Let us do something a little different, this time. In order for it to make sense, it will have to draw a little more on the personal side, but that is OK. It should end up making sense.
Throughout the years, I have had to come to the realization that not everybody around me cares about music as much as I do. Some use it as mere background noise, some rely on it to set moods in rooms, some simply cannot stand silence, others like the instrumentation while others even go as far as to memorize a couple catchy phrases… But only a few seem to have it touch their very soul. When nothing else really matters and you’re just passing time until you get back to your room where you can dive back into your world of music.
It’s hard to explain, but from childhood, music just always seemed important. My parents always played music in the house. They had their collections we could browse through. Then, it was my brother who would come home with names and tapes of artists I had no clue existed and, as we would play them and it was like a door had opened on a whole new part of the world. Around the end of elementary school, it turned into some sort of coded message I had to decypher. Most of the songs I liked back then were in English, which is a second langage, so I had to get over the obstacle of translation before I could have a sense of meaning. Even those that were in French, which is my first langage, were expressing ideas that would not have crossed my mind until then. Something was being said, some experience or knowledge was being handed down, and if I was not paying attention, it fell on deaf ears. I was missing out on some valuable piece of information. That’s about when alternative music showed up, along with punk, very shortly after. Gateway punk. And then a void was filled. A void I had not been conscious of. Something I did not know I needed had come crashing in. All the parents I would not listen to... All the teachers I would ignore... All of them were instantly replaced by these figures who would pass down attitudes, experiences, languages, warnings, ideas…
Along the way, I did meet a few others in whom I could sense a similar connection. Others who had the obsession we could hardly put into words. How many punk bands can you name? How many lyrics can you recite? ‘Yeah, but have you heard their other record?’ Who got their hands on which albums? We could spend entire nights going over new records, reading liner notes and thanks, looking through mailorder catalogs for our next order, drawing logos, making references to names of band members, developing the images we made up in our minds of what these characters must be like based on the austerity or goofyness of their pictures. Being from a small town, in a time before the Internet was as exhaustive as it is now, gaps had to be filled by imagination. Words and pictures were all we needed to form a larger-than-life image of these people.
I guess I would be hard-pressed to tell you what a typical night should be for a teenager, growing up in the suburbs of a small town. Maybe phone calls or videogames or television? Honestly, there definitely were all of those, but some of the fondest memories are sitting in front of the stereo, trying to write down the lyrics of songs from records I did not own, and for which I did not have access to the booklets. The great majority being in a second language, it would be surprising to read those, today, too. I would confess to filling up gaps with sounds, rather than words, on more than one occasion, and figuring it out, years later. The illumination ensuing when it all finally makes sense… ‘Ooooooohhhh… I get it, noooooowwww…’ I still get wide-eyed, to this day when it happens.
That should be enough of a prologue. Here is when it ties in with the subject at hand. Bouncing Souls were among the firsts. The first cassette tapes that I got from my friends because I could not possibly just buy everything in one starter punk package. The record stores had limited punk sections, too. The friends had bought some and would lend you a few, perhaps, for a couple days, if you promised to take care of them. So, the way to go was dubbing whole records or making mixtapes that you would play on your walkman and in your room, non-stop. Some walkmans even had the autoreverse function, which would switch the cassette side without having to physically take it out to turn it around. Very practical during winter, up here. The first dive down the punk rabbit hole shoved every other genre aside, and came with as many blank cassette tapes as I could afford, which were dubbed with the records my friends had. Maniacal Laughter was among them. Who that has heard that record did not instantly get Here We Go stuck in their heads for the rest of the day?
Now that the role music continues to play in my life has been established, I would say that, to me, Bouncing Souls taps exactly into that theme. Fellow music lovers one can relate to. That effect is achieved through their song lyrics and the vibe when you see them live. Or am I projecting too much of a repressed desire for connection onto them? I should rely upon their texts before it backfires.
