHORT, this is more than a rock'n'roll lovesong, this is a lovesong to rock'n'roll.

This song is about living life with no regrets. This guy realizes he hasn't been living his life to the fullest so he decides to start, even at 25.

There are two references to other songs from the 60's and the 80's, tying in with the line, "Now all I need is just to hear a song I know"

"Crimson and clover, over and over" is a line from a song by Tommy James and the Shondells.

"Our house in the middle of the street" is a line from the song Our House by Madness.

Ok there's more.

"why did we ever meet"- song by The Promise Ring

"Started my rock 'n roll fantasy"- song by Bad Company

"Don't don't, don't let's start,"- song by They Might Be Giants

"why did we ever part"-a different song by The Promise Ring

"kickstart my rock 'n rolling heart"-song by Motley Crue

they are not referencing AFI! no way! it's davey von bohlen from the promise ring. he sing the background part in the crimson and clover part. two of the lines are from the promise ring songs.

the whole "crimson and clover" bit down to "kick start my rock n rolling heart" are all lyrics from songs that the band like. i know "our house in the middle of our street" is from the song "our house" by madness, but i don't know which songs the other lines are taken from. any ideas?

this song is awesome. i suppose this song could be about a girl, or at least be taken that way at first but after really hearing his words i think he's singing about music. he says thigns that sound like he was feeling like watsing his time by not doing the music he likes. when he says "i'm on my feet, i'm on the floor i'm good to go" i think he's saying hes just ready to go do something. a show or what have you. then he says "i wanna always feel like part of this was mine. i wanna fall in love tonight" and i think this means he wants to make his own mark on music and he's just saying he's in love with music and the music the band makes. someone at the top said the bridge was taken from songs they liked... so if you think about that and not just think of those lyrics as love poetry for a girl then it makes even more sense for them to be serenading the bands of rock 'n' roll. i couldn't tell all of the songs... if all of the lyrics in that part ARE covered but i know there's "our house" by madness and "crimson and clover" by a band i forgot. i think it's tommy james and the shondells. anyway, that's what i think the song's about.

to me, this song is about taking chances and getting the confidence to live in the present - whether that's helped by falling in love OR hearing the music you want. my absolute favorite line in this entire song is "Are you going to waste your time? Gotta make a move or you'll miss out" as cheesy as it sounds, that line like, made me take chances. idk, it just hits me ya know? this song is amazing nonetheless though, best song on the album in my opinion

according to wikipedia (and all the other stiff that popped up when i searched it on google) crimson and clover is a tommy james and the shondells song. Joan jett also has a song named this. i'm assuming its a cover but i didn't check. maybe it's a different song that's her own

easily one of my favorite JEW songs. Like everyone else said, its about someone that never really made the most of his life when he was young, and regrets it.

Are you gonna live your life standing in the back looking around? Are you gonna waste your time? Gotta make a move or you'll miss out.

I love that, just gotta go for it, whether it be on a girl or anything else, before its too late.

I think there's a lot more to this song than just the references in the lyrics. To hear what I mean, listen to the opening strumming pattern on "Why did we ever meet" by The Promise Ring, a song referenced in the lyrics. I'm sure you'll pick up on it.