This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Uptown girl
She's been living in her uptown world
I bet she's never had a backstreet guy
I bet her mama never told her why
I'm gonna try for an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am
And when she knows
What she wants from her time
And when she wakes up
And makes up her mind
She'll see I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love with an uptown girl
You know I've seen her in her uptown world
She's getting tired of her high class toys
And all the presents from her uptown boys
She's got a choice
Oh
Oh
Uptown girl
You know I can't afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been
And then I'll win
And when she's walking
She's looking so fine
And when she's talking
She'll say that she's mine
She'll say I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love
With an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am
Oh
Oh
Uptown girl
She's my uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
She's been living in her uptown world
I bet she's never had a backstreet guy
I bet her mama never told her why
I'm gonna try for an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am
And when she knows
What she wants from her time
And when she wakes up
And makes up her mind
She'll see I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love with an uptown girl
You know I've seen her in her uptown world
She's getting tired of her high class toys
And all the presents from her uptown boys
She's got a choice
Oh
Oh
Uptown girl
You know I can't afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been
And then I'll win
And when she's walking
She's looking so fine
And when she's talking
She'll say that she's mine
She'll say I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love
With an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am
Oh
Oh
Uptown girl
She's my uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
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The Night We Met
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Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
This song's story is so familiar in this society. Two people from totally different backgrounds fall in love, and aren't sure that their backgrounds will allow them to live in harmony with one another.
It has such a beautiful tune. Really fun.
this tune is definitely Billy Joel doing his absolute best imitation of Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons - his vocal, along with the background vocals, is dead on and the drumming is terrific - it was like the 4 Seasons drummer sat in with Billy - otherwise, it's the ages old story of the poor boy on his side of the tracks looking at the rich girl
This song is clearly about Christie Brinkley. She grew up with a more affluent background than Billy Joel. I think there is some insecurity in this song. He talks about it like "maybe someday I'll be good enough for her, maybe she'll like me for me even though I don't have the same background." That really makes the song universal (as Billy's good at doing) because we can all think of trying for the "unattainable" person and hoping they'll see us as we are. And look where they are now- divorced, and Christie's with her uptown boy! But this is still one of my favorite Billy Joel songs.
aw, i used to be someone's uptown girl. this is a fun song. christie appeared in the video for the song, and billy evenually made an impression-- they got married. divorced now, yes, but... i like this song anyway and i have no lyrical explanation for the divorce
This song is universal like so many great songs. I do sympathize with him. I go to school with a lot of "uptown girls" and some of them I like but I seriously doubt that it's a two way street. So I do like this song.
This song is AWESOME.It's catchy,mostly easy to sing,and is very light-hearted.I love.
...Not that easy to sing, turtle.
Billy Joel left it as the last (or second last) song at a 2006 concert because it hurts his throat. Pity because it was the crowd favourite and would have helped earlier on.
This song is in fact NOT about Christie Brinkley. The song was written about Elle Macpherson. Billy happened to be dating Christie when the song came out and it was the video director's idea to put her in the video.
He says "I bet her mama never told her why I'm going to try for an uptown girl" - what didn't her mama tell her? Why is he trying for an uptown girl (there's the obvious - they dress fancier, go to fancier restaurants and events, have nicer cars, etc. but is there something more I'm missing here?)
This interpretation would only come from? He doesn't think he's enough for her, plain and simple. It's his problem...
His next conquest according to all indications. Good luck with that. The singer's 'charm' will get his foot in the door and his %&*$# where it so desperately wants to go :D