For example, and in an attempt at chronology, the importance music has for the Bouncing Souls shows up in Old School, when they allude to a ‘music that you love’ losing its meaning, the difference in purpose in the composition of an audience, the temporality in the adherence to a scene, or the kind of nostalgia experienced by one who still sees some particular music as crucial while reflecting on others who have moved on. Music is more than just sound for some. It is ideals or a way of life. It is words that inspire some people so much that they decide to live by them. Whether they were drawn to it because they were seeking guidance or they simply found an echo to a predisposition inside of them. The intensity of that meaning can be expressed in terms of days or months or years. On the lowest scale of intensity, the songs go into one ear and out the other almost instantly. On the higher echelons, a record gets many plays every year. That would be the beloved music being referred to. In addition to the intensity of the impression made by the records, experiencing them live attaches a new layer upon them, and that is were it tends to become more transcendental. An idea not exclusive to the punk or hardcore scene, although it has become sort of a common theme in those genres. It is a crucial building block of a scene for the simple reason that there would be no scene if everyone remained in their basement listening to music in secret. ‘More than just another crowd’ are words that should ring a bell, here. These performances get people to gather in dimly lit rooms for a multitude of personal reasons. Diversity describes the individuals as well as the walks of life that took them there and the reasons why they are giving their time and money to be in the venue. You could fill a room with people who all love or like a band, yet not all of them do so for the same reason. It can be enraging, too. Picture this, if you will -you are at a concert to see a band that means so much to you only to find yourself surrounded by people texting on their cellphones, taking videos but not taking in the moment, or talking through the whole set. Sounds familiar? How does that get you? Yet, all of you are at the same place, at the same time, by some strange turn of events. There might also be a correlation between the level of importance attributed to the music and how long it remains a part of one’s life. As the lyrics go ‘everyone knows but it seems we all forget / the time we needed to see these ideals for ourselves / and what it meant,’ temporality and evolution are expressed. A message might have been really important in overcoming a particular hardship. However, once that obstacle is behind, one may move on to the next hurdle and never look back. Or once the hype dies out, some may replace a band by the next big thing. When it is no longer popular to refer to a band they would namedrop a different one. However, some may also remain just a while longer, either as monuments to the past or guards holding down the fort for a next generation. Until the next cycle. ‘It’s easy to forget the choices we’ve made / and the promises of the past.’ These two lines evoke the image of people leaving a crowd with one person staying behind, indifferent to the numbers because they are resolute in their desire to stay. There is a hint of bitterness in these words, and perhaps it is mixed with a touch of resentment, too, but if it were not the least bit important, neither of these elements would be present.
‘Sing a song of old school I don’t really care
Where you were or who you know
Sing a song of old school we don’t really care
What you have to say about this
Show the music you love lost it’s meaning
Because these people are not aware
Some people talk others are listening
Sometimes I think I just don’t care
It’s easy to forget the choices we’ve made
And the promises of the past
But if we really listen to these old school ideals
We’ll find what’s good and make it last
Sing a song of old school
Everyone knows but it seems we all forget
The time we needed to see these ideals for ourselves
And what it meant
I guess I’m on a soapbox
Singing a hymn that you don’t want to hear
No sermon when I step down and look around
All I see is separation
Find what’s good and make it last’
Bouncing Souls – Old School, the Good, the Bad, the Argyle
As Maniacal Laughter was among the first cassette tapes I got from my friends, the story of Lamar Vannoy especially echoes with my own experience. In retrospect, it is almost as though it foreshadowed what was to follow, for me. About the same age, similar occupations… It would be years before I would see New York, but, still, I guess that part could be replaced with Montreal as a center of where things happened. The apparels, too, would have to be replaced with the baggiest pants and shirts… but ‘listening to his records in his room / he knew something had to change’ would describe the dive down the punk rabbit hole I was alluding to, just a few paragraphs ago. It ties in with the idea of contrast between my perception of the importance of music and the one I sense in others. I could go nuts hearing some songs while others around show no reaction at all and I would get the impression that I am not ‘like anyone else.’ In a certain way, the line ‘he’s looking for something and he’s gonna’ find it’ could refer to investment, which, in turn, could point towards an explanation of how one can get the impression that the level of importance music plays in the lives of different people is subject to change. If, for example, a certain band has all the ingredients to make them perfect in one’s perspective, it may not be so for the next person. So the one that sees the band as perfect will invest while the other moves on to the next recipe. It would work the same as projection, in a way. ‘If you snoop around long enough for something in particular / you’re guaranteed to find it’ Francis said. In other words, the emotional response one demonstrates to a particular band or record or song may be directly related to how much they wished for that music to fill a void. Seeing in them something you would like to see in yourself.
