Q101: 2006

How did we get here?

2006 (Or, the year I started to notice some chinks in the alternative music armor)

5. “Lips Of An Angel” – Hinder

It's really good to hear your voice saying my name / It sounds so sweet / Coming from the lips of an angel / Hearing those words it makes me weak

We all know the song is about sweet, seductive infidelity with a former love but the lyrics aren’t why I enjoy listening to it.  I may have a lot of faults as a potential boyfriend but being unfaithful would never be one of them.  Besides, I have a different word association for this song: racquetball.  When “Lips of an Angel” came out, my friend Tom and I played racquetball at Governors State on a semi-regular basis. I really enjoy playing tennis and this was the best alternative in the winter.  If your opponent in racquetball impedes your ability to make a play on the ball, you are allowed to claim a “hinder”, which essentially allows for a redo.  Naturally, this happened on a few occasions.  We eventually made the connection between that call and the band.  One day, one of us decided to belt out the lyric “It’s really good to hear your voice” in substitution of “hinder.”  From that point forward, it became mandatory to use that line whenever you wanted to claim a hindrance, and you had to do it in a grungy voice so as to imitate the lead singer.  I really do miss those days; I never get to play racquetball, or tennis for that matter, anymore.

4. “Chasing Cars” – Snow Patrol

If I lay here/ If I just lay here / Would you lie with me / And just forget the world?

Have you ever heard a song that you just knew was going to explode?  I first heard this song on TV during a promo for Grey’s Anatomy.  I’ve never watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy but I knew it was fairly popular.  I knew the prime time TV exposure that “Chasing Cars” had just received was going to catapult it across the airwaves.  Its inclusion on a list of alternative music is a bit questionable but that demonstrates the kind of crossover power the song possessed.  A variety of stations and entertainment venues played the song…all the time.  That type of force-feeding will often turn people off a song.  It’s the rebellious little kid in all of us.  Oh, I’m supposed to like this song?  Is that why you keep playing it?  Well, screw you.  I’m an original.  There may have even been a time when I too was sick of “Chasing Cars” but I came back once the song ran through its course.  It must be something about the slow, dreamy buildup that whisks me away.  There’s a romantic notion of lying there next to someone when nothing else matters except the two of you together and that very moment.  I’d like to believe that I can capture that essence one day.  Until then, I’ll keep chasing after it.

3. “Rooftops” – Lostprophets

When our time is up / When our lives are done / Will we say we've had our fun / Will we make a mark this time / Will we always say we tried

Who among us hasn’t wanted to stand on a rooftop and scream their heart out?  My generation is here to stay and now you know.  I don’t have any deep personal connection with this song so I’ll instead focus on an adventure that occurred in 2006: my first trip to a strip club.  A group of us from the softball team I was on at the time decided we needed to cross this off our bucket list.  Our destination was The Silver Slipper Saloon.  As I mentioned in 2004’s installment, the team was comprised of people from Peotone and Braidwood.  Some of the Braidwood guys were pretty nerdy, even by my standards.  There was a draw to see who would be forced to ride in the “other” car with those guys and my prevailing luck naturally saw to it that I would be that person.  After a lengthy ride of listening to conversation about computers and online gaming, I was ready to see some naked ladies.  I had no idea what the pricing structure would be but I brought in a set amount of cash that I hoped would be enough to last the entire night.  I wisely left my wallet in the car so I wouldn’t be tempted into spending an exorbitant amount of money.  Even before I got in, I was forced to dip into my funds.  It turned out that one of the “other” guys hadn’t brought any cash with him (say what?) and therefore couldn’t meet the cover charge.  I covered him because I’m a nice guy and didn’t want anyone to be deprived of a little fun.  Incidentally, this is the same guy who later refused a lap dance because “he was driving.”  Gee, I’m sure glad I helped you get in.  Why exactly did you come?  A portly fellow from our group named Hipple was the first one to receive a lap dance.  As we curiously watched from a distance, he and the stripper sat there and they were…talking?  What the hell could they possibly be talking about we all asked aloud.  Is she an online gamer too?  As newbies, none of us were really sure how the transaction was supposed to be completed but we knew a step or two had to be missing.  It wasn’t until Hipple returned that we discovered dances are by the song so she had to wait until the next song began.  I’m sure I was probably the thousandth person to think I was being clever when I suggested that someone request something like “Freebird” before my lap dance.  I made it through the night on my predetermined budget; I didn’t need to run out to the car after 30 minutes to grab my debit card but I saw it happen.  I found that it was more cost effective to sit by the stage shelling out singles or fives rather than receive individual lap dances.  I even got to sit next to someone who bore a striking resemblance to 50 Cent.  I can say I had a good time but I don’t really have any desire to do it again.  I went just once more the following year and I’ve turned down countless other offers to go since.  You just feel so…unclean…coming out of those places.  I’d need to do some volunteer work just to cleanse my soul and appease my conscience.  Plus, let’s be real.  A little piece of me dies every time I open my wallet.  Sorry, strippers, I’ve decided you’re not worth it.  P.S. Mom, I'm still a good kid.

