Will you remember this night?
Twenty years now lost.

Blink 182’s “Stay Together for the Kids” is one of their serious songs. Occasionally Blink put out a “serious” song; I believe this is when they did their best work. “Stay Together for the Kids” was one of these songs this pushed them into the discussion of best hard rock bands of the past 30 years or so. (They might appear again on this list).

Blink 182’s”Stay Together For the Kids” details a divorce from a child’s point of view.  The lyrics are one-sided and selfish: here the narrator is talking about a family breaking up and all he is talking about is his feelings. But that is the point of the song! He is taking us into the eyes of a young man who sees his parents divorcing and the child has many irrational thoughts. (And some not-so irrational thoughts). What we can sense is the anger in the vocals. That is why the song is a classic. It is able to capture a teenager’s rage while at the same time having an excellent melody.

The splitting of the lead vocals is a great twist. Hoppus voice comes across as the voice of reason during the versus. He says things things like “why can’t we fix this problem” whereas Delonge’s voice sounds like a spite-filled rage, blaming his family for ruining his life. It is perfect. Everyone, when dealing with a difficult situation feels with their heart and their head—and sometimes they say different things. Hoppus and Delonge attempt to give a voice to the conflicting feelings inside a young man who is about to lose his family.

Lyrics Stay Together For The Kids

It’s hard to wake up,
When the shades have been pulled shut.
This house is haunted
It’s so pathetic,
It makes no sense at all.
I’m ripe with things to say,
The words rot and fall away.
What stupid poem could fix this home,
I’d read it every day.

So here’s your holiday,
Hope you enjoy it this time
You gave it all away.
It was mine.
So when you’re dead and gone,
Will you remember this night
Twenty years now lost?
It’s not right!

Their anger hurts my ears.
Been running strong for seven years.
Rather than fix the problems
They never solve them
It makes no sense at all.
I see them everyday.
We get along, so why can’t they?
If this is what he wants
And this is what she wants
Then why is there so much pain?

So here’s your holiday.
Hope you enjoy it this time
You gave it all away.
It was mine.
So when you’re dead and gone
Will you remember this night
Twenty years now lost?
It’s not right!

So here’s your holiday.
Hope you enjoy it this time
You gave it all away.
It was mine.
So when you’re dead and gone
Will you remember this night
Twenty years now lost?
It’s not right.
It’s not right.
It’s not right.
It’s not right.

Written by: Mark Hoppus / Tom De Longe / Travis Barker / Travis L Barker (Blink 182)

He’s a bandit and a heart breaker/
Oh, but Jesus was a cross maker.

Judee Sill is one of the most tragic rock n roll stories. “Jesus Was a Cross Maker” was a close as she came to a hit. She had several great songs, but none of them had huge commercial success.  When she died of a drug overdose at age 35 her name didn’t even make the paper: people had forgotten about her. She had an angelic voice and played piano and guitar.

In real life, Sill was in love with a “bandit and a heart breaker” but she felt that there must be something inside of him that was good, despite that.  That is, if Jesus was a cross maker- that is, he could build crosses—something antithetical to his nature as a healer and lover of people-couldn’t her lover be truly different than how he appears to act?

Perhaps the bandit and heart-breaker is truly good on the inside. We see people do these mental gymnastics to explain their shitty relationships. It is a great lyric. Sadly, few have been exposed to this great song.

The way Sill describes the effect her lover has on her is truly poetic. She asks the angels of the sea to guide her because “the junctions getting nearer and dangers in the wind.” She has so little control over her heart “cuz I heard his sweet song and it was enticing me”. It was rumored that this song was written for Eagles JD Souther.

Jesus Was a Cross Maker Lyrics

Sweet silver angels over the sea,
Please come down flyin’ low for me.
One time I trusted a stranger
Cuz’ I heard his sweet song,
And it was gently enticin’ me,
Tho there was somethin’ wrong;
But when I turned he was gone.

Blindin’ me, his song remains remindin’ me,
He’s a bandit and a heart breaker;
Oh, but Jesus was a cross maker.

Sweet silver angels over the sea,
Please come down flyin’ low for me.
He wages war with the devil
A pistol by his side.
And tho he chases him out windows,
And won’t give him a place to hide,
He keeps his door open wide.

Fightin’ him he lights a lamp invitin’ him,
He’s a bandit and a heart breaker;
Oh, but Jesus was a cross maker.

Sweet silver angels over the sea,
Please come down flyin’ low for me.
I heard the thunder come rumblin’,
the light never looked so dim.
I see the junction git nearer’,
and danger is in the wind.
And either road’s lookin’ grim.

Hidin’ me, I flee, desire dividin’ me,
He’s a bandit and a heart breaker;
Oh, but Jesus was a cross maker.
Yes, Jesus was a cross maker.

Sweet silver angels over the sea,
Please come down flyin’ low for me.
One time I trusted a stranger
Cuz I heard his sweet song,
And it was gently enticin’ me
Tho there was somethin’ wrong,
But when I turned he was gone.

Blindin’ me, his song remains remindin’ me,
He’s a bandit and a heartbreaker;
Oh, but Jesus was a cross maker.
Jesus was a cross maker.

Songwriters: Judee Sill

A wounded heart you gave/
My soul you took away.

Jackson’s “Again” tells the story of an ex coming back into Janet’s life. She was deeply in love with him and she was hurt when he left. Now, he is back in town and wants to see her again. Does she want to see him again? Does she still have feelings for him?

She eventually concludes that she does, but warns him: “don’t you stand there and then tell me you love me and leave again…Cause I’m falling in love with you..again.” It is the most powerful line in the song and really one of the more powerful moments in any song. It’s the delivery.

The melody of “Again” is great, and the background tale is especially fun. I like Janet’s voice throughout: she sounds very feminine and vulnerable. The background piano and strings are a great combo for any love song and the production is done just right. For aspiring divas out there, note how she chooses exactly one note in the entire song to carry out longer than a measure. And she doesn’t use her entire voice to do it, she just sings slightly louder than the rest of the song. That is how you convey emotion in a song.

“Again” received some mild radio play when it first came out, but it quickly faded into obscurity. It is odd, Janet Jackson was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, but when was the last time you heard this—her best song by far—on the radio?  It is deserving.

You might like this older song with a similar theme.

Again Lyrics

I heard from a friend today
And she said you were in town.
Suddenly the memories came back to me
In my mind.

How can I be strong I’ve asked myself
Time and time I’ve said.
That I’ll never fall in love with you again.

A wounded heart you gave,
My soul you took away.
Good intentions you had many,
I know you did.

I come from a place that hurts,
And God knows how I’ve cried.
And I never want to return,
never fall again.

Making love to you
Oh it felt so good and
Oh so right.

How can I be strong I’ve asked myself
Time and time I’ve said,
That I’ll never fall in love with you again.

So here we are alone again’,
Didn’t think it’d come to this.
And to know it all began
With just a little kiss.

I’ve come too close to happiness
To have it swept away.
Don’t think I can take the pain;
No never fall again.

Kinda late in the game, and my heart is in
Your hands.
Don’t you stand there and then
Tell me you love
Me then leave again.
Cause. I’m falling in love with
You again.

Hold me.
Hold me.
Don’t ever let me go.
Say it just one time
Say you love me.
God knows I do
Love you
Again.

Songwriters: Venus Dodson / Jerry Harris / Ivan Barias / Carvin Haggins / Faith Renee Evans