On a lazy Sunday this past year, my husband and I were vegging out on the couch. Deciding against watching televangelists and infomercials we landed on a country music channel countdown. We aren’t even really big country music fans, but there was nothing else on. This music video came on about the men and women in our armed services coming home from war.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t another cheesy patriotic masterpiece or patriotic hoopla all about selling records, this song was written from the point of view of our service members and about how the men and women returning from war actually felt.
By the end of the song, I was in tears, but what shocked me even more was when I looked over at my husband, an active duty Marine and two-time Iraq war veteran. He was trying, unsuccessfully to wipe away the tears streaming down his face.
“That is exactly how it is…That’s how I feel,” he wept, “I can’t even describe it.”
The lyrics were about how war changes you and how when you come back from war, some of the things that were previously so important really become trivial. Imagine coming back from a war zone where every day is about survival to see everyone more obsessed with celebrity news or trendy anti-war campaigns. The song was Darryl Worley’s ‘I Just Came Back From a War”. Some of the lyrics:
“I just came back from a place where they hated me / And everything I stand for / A land where our brothers are dying for others / Who don’t even care anymore”
Every one of us has a moment where a particular song just reaches out and grabs us. Either it’s a song about something very personal we’ve gone through, a place we’re at in our lives, or just a really touching story.
Don’t we all love it when a musician can go up on stage with just their voice and a guitar and musically illustrate an actual scene from their lives?
Many of us have been moved to tears by Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears In Heaven’ about his son who died at only four and a half years old after falling out the window of a 53-story New York City apartment building. We have been left seething in misery after hearing Ben Fold’s ‘Brick’ about driving his girlfriend to have an abortion and the “emotional byproducts” that resulted, as Ben, himself described his feelings after the incident. We were stunned at the real meaning behind Boomtown Rat’s ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ about a 16 year-old girl in San Diego who went on a playground shooting spree and explained it away with the simple quote, “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day.”
Folk music has made a big resurgence in recent years because others have started to crave this same personalization from the artists we listen to. We don’t want to feel cheated by the same generalized lyrics set to a beat. Today’s trend in music is reverting back to times when music was about meaning and not pop divas gyrating to backing tracks while lip-syncing empty lyrics.
Some of my favorite meaningful songs in more recent years:
Ohio – Over The Rhine
This is a beautiful piano song with lush vocals written about the artist leaving her home in the Ohio river valley city of Cincinnati and then realizing there is actually no where else in the world she’d rather be and seeing she was just running from her past. It’s a message a lot of people can relate with. I can relate with it, being that I’m also from Cincinnati and ran to California to escape my old life. Over the Rhine is one of those groups that slips under the radar of many but whose songs are so profound and beautiful that those who have heard them once end up becoming dedicated, lifelong fans.
“Hello Ohio, the back roads / I know Ohio like the back of my hand / Alone Ohio where the river bends / It’s so sad to see your story end”
When You Were Young – William Fitzsimmons
William Fitzsimmons is a relatively new artist who has toured with Ingrid Michaelson and is on the lineup for this year’s Hotel Cafe Tour. Fitzsimmon’s music has a sound all of its own. For the most part, it’s acoustic, but more interesting. He adds subtle percussive nuances that give his music just enough kick without adding too much. What’s most phenomenal about William Fitzsimmon’s music is the meaning behind it. His ‘Goodnight’ album largely focuses on his parents’ divorce and the breaking up of his family with refreshingly honest lyrics. When you hear his songs, you feel like you are listening in on a personal moment in his life almost to the point of intrusion. Fitzsimmon’s words seem more therapeutic rather than serving as a tell-all book about his life. It’s not whining or blatant anger, but a soul-warming storytelling in a self-affirming manner. ‘When You Were Young’ is one of my personal favorites, but Fitzsimmons says the one that seems to resonate with fans the most is ‘Everything Has Changed’ which focuses on his father. ‘When You Were Young’ seems to focus on a wayward sibling who has gotten involved with the wrong crowd.
