| The National – Conversation 16 Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I think a few of previous commentators (@scott locke) have nailed the general theme of the song as being about the difficulties (and mundaneness) of adult life and the life cycle of marriage. One other thing that jumps out to me is that the lines in the verses appear to alternate between external and internal/private realities and dialogue. For example, in the first verse: "I think the kids are in trouble" (external...expressing "proper" upper middle class concern as a parent)/ "I do not know what all the troubles are for" (internal...questioning a life obsessed with fussing over petty concerns)/ "Give them ice for their fever" (external...back to the performative parenting role); "You're the only thing I ever want anymore" (internal...thinking to himself or confessing to his wife his longing for simpler times) Also later in the song: "It's a Hollywood summer" (external, feigned enthusiasm) "You never believe the shitty thoughts I think" (internal, his real thoughts about 'hollywood summer') ... "We belong in a movie" (external, aspirational and putting a good face on things in public) "Try to hold it together 'til our friends are gone" (internal/private, confession revealing the true difficulties underneath the happy public personae) "We should swim in a fountain" (external, again with the brave, happy face for his wife) Do not want to disappoint anyone (internal, shockingly honest personal confession) ... "I'll try to be more romantic" (external, clearly to his wife and indicative of the difficulties of marriage) "I want to believe in every thing you believe" (internal, confession that his views of romance have become jaded over time....his personal confession is that he "*wants* to believe" indicating that he doesn't actually but he is aspiring to it.) |
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| OneRepublic – Secrets Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| I think it is pretty clear that this song is about a song writer discussing his craft. The verse that goes "And every day I see the news/ All the problems, we could solve/ When a situation rises /Just write it into an album / Send it straight to gold /But I don't really like my flow, no / Se tell me what you want to hear..." captures the dynamic of the writing process and the ambivalence the writer feels about it. In this sense it reminds me very much of Blues Traveler's "Hook". In fact the parallels are pretty striking. Both songs discuss the song writer's need for confession in the song (and likely insincere one at that) and concern for the audience's reaction/reception: "I need another story...something that I can confess....Come by it honestly, I swear/Thought you saw me wink, no/ I've been on the brink so/ tell me what you want to hear...i'm gonna give all my secrets away" (OneRepublic) versus "There is something amiss/ I am being insincere / In fact I don't mean any of this/ Still my confession draws you near....the hook brings you back / on that you can rely" (Blues Traveler). Despite these feelings both narrators recognize that song writing is at least in part a business (e.g. "i've been the [financial] brink so/tell me what you want to hear" and "the hook brings you back" to buying records]. This of course creates a level of ambivalence that is expressed later in the song as the writer's discusses the need to please the critics ("don't care if the critics ever jump in line"), the fans ("tell me what you want to hear"), and himself ("sick of all the insincere"). Given the meta-quality of the song (a song writer, writing about song writing) one is left to wonder whether either of the lines "this time don't need another perfect lie" or "give all my secrets away" is a real confession or just another insincere confession ("another story...that I can confess"). I'm tempted to believe him, but I thought I saw him wink, though.... | |
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