Furthermore, the dynamic nature of the composition of a scene is alluded to, once more, when they say ‘but when some years slipped by and he still felt the same / people and money came and went.’ It is interesting to note that, even in the earlier songs, they already evoke the image of one that has been part of a scene for long enough to reflect on the many people that have moved on. In combination to the reference to departures is a suggestion of a potential motive behind the move, which would be money. The implication being that some came for the money and left when they realized there was none to be made, which is another recurrent theme in the punk and hardcore scenes who strove to keep corporate interests out. In a more litteral sense, it could also simply refer to poverty and infer that the character of Lamar Vannoy made the choice to pursue their attraction to punk rather than a salary. The lines ‘so much has gone wrong and so much is bad / but sharing this music with Lamar / there’s so much we have’ describe how money is not everything when it comes to living.
The punk experience is summed up to a T through these lines. It is punkrock 101, basically. The when and how someone becomes attracted to this music, in the first place, the lifestyle, dressing the part... It is not a user’s manual, but rather a description of a rite of passage anthemized. Those who have been through it will relate. If you know, you know. Similarly to the handshake of a secret society.
‘He was only sixteen and he knew he wasn’t like anyone else
Listening to his records in his room he knew
Something had to change somewhere or he would go insane
But when some years slipped by and he still felt the same
People and money came and went
But the only thing that stayed the same were the feelings he felt
When those records played
He drinks ‘til he falls down
Oi! Oi! Oi!
And his name is Lamar Vannoy!
He’s looking for something and he’s gonna’ find it
Oi! Oi! Oi!
And his name is Lamar Vannoy!
Me and Lamar in NYC on the avenue
Talking about nothing much with a bag of brew
The New York wind will blow
And he will wear his engineer boots
Motorcycle jacket black jeans
Nowhere to go and nothing to do
So much has gone wrong and so much is bad
But sharing this music with Lamar
There’s so much we have
He drinks and thinks about a girl who lies
Oi! Oi! Oi!
And his name is Lamar Vannoy!
He’ll wake up and go to work
With a swollen brain
Oi! Oi! Oi!
And his name is Lamar Vannoy!
He drinks ‘til he falls down
Oi! Oi! Oi!
And his name is Lamar Vannoy!
He’s looking for something and he’s gonna’ find it
Oi! Oi! Oi!
And his name is Lamar Vannoy!’
Bouncing Souls – Lamar Vannoy, Maniacal Laughter
This takes me back to that time, in June 2000, when me and my brother went to see the Bouncing Souls play the Rainbow, in Montreal, with the Dwarves. It was the Hopeless Romantic tour. I had seen next to nothing of Bouncing Souls live. I was blown away at how, without moving much, Greg could still have such a commanding presence. The whole experience was nothing but fun. Driving six or seven hours to ‘the city’, no parents, showing up at a friend’s place and all the stories that ensued make memories for a lifetime. All because of music. These trips were so formative and eye-opening, getting a teenage boy to see how other parts of the world live. Seeing how you react out of the comfort zone of the hometown you have always known. ‘It’s a dangerous thing, going out your door.’ You never come back home completely the same. Telling these stories to others who have not traveled as much (or traveled differently, like going to a resort in Mexico, with the family, is still traveling, but it’s not exactly the same as adventuring through weird neighborhoods), I realize how lucky I was to get these opportunities… Or not really having them, but taking them, anyways. Bouncing Souls were there for that, too.
In Fight to Live, music is established as more than a mere soundtrack. It is almost presented as a cure to the ills of modern daily life. When someone begins to show symptoms of depression, give the impression that there may not be anything worth fighting for, anymore, or when questioning whether or not one belongs to the place they find themselves into, the solution is to play that music they are so fond of and the burden is lifted off their shoulders. Moreover, the idea of it being ‘right’ implies that it could have been wrong, too. In order for music to be right, it has to comply to a certain set of criteria. It could be that the words are the ones that people needed to hear for encouragement. It could be that the rhythm generates an ambiance that go hand in hand with one particular evening. In this perspective, music is more than mere noise, it is practically a member of the group. Personifying music is another point supporting the idea that it may be a cure for loneliness because if music becomes equivalent to a person, then, one playing music is not alone. In this instance, the narrator appears to be seeking the thrill of feeling alive. The transcendant nature of a performance is hinted at, confirming what we suggested, earlier. The memory of a specific show translates into fuel to keep one going or to fend off loneliness. Demonstrating how music attenuates the negative impacts of sadness and loneliness confers to it a certain degree of imporance.