“Mom wants you to come back home / She keeps crying when I call her on the phone / Won’t you give this thing a chance / You are not what you were when you were young”
Passage – Vienna Teng
The first time I ever heard Vienna Teng, it was another one of those random television moments where I stopped on a dance recital where dancers were doing a contemporary routine to this completely haunting à Capella tune with lyrics about a girl dying in a car crash and watching those in her life go on without her. Each verse begins with how much time has gone by and follows the storyline through 2 days, 3 months, 4 years, and a lifetime. Listeners get to take a peek back into the lives of those around her as they cope with her loss and then, ultimately, move on. The song was so powerful, I remembered the lyrics and ran to Google them to find out who the artist was. This was the beginning of my obsession with Vienna Teng’s music. She’s another of those rare artists who puts serious thought into every song she writes. She’s tackled topics of abortion, disagreements with parents over her future, an uncle’s death, being frightened by a thunderstorm, gay marriage, etc. but never in a preachy or opinionated way. She even occasionally inserts some humor into her lyrics such as her song about apartment-hunting ‘1 Br/1 Ba’ where she sings, “my upstairs neighbors are making sounds that I never want to hear. I hope they’re just moving furniture around, and really liking their ideas.” A snippet of the more serious ‘Passage’:
“I died in a car crash two days ago / was unrecognizable when they pulled me from the gears / no one’s fault, no one’s bottle / no one’s teenage pride or throttle / our innocence is all the worse for fears / the other walked away alive / arms wrapped now around his wife”
Reason Why – Rachael Yamagata
Rachael is another new artist that’s become huge on the indie scene. ‘Reason Why’ is about her split from her former band, Bumpus. Yamagata says that her band wanted to go in a different creative direction than she did and she had all these ideas for songs that the band just wasn’t receptive to doing. In order to make the kind of music she wanted to, she had to leave the band. It was the best decision she could have made. Her often-described “husky” voice and music ranging from sweeping piano ballads (reminiscent of a less-angsty Fiona Apple but in her own style) and catchy songs have quickly won her an abundant fan base. Reason Why’ is remarkable because it not only serves as the ultimate band breakup song, but has also been embraced by fans to describe their own relationship breakups.
“So, I will head out alone and hope for the best / And we can hang our heads down as we skip the goodbyes / You can tell the world what you want them to hear / I’ve got nothing left to lose, my dear / So, I’m up for the little white lies / But you and I know the reason why / I’m gone, and you’re still there”
How To Save a Life – The Fray
Drugs Or Me – Jimmy Eat World
I’m lumping these two songs together…Both songs are about dealing with the drug use of others in some way or another. In ‘How To Save a Life’ the lead vocalist of The Fray wrote it after trying to mentor a teenager addicted to crack.
“Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend / Somewhere along in the bitterness / And I would have stayed up with you all night / Had I known how to save a life”
‘Drugs or Me’ by Jimmy Eat World is another one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard about drug usage and watching drugs tear someone you care about apart.
“If only you could see / The stranger next to me / You promise you promise that you’re done / But I can’t tell you from the drugs”
My favorite song on the subject, currently, is Sia’s ‘Girl That You Lost To Cocaine’ from her new album ‘Some People Have Real Problems’, but it is more lighthearted instead of taking a touching, meaningful, to-the-heart approach as the two above songs.
Winter – Joshua Radin
It’s hard to pick just one Joshua Radin song that holds the most meaning, but rest assured, Radin’s material isn’t just designed to be a hit or record filler. Radin himself, says on his MySpace that he admires, “Musicians who know that lyrics are just as important as melody…”. His music has been compared to Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Dylan. He’s written songs about Hurricane Katrina, the curses of fame and wanting what you don’t have, and scores of some heart-melting love songs and songs about lost love. Radin says of his songs, “They’re all true, it’s like trying to pick up your diary and be like ‘This is my favorite entry.’ I don’t have a favorite”. Radin’s song ‘Winter’ was hand-picked by college friend and star of the the comedy ‘Scrubs’ for an episode that rocketed Joshua’s name to the forefront of the independent music scene. In any case most think the song is about remembrance of someone either after a breakup or after the person has died.
