Tag Archives: alright

#694: The Who – The Kids Are Alright

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During the summer of 2010 I began listening to The Who. I was fifteen, heading into my proper GCSE year in secondary school, and thinking that things from that point weren’t going to be the same. I had to get my shit together. I think it was a random choice that I just started searching for The Who songs on YouTube one day, and that just sent me into a spiral. The Beatles had been my new discovery for year 10. In year 11, it was all about The Who.

The video for ‘The Kids Are Alright’ was on YouTube all those years ago. Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon are in a park somewhere miming to the song and don’t particularly look like they’re having the greatest of times. Despite this, the song itself sounds very bright and quite cheerful. One of the best melodies that Pete Townshend wrote in the group I think, and its enhanced by the three part vocal harmonies that are present throughout the track.

The lyrics however tell a different story. All this time I thought it was commentary on the hip young groovers of the 60s and somehow saying that the older generation have no need to worry because ‘the kids are alright’. But after actually doing some research, it may be about a man who wants to pursue his dreams and leave his wife at home with the children. She can see other guys and he’ll go crazy if he doesn’t get away, but it doesn’t matter because at least the kids will be okay. That situation does make a lot more sense.

In the end, the interpretation doesn’t alter the way I feel about the music. It’s a great jangle-pop classic. From about 1968 onward, the band didn’t care to make these types of power pop singles again so it’s always great to see and hear how they started out.

#651: Ween – It’s Gonna Be (Alright)

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Though Ween have mostly considered to be this joke band who don’t take their music seriously because of the humour they incorporate into their material (which they’re not and they do), there has always been a song on each of their albums (except La Cucaracha probably) that can unexpectedly surprise you with its sincerity. There are a couple I can think of when it comes to The Mollusk; ‘It’s Gonna Be (Alright)’ is one of them.

This track has always been one of my favourites from the album since I heard it back in 2013. Following ‘The Blarney Stone’, an explicit number in the form of a sea shanty, ‘Alright’ slows things right down to darken the mood with its wavey guitar arpeggios and echoing percussion. It’s another devastating track in Ween’s discography concerning the end of a relationship. For anyone who doesn’t know, Gene Ween – lead singer and co-songwriter in the band – has a big heart; when it gets broken he can get really sad. He wrote songs like ‘Birthday Boy’, ‘Baby Bitch’, and ‘I Don’t Want It’ detailing some of the misery he’s been through. However, ‘Alright’ is one of those tracks where although the relationship is no more, there’s still hope that things can still be good between the two of them.

Things get weird again as they follow this with ‘The Golden Eel’ on the album, pretty much about what it says in the title, so it’s almost like the band just drops this serious track to just say ‘everything’s not as well as it seems here but forget about it here’s the silly stuff again’. But that’s all what adds to the charm… of Ween.

My iPod #30: Supergrass – Alright

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Supergrass was a band that was at its most prominent during the Britpop era. Although that scene quickly died out around 1997, the band still managed to stay pretty relevant and their last album ‘Diamond Hoo Ha’, released in 2008, entered at 19 in the album chart.

I miss Supergrass. 😦 They are one of my favourite bands too.

Britpop was a fine time for British music. New bands were thrust upon the scene; Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Suede and various others dominated the charts. Who could forget ‘The Battle of the Bands’, which saw Blur and Oasis go head to head for the number one spot, which Blur eventually won?

I talk as if I was 20 years old around this time, although really I had only just been born.

Supergrass were relatively new at the time. ‘Alright’ was released as the last single from their debut ‘I Should Coco’ in 1995, and became somewhat of a youth anthem here and in America too after being featured in the film ‘Clueless’.

You can’t be sad to this song. The intro is unforgettable, as soon as you hear that piano tune you know that you won’t be disappointed. The band was young at the time of writing the song and so the youth of the time were able to empathise with what the band was feeling. I guess it wouldn’t have been so popular if it was some old man singing about being young when he clearly wasn’t.

And watch that video too! It’s all so happy. Oh man. Why do you need a video with a concept when you could just be messing around on a beach, or fooling about with bicycles? Steven Spielberg even wanted to do some sort of ‘Monkees’ documentary based on them, but they declined in order to start work on their second album. That’s dedication.

This is considered to be Supergrass’ signature song. It’s not my favourite, probably because it’s the one that will always be played on a holiday advert, or the one Supergrass video that will always be played on a music channel. Supergrass have many other great songs. Not just this one. Find them.

Come back Supergrass. Please!

Until next time.

Jamie.