As music was the only thing I was interested in at the time Hopeless Romantic came out, and hearing songs touching on themes such as music shaping one’s identity, I could not help but identify with this band. Even though they were not my favorite band, the memories created through their music gave me what I needed to go through everything else. It made it OK for me to be by myself, because I was never really alone. I had these things, these moments, to go back to, in the back of my mind. Fight to Live encapsules part of that, and so, yet again, the Bouncing Souls would give me the impression that we had this in common.
‘Tonight we’re alone and the music is right
Do you feel good?
Do you feel alright, tonight?
I’m out on the streets tonight
I’m with a few friends so it feels alright
Shouting out loud to this doesn’t do it
If it doesn’t sink in then I say screw it
Same old vices
Not much to dream about
Is there anything left to fight about?
Fighting to live is the only fight I’ve got left in me
I’ve never been the same since that last show
I close my eyes and let myself go to a place
I’m never alone or scared
Somehow I had a reason
A reason to care
I get so lost in it
Live to fight – Fight to live
Tonight we’re alone and the music is right
Do you feel good?
Do you feel alright?
I’m on the train and I’ve got my phones
People all around, but I’m good all alone
I won’t worry what I need to be
Wherever I am is the place to be
Tonight we’re alone and the music is right
Do you feel good?
Do you feel alright?
Tonight we’re alone and the music is right
Do you feel good?
Do you feel alright?
We feel good
We feel alright
Tonight’
Bouncing Souls – Fight to Live, Hopeless Romantic
Honestly, I will have to admit that Bullying the Jukebox was never my favorite song. Kind of like Ole. To this day, too. I guess I have not spent enough time playing on jukeboxes for it to generate enough of a response. The referent just is not there. But reading and writing these lines, I have just thought of how similar it is to making a mixtape or the times I was playing music, in my room, with a friend. It is like a contest of picking up the most surprising selection of songs or the most under-rated songs from your favorite records. Quizzing each other’s knowledge. Much like playing songs from a jukebox in a public place for everyone to hear is a statement in and of itself. Those were fun times when you saw certain songs in a different light. Knowing that your friend, whose musical taste you acknowledge, prefers this or that song gets you wondering what it is you did not hear when you played it, when you were on your own.
The song exhudes confidence as the narrator is able to pass judgement on the other characters’ selection. It also demonstrates playfulness with such phrases as ‘wack attack’, ‘we rule’, and ‘all the songs we like are really cool’. It depicts a fun evening out with friends, with music as the central point. Sharing the songs creates a connection that establishes a sense of belonging. Music being portrayed as sustaining friendship supports its positive impact on one’s life.
‘Well, I walked into the bar and I put in 20 bucks
Because I know people’s taste in music sucks
About four hours had passed, forty picks and my eight empty glass
A tasty number all dressed in black tried to rock us with her wack attack
There was no fuss we knew her game
You look great but all your songs are lame
Bullying the jukebox because it’s fun
You can’t get near it until we’re done
Bullying the jukebox because we rule
All the songs we like are really cool
Songs of punk and songs of joy
Love songs about girls and boys
Songs of metal and English stuff and some hardcore
Songs to make us feel tough but we all agreed that the songs of woe
And the songs of loved ones who had to go
Churned up memories of times we dreamt that got us all Verklempt
Bullying the jukebox because it’s fun
You can’t get near it until we’re done
Bullying the jukebox because we rule
All the songs we like are really cool
Because it’s fun
Until we’re done
Because we rule
We’re really cool
And we drank until our last song
We paid our tab then we said ‘So long’
Swerving in and out of cars
It’s off to rock another bar
Bullying the jukebox because it’s fun
You can’t get near it until we’re done
Bullying the jukebox because we rule
All the songs we like are really cool’
Bouncing Souls - Bullying the Jukebox, Hopeless Romantic
Reflecting on the teenage years, there were times when music was all I had to get me through hardships. In some strange way, certain records have become associated with the times at which I was playing them on loop. For example, to me, Pridebowl’s Drippings of the Past is synonymous to winter time. There was one particular winter during which I would play it all the time, walking to get to one place. Whenever I get flashes of walking down that path, I almost instantly think of that record, and vice versa. As cliché as this may be, certain other records got me through breakups and relationship problems. I see myself at certain places where I went through these particular times, and I am almost able to hear the songs playing. Music has become woven into the fabric of these memories. This is how I relate to the Whole Thing, when Greg says ‘I hear the train pass / Now I’m sure that I miss you / But I’ll keep my head and I’ll try / And I know this will pass by and by.’ These lines alone only refer to the relationship part, however, in combination to the first line, they point to therapeutic aspect of music. Relying on music to get through hardships is yet another point that leads me to relate to the Bouncing Souls.
