Categories: Music

Top Ten Songs by Dashboard Confessional

Dashboard Confessional is one of the greatest bands currently around and they are now recently gaining popularity. Their live concerts are memorable and usually include the entire crowd singing along with their lyrics. The band has released several albums with their newest entitled Dusk and Summer. They are extremely talented, and their songs are more than just songs, they are interpretive and intelligent. The following are their top ten songs and the meanings interpreted from the lyrics:

· Remember to Breathe
This is a song that is discussing what happens and the feelings that come right before a date. It reminds us all about what it is like to be in the early and quite uncertain stages of love. The lyrics of this song are truly beautiful, such as “I’m starting to panic, wait wait, remember she asked you, remember to, breathe.” The lyrics in this song are incredibly simple, and yet touching and heartfelt at the same time.

· Hands Down
This can easily be considered as one of the most popular Dashboard Confessional songs of all, and the lead singer of the group, Chris Carrabbas, often describes this particular song as being about the ‘best date of his life’. Most concerts will close with Hands Down. This song is one of their best and truly shows how intimate and willing Carrabbas is in regards to the writing of his lyrics. The live version off of the MTV Unplugged album is definitely worth a listen.

· Screaming Infidelities
This is one song by Dashboard Confessional, which takes a rather different approach in its sentiments. Rather than being a part of their standard fare about love and awkward nervousness, it is rather a more painful song. Screaming Infidelities is about being cheated on, but still caring about the person, wondering where they are and what they are doing. It is a quietly painful sort of song, but the message still comes through strong.

· This Bitter Pill
This song has a lot of emotional anguish in it, and is definitely one of the more outspokenly bitter tunes. It is serious all the way through and has an intense woeful finish as Chris screams that his despair is never wearing out. The purpose is to perhaps allow the listeners to reflect on their own despair. Certain lyrics of the song, such as “And this bitter pill is leaving you, with such an angry mouth, one that’s void of all discretion, such an awful tearing sound,” prove to intensely affect any listener.

· Carve Your Heart Out Yourself
This song is basically about an involved couple where the boyfriend does not understand his girlfriend’s deceptions. Although she has put him through a lot, he promises that he will still always be there for her. The basic premise is that he is suffering greatly and she does not seem to care. This song has not received much radio play, but it is still worth checking out.

· So Beautiful
This is another one of the most popular songs by Dashboard Confessional and the lyrics convey that is about a girl who has come back and has changed. “I heard that you were home again, but you don’t look like you’re back to me, with your focuses changing your gaze is transfixed on a point that I can’t often see, you’ve got your new ties, I’ve got my old knots, you’ve got your inside lines, but you’re never happy with what you’ve got.” It is clear that the person involved here is trying to show how she is never happy, no matter what she attains. Her morals and ideals are different than his, but that he still cares about her deeply.

· Bend and Not Break
This song, again, like most of the others, is truly sentimental and intimate. Basically it is discussing about how the guy has been hurt, and how the cause of his pain does not seem to notice. “I am fairly agile, I can bend and not break, or I can break and take it with a smile, and I am so resilient, I recover quickly, I’ll convince you soon that I am fine”.

· The Brilliant Dance
Another song written by Chris that discusses a person who has been cheated on. He goes on to describe how the one who was involved in the infidelity tried to cover it up during the time, and how horrible that was. “So you buried all your lover’s clothes, and burned the letters lover wrote, but it doesn’t make it any better. Does it make it any better? And the plaster dented from your fist, in the hall where you had your first kiss, reminds you that the memories will fade.” The lyrics in this song again are so powerful, and are amazing because everyone who has been in this type of situation before can easily relate.

· Saints and Soldiers
This is a song about basically everything that Chris could possibly think of to put into it. The lyrics are all over the place and this is purposely done in order to allow any listener to be able to relate in regards to a specific time or event in their own life.

· Dusk & Summer
This song is actually the title track from their newest album, and it is incredibly simplistic, and yet internally complex at the same time. This simplicity however stands out as a truly sharp departure from the rest of their album. The rest of the album is basically based around heavier instrumentals, and a generally stronger rock and roll flavor overall.