Tag Archives: up

#1071: Talking Heads – Pulled Up

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A lot of Talking Heads songs I’ve written about on here tend to come from Fear of Music. There’s one other one post on here for a track from Remain in Light. There would be so many more songs on here, had the timing been different. Like in the case of tracks from the band’s debut album Talking Heads:77, I’ll only be able to cover ‘Uh-Oh Love Comes to Town’ and the closer ‘Pulled Up’. I’m a huge advocate for ‘The Book I Read’, ‘Don’t Worry About the Government’ and ‘First Week/Last Week… Carefree’. Alas, there time wasn’t ever to come on here. That might leave you asking, “Well, where’s the post for ‘Psycho Killer’, eh?” And the answer is, I rather prefer this live version to the one that you can listen to all the time on say, Spotify, for example.

But speaking of ‘Psycho Killer’, it comes before ‘Pulled Up’ on the record and, as a result, provides probably the most notable mood whiplash in the band’s discography. After a creepy-creep song with French lyrics and hectic breakdown ending about comes this great mood boosting, uplifting track about a person who’s been feeling low and down but has now gained a new lease of life via the help of an undisclosed presence. David Byrne sings from the perspective of a man, could even be himself – I don’t see why not, who’s now living a life of success and basically wants everyone to know how good he’s feeling. With a little help from friends/family/unrevealed sources, he’s found the strength to overcome his adversities and come out the other side with a brighter outlook on life. Seems too good to be true if we’re discussing a Talking Heads song here, but I think the track’s as genuine as it gets.

Tracks filled with those usual Talking Heads quirks. Byrne is as eccentric as ever in his vocal delivery, covering a range from restrained yelping melodies to wild, barbaric howls. He’s anything but inhibited when it comes to recording vocal takes. He even chuckles a little on the “There’s really no hurry, I’ll eat in a while” lyric, something which I always thought was because it doesn’t even attempt to rhyme with the line that comes before it. Only he’ll know what’s so funny about it, I guess. But in general, the whole track from its music to the tempo to all the ascending scales (a typical characteristic of songs about going up) make for such a relieving burst of energy, something that builds and builds until it finally releases with the strike of the song’s final chord and thus the album’s. Talking Heads album endings never disappointed, and they set the bar high on the first go.

#907: Sum 41 – Never Wake Up

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‘Never Wake Up’ is the third song on Sum 41’s All Killer No Filler album. Hard to come up with a thorough, deep post about it. Reasons being that it’s only 50 seconds long, and I don’t think that its lyrics that you see online are even correct. Well, except for the “I plan on never waking up” lines, that’s clearly what he’s singing there. Despite those things, the track always scratches an itch when it comes on on shuffle or something. There’ll be all these mid-tempo, complex songs playing and this one rolls in with pummeling force from the first second.

From the lyrics that are available online, I’m making a guess that the track is about trying to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning and failing to do so. It’s a subject that’s touched upon later in the album, arguably in a more fleshed out form. But what this song has going for it is sheer energy and speed. It’s a track to just freak out and lose control to for a short moment before you have to adjust yourself back to reality. I like those guitar chord jumps that happen after each ‘never waking up’ repetition. They didn’t have to be included, but they add that extra kick to the proceedings. And although I don’t have a clue what Deryck Whibley is saying for the majority, it’s always a good effort to try and sing along anyways. The track may make up a small small part of the album’s runtime, but it’s definitely lives up to the killer aspect of its name.

My iPod #535: The Raconteurs – Hold Up

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As every year passes I feel that the chances of The Raconteurs releasing another album become slimmer. Though I wouldn’t be sad if Consolers of the Lonely was the last album the band released. For me it seemed like such a step up from Broken Boy Soldiers; the production gives the band a bigger sound working hand in hand with the memorable hooks, melodies and brilliant guitar playing that is delivered on almost every track. This is a rock album and there hasn’t really been one of the same calibre released since 2008. The band are currently on hiatus, but I’m in no rush for new material anytime soon.

I would categorise “Hold Up” as being the ‘party track’ of the album. The title phrase is repeated twenty-two times during the whole song; the majority of the time it is yelled out for the song’s choruses. Though it is repetitive, it doesn’t suffer from becoming boring or less thrilling the more times you listen to it. The song’s narrative sees Jack White fed up with ‘these modern times’ and he succeeds in getting with a lady that will help him get through them. I do guarantee that it will take you a couple of listens to gather what he is singing about though, just because the chorus has already embedded itself into your mind.

My iPod #484: Röyksopp – Happy Up Here

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So it was one day when I was listening to the radio on an old Nokia mobile phone that the station (what it was I can’t recall) was frequently reminding the audience that they could vote to hear the exclusive premieres of two brand new singles to be released from their respective upcoming albums. One was by Calvin Harris (that turned out to be “I’m Not Alone“) and the other being Röyksopp’s new song “Happy Up Here”. Calvin Harris was the popular pick. Not really sure a mainstream audience would have really known who Röyksopp were, and Harris was already known for songs like “The Girls” and “Acceptable in the 80s“. “I’m Not Alone” got played to death and reached number one. Though it “Happy Up Here” that I started to like, maybe a few days/weeks later, when its video started showing in various places.

The track was something of a comeback single by the Norwegian electronic duo, released four years after their then most recent album The Understanding in 2005, and appeared as the first song on its album Junior. Its melody is driven by a sample of a twinkling keyboard riff taken from the song “Do That Stuff” by the 70s soul group Parliament alongside various electronic blips and swooshes, a steady beat, synthesized strings at some points and calming, airy vocals which come together to make a relaxing, uplifting, and comfortable two minutes and fourty-five seconds of your time. Another song about being happy, but in the case of feeling content with where you are at certain moment in time.

After hearing it the first couple of times I was sure that I heard that keyboard part somewhere in the past. It had the same sound, though it wasn’t the same note pattern. Turned out I was thinking of “Eple“, coincidentally another song by the duo. Quite funny.

My iPod #431: The Darkness – Givin’ Up

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“Givin’ Up” is the sixth track from The Darkness’ first album “Permission to Land“. Despite its cheery, upbeat, 70s karaoke night feel to it, the song is about lead singer/guitarist Justin Hawkins’ (former?) heroin addiction. The drug abuse continued until he was forced to quit the band years later in 2006. He makes the effects of the drug clear in the pre-chorus: “Well, I’ve ruined nearly all of my veins/Sticking that fucking shit into my arms” and there is definitely something tragic about the whole thing. Hawkins wants to stop the addiction but when it comes to the stuff entering his stuff he gives up giving a fuck about it and carries on doing it anyway. Quite sad. But you can’t tell just because of how damn happy the track sounds.

When I was sitting on my mum’s bed listening to “Permission to Land” on my Playstation 2 at the young age of eight, none of this came to mind when I was singing along to it. Did I know what ‘shit’ he was referring to when looking through the liner notes? Of course not. All I knew was that the song sounded good. Still does today. Even if age as made me realise how very serious the song actually is.

Another notable thing that I didn’t really realise until listening to the album years later, this track flows perfectly into “Stuck in a Rut”. Both have the same tempo, and the snare drum which starts that song seems the two tracks together very well. Production at its finest right there.