Through the themes of the trainyard blues, the breakup, the fond memories, and the realization that life goes on, the Whole Thing describes exactly how music may accompany one navigating through a hardship. Beginning with ‘music sounds in my ear’ the canvas is set in background to the story of one dealing with a hardship unfolding in real time. When combined to elements such as keeping your head, drinking coffee, laughter, not having to worry, happyness, and getting help, the picture becomes somehow a peaceful one.
‘Music sounds in my ear
There are bricks for my view
I hear the train pass
Now I’m sure that I miss you
But I’ll keep my head and I’ll try
And I know this will pass by and by
By and by
I made some coffee
And I overheard the neighbors,too
Sometimes they laugh, sometimes they scream
It all reminds me of you
But I don’t worry anyway
After all, you are so far away
So far away
So far away
Sometimes sadness feels happy
Sometimes sadness keeps my head
Sometimes it helps me to get by
Maybe I don’t make no sense
But I know I’m gonna’ try
And I know this will pass by and by
By and by
Now I know I’m gonna’ try
And I know this will pass by and by
By and by’
Bouncing Souls – the Whole Thing, Hopeless Romantic
As the years go by and music has played such a prominent role in one’s life, they will undoubtedly have gone through phases in favorite bands, songs, records or even style. So much music consumed cannot happen simultaneously. All the records cannot be played at once. Attention cannot be divided into a thousand places all at once, no matter how much deathmetal you consume. There are cycles during which perhaps one record is someone’s favorite, and for that period of time, that same record is played on repeat. After a few cycles have passed, and one has moved on, so to speak, whenever they hear these songs that were once so important, it serves as a reminder or a form of memento. The meaning may have faded a little, in some cases, but in other cases, the impression can be similar to meeting an old friend. In a way, music serves as a conduit between the past and the present, and the audience can be transported to a particular period, its events, and the ideals that were upheld. That Song, by referring to revolutionary ideals and an individual reflecting on how times changed, brings this to mind.
That Song also alludes to an individual finding their place within a scene of similar-minded people and bonding over time. It has elements of reflecting on the past after a form of judgment has been passed. As though the validity of what it meant has been questioned. It may be that a number of the people that were part of the scene have moved on and that individual is left questioning the reason why. If a fraction of a scene moves on, does that imply that they have found better? Through that perspective, for the fraction of people remaining in the scene, in the proverbial movement, that would imply that they are in a lesser stage of evolution, in a way. When life is shaped through music with a positive outcome and one is able to look back and experience a sense of accomplishment, that would be validation that what it meant was salutary. The scene, in itself, will only last as long as there are individuals participating in it, so it is temporary and can become ‘out of time.’ However, the answer to the question whether they where out of line comes in the positive state of those having the reflection.
A tapestry of personal aspirations, revolution, lessons learned, identity, community, That Song is merging timelines to create an effect reminiscent of both Old School and Lamar Vannoy. It is present as the narrator puts the ‘needle on the record’, but it is also past as they evoke future ideals of ‘what I want to be’. It projects the audience into the future when it asks ‘in the end what have we learned?’ It is simultaneously death and rebirth happening in one single day. At the tail-end of a rite of passage, reflecting on life-changing times, the song could have been Lamar’s version of Old School.