“And I remember the sound / Of your November downtown / And I remember the truth / A warm December with you”
I Will Follow You Into the Dark – Death Cab For Cutie
If you’re searching for an artist with more deep-sounding songs to interpret than The Beatles, Death Cab For Cutie is your band. I can’t narrow down their offerings to one specific song, but ‘I Will Follow You Into the Dark’ is one of their more popular songs for analysis. The lyrics are pretty simple, but many still have their interpretations. No one can deny that it is a song about love that stretches beyond the grave. The symbolism in ‘Brothers On a Hotel Bed’ is another often-dissected lyrical gem where the significance of the title reflects in two lovers who have resorted to an almost awkward familiarity as they’ve aged and the lyrics define how they end their days like “brothers on a hotel bed”. An excerpt from ‘I Will Follow You Into the Dark’ shows the darkly sweet intentions of their most popular song:
“If heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied / And illuminate the “No’s” on their vacancy signs / If there’s no one beside you when your soul embarks / Then I will follow you into the dark”
I Will Love You – Fisher
Here is a song I’ve challenged people to make it through without getting teary-eyed. On Fisher’s website, they said a San Diego radio station once played it on air and was flooded with calls from drivers pulled over to the side of the road in tears begging to know who had sung the beautiful song they had just heard. Every time I hear the song, tears come to my eyes. The song is very obviously, once again, about loving someone until the end of time. For some reason, these songs that stretch bigger than eternity really touch us on a deep level of questioning about human life and its purpose. This song has always reminded me of my father who died when I was still a child. Two years ago I made a tribute video for him with pictures to this song. Nobody in the family has been able to watch the whole video. This is one of those songs that transcends music into pure emotion and uncovers hurts in each of us that we thought were long gone. The lyrics are simple, but unequivocally powerful.
Till my body is dust / Till my soul is no more / I will love you, love you
Till the sun starts to cry / Till the moon turns to rust / I will love you, love you
The Trapeze Swinger – Iron & Wine
Perhaps my favorite song of all time is ‘The Trapeze Swinger’ by Iron & Wine. Something about it speaks to the heart unlike any song I’ve ever heard. Iron & Wine is one of those groups with many great songs with deep, if not puzzling lyrics. Many devoted fans of Iron & Wine shun ‘The Trapeze Swinger’ and call it overrated and some might say, “You’re just hearing about that song now?” but ‘The Trapeze Swinger’ is one of those songs that you can hear fifty years from now that I think will still be as powerful tomorrow as it is today. On Songmeanings.net, several commenters have said they want this song played at their funeral. Nobody is quite sure what it means but everyone has their interpretations. Most seem to think the song is written from the point of view of a man who has died and is in purgatory trying to meet up again with the girl he loved and lost in life. I’m not sure what it means, but it calls to mind the scene with Natalie Portman and Zach Braff in Garden State where Natalie puts headphones over Zach’s ears and tells him, “Listen to this song. It will change your life.” In that scene, she is having him listen to The Shins, not Iron and Wine, but ‘The Trapeze Swinger’ is one of those kinds of songs that is life-changing to those who really listen to it. The song is nearly 10 minutes long, but somehow the length is completely appropriate and some remarked they didn’t want the song to end even at that length.
Please, remember me, my misery and how it lost me all I wanted / Those dogs that love the rain and chasing trains / The colored birds above their running in circles round the well and where it spells on the wall behind St. Peter / So bright with cinder gray and spray paint “Who the hell can see forever?”
Give these songs a listen on a day when you’re searching for music with deeper meaning. Who knows, maybe they will change your life.
