Wake up!

FOR BEST RESULTS, PLAY FUCKIN' LOUD!!!!




Something filled up
My heart with nothing.
Someone told me not to cry.

But, now that I'm older,
My heart is colder
And I can see that it's a lie.

Children, wake up!
Hold your mistake up
Before they turn the summer into dust.

If the children don't grow up,
Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up.
We're just a million little gods causing rainstorms,
Turning every good thing to rust.

I guess we'll just have to adjust.

With my lightning bolts a-glowin',
I can see where I am going to be
When the reaper, he reaches and touches my hand.

With my lightning bolts a-glowin'
I can see where I am going...
With my lightning bolts a-glowin'
I can see where I am going...

You better look out below!


For me, this song embodies what is great about pop music. The melody is uplifting and simple enough that it can be sung in unison by 20,000 fans, evoking amazing, almost transcendental, power. The lyrics are deep enough to inspire, but not so heady as to obscure the message of empowerment and self-actualization that Win Butler was trying to convey. The guitar line is almost too simple, but is balanced by the strings modulating in and out of pitch, creating enough tension to keep the melody interesting in spite of this simplicity.

I was first introduced to the Arcade Fire by my friend, Carrie Walker, and fell in love with them immediately. My affection for them has only continued to grow with each progressive album and with the live shows I've been lucky enough to view (but, alas, never to experience first hand so far. I am Fortune's fool.). I don't care about their politics or their personal lives. This kind of thing is irrelevant and possibly distracting, but I love their music. I love their instrumentation, how they meld modern rock and classical instruments into their sound. I love that all of the members seemingly play multiple instruments and they trade around during and in-between songs. But, most of all, I love the joy they seem to feel each and every time they play. I think that is their true power and what captures their audience and transports the collective into something cathartic, into something more.

You may not like the Arcade Fire. But I hope that everyone who reads this can and does experience the ecstasy of music; its power to uplift and transform the listener, its power to reveal passages within one's self that may be seldom traveled or locked away. Music is a pathway to joy and I wish it upon everyone.