‘I put the record up just to make a sound
The rhythm hit, it got my movement off the ground
The soundtrack of what I want to be
If I want to change the world
It’s gotta’ start with me
I put the needle on the record
I put the needle on the record
And play that song again
And in the end what have we learned?
Are we just faces in the crowd?
I died and was reborn again today
Hold fast to myself
Make those good feelings stay
We laughed, we cried
The music shaped our lives
So tell me why our movement’s out of time?
Are we so out of line?
I put the needle on the record
I put the needle on the record
And I play that song
I put the needle on the record
I put the needle on the record
And I play that song again
A movement with no leaders
We stand tonight, hearts in our hands.’
Bouncing Souls – That Song, How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Ever so often, I end up waiting for something or someone. It happens all the time. We all know these moments. Too short to start doing something, and too long to not start wondering if there is not something better you could engage in. Or when I am walking somewhere and do not necessarily have something on my mind that I need to be thinking about. Whenever I find myself in that position, I have always turned to music. In the back of my mind, music is never far. There are always remnants of a song in my head. Sometimes it is a flash of a song I have not heard in a long time produced by something that reminded me of it. Sometimes it is a song I have been listening to and it just is still present. That is my idea of a private radio. That is the music ‘running through my soul’ and the music that gets ‘me though the night’. The radio follows me wherever I go and it plays only for me.
One of the first observations in Private Radio would be the reference to a music ‘running through my soul’ because it does not refer to a song being simply stuck in the narrator’s head. It would be located at a place higher than that. A place where more than just normal, mechanical functions are happening. It would be a place of both thoughts and emotions. The soul would be closer to what defines the individual. This proximity to emotional attachment expresses the importance of music for the writer in a subtle way. Also noteworthy would be the contrast between what makes someone ‘feel alright’ and what gets that person ‘through the night’. If placed on a scale, both of these could be established as different levels of intensity. In this perspective, the author could be making the statement that social connections have a lesser impact than music on their life.
Another interesting idea stemming from Private Radio would be the one that no one can really hear another person’s private radio. What if it could be done? If you had a chance to intercept the brainwaves to hear the song going through someone else’s head, don’t you think you might be surprised? But then, it would stop being a private radio… It is a contradicting statement, in a way, when the author expresses that if they had their way ‘everyone would know / how we’re living in our own private radio’. However, it parallels with the picture painted in Juke Box, in which the narrator projects their musical taste publicly.
‘Go!
Well I like to rock and I love to roll
When the music’s running through my soul
I got no place to go, but my own private radio
I met a lot of people that make me feel alright
And the musics get me through the night
Go!
Well, I had a drink and I had a smoke
I listened to every word you spoke
Another story, another memory
Another day, the way things should be
If I had it my way everyone would know
How we’re living in our own private radio?
Private radio
If I had it my way everyone would know
How we’re living in our, our own private radio
Private radio’
Bouncing Souls – Private Radio, How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Hitting rock bottom. Being overwhelmed. Powerless. Beginning to believe this to be permanent. Being so focused on issues that you cannot see the forest from the tree. Like the smallest thing can seem like the end of the world. All these growing pains one must undoubtedly go through. Yet, all it takes is the right song, at the right moment. It does not have to be premeditated, either. It might be out of the blue or a song you hear, passing by, and your mind is snapped out of it, seeing what you were not able to see, just moments ago. As though a veil was lifted, the toxicity of the moment leaves your body. Reading the lyrics from Gone, I can relate to the power attributed to music.
‘Cloudy’, ‘lost’, ‘ghosts’, ‘stuck’, ‘hated’, ‘no good’, ‘darkness’, are relied upon to establish a negative setting in Gone. With the song heard on the radio as the catalytic element reversing the depressing state, the agency and power of music is supported further. The idea that the character then carries the song could be a reference to Private Radio, weaving in an image from another song, from the same album.
The World is portrayed as a negative influence dragging the writer down when it is sowing lies in their mind. It could be argued that those lies are the cause of the growing pains previously alluded to. Their insistence are in opposition to the heart in a metaphor of lies against reality. Being portrayed as a force that can figuratively save someone going through tough times by a form of illumination turns the experience into an almost mystical one. It lends a supernatural quality to it.
