On Richmond Fontaine's "You Can Move Back Here"
I love this song like I love pressing on a bruise.
(It hurts, it's cool, it hurts, it's cool...)
One of music's greatest joys is the song that comes along at just the right time, that says either just what you need to hear or what circumstance won't allow you to say for yourself. It's both delight and relief and likely makes for some intense, heavy rotation, press REPEAT listening. (Sorry neighbors!)
It's that way for me right now with Richmond Fontaine's latest song, "You Can Move Back Here" the leadoff song on the new record "We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River" (love that title!) I'd say leadoff single but have they ever had a single? Really? Don't think so.
The lyrics couldn't be any simpler. You know the Robert Frost line about home being the place where they have to take you in? Well, Willy Vlautin and company do him one better-trust a man who writes so convincingly about life at the bottom to know just how to offer absolute acceptance and total support.
"There's so many people there
you quit calling home
and now your voice is shaky and weird
You can move back here
we all miss you
please
you don't have to be anything here
at least you'll have the Western sky
and me on your side
cities and subways that run all night
and everything costs so much
alone with neighbors on every side
you can move back here
we all miss you
please
you don't have to be anything here
at least you'll have the Western sky
the Western sky"
Yeah, the lyrics are simple, they seem even more so after typing them all, but it's the music that drives the message home in this song. The marriage of the tinking piano and the rising-falling-rising-falling chorus of background vocals (neither a Richmond Fontaine staple I should point out, the boys are trying new tricks with this one) makes for some of the most immediate, arresting listening out there. And Willy's delivery of the "please" is just heartbreaking AND HANDS DOWN HIS MOST EVOCATIVE SINGING EVER.. I want to pack my bags just listening to it. And listening to it. And listening to it.
(It hurts, it's cool, it hurts, it's cool...)
One of music's greatest joys is the song that comes along at just the right time, that says either just what you need to hear or what circumstance won't allow you to say for yourself. It's both delight and relief and likely makes for some intense, heavy rotation, press REPEAT listening. (Sorry neighbors!)
It's that way for me right now with Richmond Fontaine's latest song, "You Can Move Back Here" the leadoff song on the new record "We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River" (love that title!) I'd say leadoff single but have they ever had a single? Really? Don't think so.
The lyrics couldn't be any simpler. You know the Robert Frost line about home being the place where they have to take you in? Well, Willy Vlautin and company do him one better-trust a man who writes so convincingly about life at the bottom to know just how to offer absolute acceptance and total support.
"There's so many people there
you quit calling home
and now your voice is shaky and weird
You can move back here
we all miss you
please
you don't have to be anything here
at least you'll have the Western sky
and me on your side
cities and subways that run all night
and everything costs so much
alone with neighbors on every side
you can move back here
we all miss you
please
you don't have to be anything here
at least you'll have the Western sky
the Western sky"
Yeah, the lyrics are simple, they seem even more so after typing them all, but it's the music that drives the message home in this song. The marriage of the tinking piano and the rising-falling-rising-falling chorus of background vocals (neither a Richmond Fontaine staple I should point out, the boys are trying new tricks with this one) makes for some of the most immediate, arresting listening out there. And Willy's delivery of the "please" is just heartbreaking AND HANDS DOWN HIS MOST EVOCATIVE SINGING EVER.. I want to pack my bags just listening to it. And listening to it. And listening to it.
posted by Sam @ 9:36 AM
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