#219 Gravity- Sara Bareilles

Set me free, leave me be/
I don’t want to fall another moment into your gravity.

Originally, Sara Bareilles released “Gravity” on her first album. It had the makings of a great song, but the production was off. On her second album she re-recorded “Gravity” and it became the amazing song it was meant to be.

I love songs with a good concept-and “Gravity” is a great concept for a song. The fact that no one had used the idea of gravity to describe another person’s impact on them is surprising.  Bodies attract bodies to create gravity.

Sara explains, regardless of whether I want to escape the laws of gravity, I cannot. Even though there doesn’t appear to be physical chains that bind us together—there is a stronger force—gravity. That is a good way to describe the way you are drawn to certain people; you can’t escape their orbit. It is a perfect metaphor.

Gravity Meaning
Sara

The piano part on Bareilles’ “Gravity” is not complex, but it is right for this song. The added strings for the later verses and chorus are formulaic, but it works. The light instrumentation is perfect because what we really want to hear is her voice. What makes this song great is her voice, combined with the concept and the melody. I always wondered why this song wasn’t a bigger hit. It seems perfect for an easy listening station.

Bareilles’ career is interesting in that she is known and defined by a couple of her pop songs, but the rest of her catalog contains tons of great songs that blow those away.

Gravity Lyrics

Something always brings me back to you,
It never takes too long.
No matter what I say or do,
I’ll still feel you here ’till the moment I’m gone.

You hold me without touch,
You keep me without chains.
I never wanted anything so much,
than to drown in your love and not feel your reign.

Set me free, leave me be.
I don’t want to fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am, and I stand, so tall,
Just the way I’m supposed to be,
But you’re on to me and all over me.

Oh, you loved me ’cause I’m fragile,
When I thought that I was strong.
But you touch me for a little while,
And all my fragile strength is gone.

Set me free, leave me be.
I don’t want to fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am, and I stand, so tall,
Just the way I’m supposed to be,
But you’re on to me and all over me.

I live here on my knees as I try to make you see
That you’re everything I think I need here on the ground.
But you’re neither friend nor foe though I can’t seem to let you go.
The one thing that I still know is that you’re keeping me down.
You’re keeping me down, yea.
You’re on to me, on to me, and all over.

Something always brings me back to you.
It never takes too long.

Written By: Sara Bareilles

#218 Seven Nation Army- The White Stripes

I’m going to Wichita/
Far from this opera for evermore.

The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” might be the most riff-centric song I have ever heard. It is good that it is such an iconic riff. There are few songs that I can think of where the baseline is the driving force of the song.  If bass riffs are your thing, two other great examples that are in the same category is Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain and Queen’s “Under Pressure”.

Seven Nation Army Meaning
The White Stripes

Some drama is haunting the mind of narrator—it is keeping him up at night…driving him to smoke and talk to himself. It is not clear if it is real or if the narrator has a persecution complex. I suppose it could be both. It is troubling the narrator so much that he is considering fighting everyone—or moving to a remote location and perhaps giving up being a singer and becoming a farmer …he is not sure which. The lyrics of “Seven Nation Army” don’t tell the most coherent story. But hey, it is fun and has a good beat.

Seven Nation Army Lyrics

I’m gonna fight ’em all
A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back
They’re gonna rip it off
Taking their time right behind my back
And I’m talking to myself at night
Because I can’t forget
Back and forth through my mind
Behind a cigarette

And the message coming from my eyes
Says, “Leave it alone”

Don’t wanna hear about it
Every single one’s got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell
And if I catch it coming back my way
I’m gonna serve it to you
And that ain’t what you want to hear
But that’s what I’ll do
And the feeling coming from my bones
Says, “Find a home”

I’m going to Wichita
Far from this opera forevermore

I’m gonna work the straw
Make the sweat drip out of every pore
And I’m bleeding, and I’m bleeding, and I’m bleeding
Right before the Lord
All the words are gonna bleed from me
And I will sing no more
And the stains coming from my blood
Tell me, “Go back home”

Songwriters: John Anthony White

#217 Sign Of the Times- Harry Styles

Just stop your crying/
It’s the sign of the times…

According to Harry Styles, “Sign of the Times” is about a mother who just had a child and she was told the baby is going to live but she is going to die shortly. “Sign of the Times” is the mother’s words to the child. That concept is great, but that is not the story the song tells, nor does the tone of the song match. It wouldn’t be the first time an artist fibbed when asked what a song is about. (Dylan did this all the time.)

Think of all the things you’d want to tell your child if you had only five minutes to live. Probably not something about how we’re always stuck and running from bullets. What does that even mean in this context?

Sign of the Times Meaning
Harry Styles

The lyrics sound closer to a Bonnie & Clyde adventure told from the perspective of Clyde. Everything makes much more sense this way. The lovers are having fun but getting into trouble…they’ve got to get away! This makes much more sense.

Harry Styles is has an amazing voice and delivers a powerful vocal. What a melody! Both the verse, bridge and chorus are strong. The song has solid instrumentation.  Styles  sings with emotion.   His falsetto is amazing. He is on the same level as Prince and the Brothers’ Gibb.

The more you experience “Sign of the Times” and the less background you bring to it, the more you’ll enjoy it (the fact that he was in boy band “One Direction”, his story about the lyrics, etc.) “Sign of the Times” is one of the best songs of the past decade.

Sign of the Times Lyrics

Just stop your crying,
It’s a sign of the times.
Welcome to the final show,
Hope you’re wearing your best clothes.

You can’t bribe the door on your way to the sky.
You look pretty good down here,
But you ain’t really good.

If we never learn, we been here before.
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.
We never learn, we been here before.
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.

Just stop your crying,
It’s a sign of the times.
We gotta get away from here,
We gotta get away from here.
Just stop your crying,
It’ll be alright.
They told me that the end is near,
We gotta get away from here.

Just stop your crying,
Have the time of your life.
Breaking through the atmosphere.
And things are pretty good from here.
Remember everything will be alright,
We can meet again somewhere,
Somewhere far away from here.
We never learn, we been here before,
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.

We never learn, we been here before.
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.
Just stop your crying
It’s a sign of the times.
We gotta get away from here.
We gotta get away from here.

Stop your crying
Baby, it will be alright.
They told me that the end is near.
We gotta get away from here.
We never learn, we been here before,
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.

We never learn, we been here before,
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.

We don’t talk enough.
We should open up,
Before it’s all too much.
Will we ever learn?
We’ve been here before.
It’s just what we know.

Stop your crying, baby
It’s a sign of the times.
We gotta get away,
We got to get away!
We got to get away!
We got to get away.
We got to get away.
We got to, we got to (away).
We got to, we got to (away).
We got to, we got to (away).

written by: Harry Styles, Jeff Bhasker, Mitch Rowland, Ryan Nasci, Alex Salibian, Tyler Johnson