‘It was a cloudy night
Or so it looked to me
I felt so lost
I couldn’t say why
I needed strength to change my mind
But those ghosts stuck to me like glue
I hated my life
Believing I was no good
It was a darkness of my own
A song played on the radio
It went straight to my heart
I carried it with me
Until that darkness was
Gone
It was a cloudy night
Or so it looked to me
I felt so lost
Couldn’t say why
I built this cloud to live in
It was a bunch of lies in my mind
The world wants me to believe it
So, I had to change my mind
It was a darkness of my own
A song played on the radio
It went straight to my heart
I carried it with me
Until that darkness was
Gone
We built this cloud, we can break it
The world can’t change how we feel
Because we know it’s a lie
Our hearts are real
Gone.’
Bouncing Souls – Gone, How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Sing Along Forever reminds me of high school, when I could care less about the adults and teachers trying to tell me how things should be. As though repetition, pressure and exposure would suffice to steer me towards the mold of their traditional ideals. Little did they know, the more efforts they put in, the more they were driving my interest away. My role models were in a world they could not reach. That is where I would find nourishment.
One of the points Sing Along Forever appears to be making can be observed in the distinction between songs that give you ‘something to believe in’, ‘something to hold true’ or a ‘reason to care’ and the songs with ‘watered-down words’ hiding the truth. Not all music would therefore be the same. It could be a matter of preference or perspective, but it supposes there exists a duality in music. Much like Fight to Live implied there existed a right music and a wrong one. Another opposition can be heard just a few lines after, when life is described as being both ‘beautiful’ and ‘pain’, simultaneously. The idea that no degrading adjectives are applied to the diluted lyrics hiding ‘the truth’ would reinforce the one that it is more a question of preference to the author.
While it signals what the opposite ends of the musical spectrum might be, the song is also a plea for meaningful music when the narrator asks for credibility and relatability. It is interesting to note the presence of the radio, which could be associated to mainstream music, a type of music often blamed for catering to an audience to achieve commercial success. Surprisingly, the singer is turning to the radio in search of songs that would speak to them. Although, it just might be exactly the point. There are no mentions of them finding the song they are looking for. Throughout the song, the request is being placed repeatedly, but it does not appear to be fulfilled, as the promise is made that the singer will ‘sing along forever’ should they be granted their wish.
The reliance upon the radio for music is contrasting with most of the music experiences we have seen in the other song lyrics examined. With the radio, music is played for the character. In Old School, the narrator is singing to an audience, standing on a soapbox. In Lamar Vannoy, the main character is playing records in his room. In Fight to Live, the music is playing through headphones, suggesting the agency of the author in selecting what is playing. In Bullying the Juke Box, the roles were reversed, and the narrator would impose their playlist to an audience. The source of the music is harder to determine in the Whole Thing, as the only clue is that it is in the character’s ears. That Song makes it pretty clear that the needle is put on the record by the narrator. In Private Radio is another appearance of a radio, although it is a private one. It could be argued that songs do pop up by themselves or they might be generated by any type of stimulus. However, as there would be no radio without the mind in which it plays, there remains a certain degree of agency. For example, the song playing would have to be something that is known and has been heard before. If not, it would imply that the song is an original composition. Because it is private and because it stems from the singer’s mind, the source of the music in Private Radio can, therefore, also be attributed to the main character. Gone would be an example, among the songs discussed so far, in which the writer does not choose the song they are exposed to. Hearing a song play on the radio is the element that snaps the narrator from their state of mind. In order for our sampling to be as exhaustive as possible, we can look ahead at (spoiler alert) 1989, which was kept for last. In almost an ironic way, that song contains references to many ways of playing music. The allusion to a stereo can be discarded, as it is used to describe the manner in which a crime is performed, and not a device through which songs are played. The song goes on to name a radio, records and a live band. Statistically, the music selection being made by the narrator would amount to about 83 percent of the songs analyzed. As the main character is the person selecting the music playing, in a large majority of the cases, it could be said that they are the source of the music. In this perspective, the interest in music would come from within, and could not be perceived as an outside influence imposed on the character. It would constitute further support to the idea that music is important to the Bouncing Souls.
