The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Raised unright
So uptight
But why blame you
You wouldn't be
If you could choose
Most of the time
It's out of site
it hit me today
Who gave who the right
Who took mine away
What a site
What a sound
What a way to bring people down
What a way to bring me down
I know that you'll get yours
When you get empty
It's so close
I'm sure that you
Would rather do that
Than be in your clothes
You must have waited a long time
Bet you were disappointed
I waited longer than that
Just goes to prove
(Illogical) proving's illogical
But it's sometimes necessary
Proving's illogical
But it's a cinch
Fa-la-la (Illogical)
but why blame you
You wouldn't be
If you could choose
most of the time
It's out of site
It hit me today
Who gave who the right
Who took mine away
What a sight
What a sound
What a way to bring people down
What a way to bring me down
It goes on and on
And on and on and on .....
So uptight
But why blame you
You wouldn't be
If you could choose
Most of the time
It's out of site
it hit me today
Who gave who the right
Who took mine away
What a site
What a sound
What a way to bring people down
What a way to bring me down
I know that you'll get yours
When you get empty
It's so close
I'm sure that you
Would rather do that
Than be in your clothes
You must have waited a long time
Bet you were disappointed
I waited longer than that
Just goes to prove
(Illogical) proving's illogical
But it's sometimes necessary
Proving's illogical
But it's a cinch
Fa-la-la (Illogical)
but why blame you
You wouldn't be
If you could choose
most of the time
It's out of site
It hit me today
Who gave who the right
Who took mine away
What a sight
What a sound
What a way to bring people down
What a way to bring me down
It goes on and on
And on and on and on .....
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
When it comes to Nature vs. Nurture, I've always felt that Nurture holds more weight, and I feel this song kinda goes along with that idea. The first passage is key-
"Raised unright So uptight But why blame you You wouldn't be if you could choose"
I use thinking like this to not blame people for ignorant, stuck up behavior.
am i the only one who likes this song?
I do, it's one of my favourite Built to Spill songs.
best song on the album.
"out of site" is probably the best song on "perfect from now on" - but "perfect from now on" is the best bts album. anybody else think so?
@slartibartfass it gets fairly dark and weird and awesome but I don't get why so many people think it's their best. Ancient Melodies and Keep it Like a Secret are better if you ask me.
oh and can't forget Nothing Wrong w/ Love.
Definitely, their best album so far.
I actually prefer Keep It Like a Secret but there is no denying Perfect From Now On has no equal in Built To Spill's catalog. For me, it does not get as much play time as Keep It Like a Secret or There's Nothing Wrong With Love but in terms of the sheer elegance and texture and beauty of the instrumentation and just the album in general, I would say it's their most impressive "achievement".
I think the fact that the initial recordings burned up in the back of Phil Elk's car and caused them to have to re-record all those guitar parts was actually beneficial to the albums sound (all that painstaking work aside) as it just allowed for another facet of the musicality to unfold; in other words, having to rerecord meant they had another chance to do it all over again, just with the added knowledge and experience of having done all of it already before. I cannot say if the guitars sound the way they do as a direct result of the first set of tapes igniting into flame but there is something so entrancing about the guitar on this album; like a deeply complex myriad of overlapping sound and the texture of those sounds coalescing together. Maybe it sounded just as it does now on the first go around but there seems to be something timeless about the instrumentation on this album that I think may have come about as a result of all that guitar playing and all the hours devoted to recording the guitars that it just culminated onto/into eight songs in such a perfect way; a PERFECT way.
perfect from now on = perfect.
zen Buddhism
My favorite song from the album as well.
I think Uncle Bengi and I have the same interpretation. The opening verses point to someone whose experiences have caused them to be the person they are. The final line makes me wonder if the song is concluding that people don't really change.
"It goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on..."
Will the subject of the song who "brings people down" ever stop doing so? And if so, can we really blame them?