‘I’ve gotta’ listen to my radio
Checking out the airwaves for something to believe in
Give me something to hold true
Give me something to sing about
Give me a reason to care
I’ll sing along forever
Watered-down words covered in a song
Trying to hide the truth
That life is beautiful
And life is pain
Give it to me straight
Touch my heart
I’ll sing along forever
I’ve gotta’ listen to the radio
Checkin’ the airwaves for something to believe in
Gimme’ something to hold true
Gimme’ something to sing about
Gimme’ a reason
Yeah, I’ll sing along forever
Give it to me straight
Touch my heart
I’ll sing along forever’
Bouncing Souls – Sing Along Forever, Anchors Aweigh
1989 has the allure of a foundation myth with references to people settling ‘to town to make the scene.’ Possibly a genesis of the Bouncing Souls, in which they state how they have built their own world through playing music together and all the moments they shared. The inclusive phrases ‘with you’ and ‘all together with all of you’ might be interpreted as applying to the audience, and not just the band, transforming the song as a retrospective of their punk career. The individuals forming the band created a collective identity, and with the addition of the followers, the Bouncing Souls became some sort of community. Their desire to ‘keep it going on’, along with the positive feelings expressed in their reflection make their experience meaningful and important.
With the last line ‘looking for something’, 1989 echoes Lamar Vannoy. Combined with the retrospective look of the song, once again, it could be argued that it could have been written by that same character all grown up. The use of the first person plural hints at an autobiography. Having a look at this song last creates the effect of a reveal, too. The Scooby-Doo effect, as Lamar takes off his mask, revealing that it was Greg all along.
Success, in 1989, is equated to contributing to the formation of a scene, kinship, and integrity. No mention of getting rich or an amount of likes. Quite the opposite, in fact, as their living condition is compared to ‘living in a dump’. As difficult as that may appear, they are associated with fond memories, rather than regret. Much like their less-than-healthy means of sustenance, which keep them alive, nonetheless. A sandwich is not necessarily unhealthy, but having the same meal everyday does not represent a diverse source of nutrients. Music, once more, appears to be the glue that makes survival possible.
The reference to a riot adds a revolutionary element to the mix, as they are often a reaction to an oppression. The alternate lifestyle provided by punk is established as salutary. In this perspective, the song becomes a message or an advice to anyone paying attention, validating that, in their opinion, it was worthwhile. Planting seeds in other minds that may be seeking a change, a way out, or guidance. Or could it be the passing of a torch?
‘Believers, achievers, day dreamers
Lookin’ for something
Defiers, outliers, failure deniers
‘Til we break through
Moved to town to make the scene
Got no talent just a dream
Thick skin found kin
Born again in a world we choose
Love you, stay true
With you, make our own rules
Ups and down seemed so real
Stick together, that’s the deal
Gotta’ make something, make it true
All together with all of you
Living in a dump, doing crimes in stereo
Cuttin’ our teeth, playing songs on the radio
Living on Po’ Boys and Colt 45
Playing those records to keep us alive
A dream so big you can’t even see it
You gotta’ stay on the ground, just be it
Skating all night
Tripped on the lights
There’s a riot going on
In our song
It won’t be long
We’re coming in from the outside
Keep it going on, oh
Love you, stay true with you
Make our own rules
Believers, achievers, day dreamers
Looking for something’
Bouncing Souls – 1989, Crucial Moments
Being able to identify with the rite of passage, the way in which music can stimulate an individual to the point where it practically becomes a pacemaker, the positive impact it can have, on both a personal and a social scale, the importance of music for the Bouncing Souls becomes clear. How could they describe it to such an extent if it were not so? Although it might have been obvious from the start, or making this point might have seemed irrelevant, the exercise provides the way in which it is so, rather than remaining a mere impression. If I ever doubted I might be the only one to hold music so high on the scale of cruciality, hearing these words confirms that it is not so. Their purpose is being reaffirmed every time the songs are played and all of their shows are a celebration to those like-minded spirits. Even now, after all these years, spending hours playing with their texts and trying to reach a new level of familiarity with their body of work symbolizes the gift that keeps on giving. I always liked playing them, and now, I realize how some of their songs were echoing something happening 1,220 kilometers away, up North, reinforcing their quality and validating their relevance.
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