2. “The Diary Of Jane” – Breaking Benjamin

As I burn another page / As I look the other way / I still try to find my place in the diary of Jane / So tell me how it should be

This is my favorite Breaking Benjamin song.  I liked it immediately from the sound to the lyrics.  I feel bad that I don’t have any interesting story related to share about this song, but I’ve already written a lot above so I can guess I’ve earned the right to breeze through this one.  I will say that anytime someone devotes the time to write about you, either directly or by reference, I think that’s a pretty cool thing.  I’m not talking about a few thoughtless sentences on Facebook that any hack could compose in a matter of minutes.  I mean an actual entry into something like a private diary or online blog.  Writing is a form of expressing yourself and the subject matter should feel honored that they had enough of an impact to make it onto the pages of someone’s work.  You don't come across many people who write out their thoughts and feelings these days unless they're trying to make some money out of it.  You certainly don't see many guys who do it, and I like to think that sets me apart.  Maybe in a good way, maybe in a bad way.  You can decide. 

1. “Over My Head (Cable Car)” – The Fray

I never knew that everything was falling through / That everyone I knew was waiting on a queue / To turn and run when all I needed was the truth / But that's how it's got to be / It's coming down to nothing more than apathy

I play the song when courting a  girl or preparing for a date with one as a means of reverse psychology to convince myself that I’m actually not in over my head.  Contrary to what the lyrics may lead you to believe, the song isn't about a relationship with a woman.  It's about lead singer Isaac Slade’s other brother (nicknamed Cable Car) with whom he’d had a falling out.  You mean all those times I was incorrectly applying the song?  No!  I won’t accept that.  Tom and I both came to the conclusion that this song had tremendous staying power.  It’s the kind of song I could hear a hundred times and never tire of, and I never have.  By comparison, The Fray’s follow-up single, “How to Save a Life”, followed the aforementioned path of “Chasing Cars”.  Their self-titled album is one that I often find myself coming back to.  I think I’m a sucker for alternative music infused with a piano.  Perhaps it’s because I’ve always had a dream of learning that instrument.  If “Over My Head” comes on when I’m listening to music at work, you’ll likely see me tapping my fingers on the desk as if I’m playing the piano along with the song.  It’s often an involuntary action; I hear the song and my fingers go to work.  Fun fact:  the kid in the video is actually Slade’s younger brother.  

Q101: 2005

How did we get here?

2005 (Or, the year Fall Out Boy became so much more than a sidekick to Radioactive Man)

5. “Sooner Or Later” – Breaking Benjamin

Sooner or later / You're gonna hate it / Go ahead and throw our life away / Driving me under / Leaving me out there / Go ahead and throw our life away

First, I’d like to offer a tip of the cap to Green Day who put 2 songs into my top 10 for 2005.  Interestingly, “Sooner or Later” is one of three songs that Mandie I shared in our top 5 for this year (along with my #3 and #1).  Breaking Benjamin is just one of those groups I’m supposed to like, right? I’ve never heard an alternative music fan say anything negative about them.  I must admit that I haven’t dug much deeper into these guys than their singles.  Maybe I should because many of them rank highly on my personal lists.

4. “Photograph” – Nickelback

Every memory of lookin' out the back door / I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor / It's hard to say it / Time to say it / Good bye, good bye

Whoa, wait a minute.  A Nickelback song?!  I’m certainly not a Nickelback apologist, but I must interject before you roll your eyes and vehemently protest the remainder of this list or mini-series.  Somewhere along the line, Nickelback became this decade’s version of Creed.  It became trendy to bash them and point to their existence as everything that’s wrong with modern rock music.  You wouldn’t be caught dead listening to them.  Except that you probably did once upon a time.  You may run from your past but I’m not going to.  If you distance yourself from it, it’s like it never happened right?  Nickelback’s initial sound was too unrefined for my liking and now they are puppets of the blurred pop/rock radio sound (oops, there I go too).  But there was a window in there when All the Right Reasons was released that I appreciated their work.  It’s sort of appropriate that I get to discuss this song now.  As part of my move into my new house, I packed and unpacked various items that hadn’t been seen in years – high school yearbooks, basketball card collections, old jerseys from sports teams I played on.  Like most people, I paused to take a look and reflect.  Memories came flooding back in.  If you’re feeling particularly nostalgic, “Photograph” can accompany your trip down memory lane.  I could write you pages of stories from my past but, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

3. “Work” – Jimmy Eat World

Can't say I was never wrong / But some blame rests on you / Work and play they're never okay / To mix the way we do

I was pleased when this song snuck its way into Q101’s top 101 for this year because that meant that I got to include it here.  Futures is one of my favorite albums, and “Work” has always been a song that reassured me of myself.  The posted lyrics were always my justification for my rule of not dating co-workers.  Every good rule needs a supporting argument and I fashioned Jimmy Eat World were as good an expert as any to cite.  I’ve begun to revisit all of my rules recently.  I’ve even broken a couple of them; the results have been mixed but I regret nothing.  Maybe I’m turning a page in my life.  I even considered clearing the slate of strikes that people have accumulated and scrapping the system altogether, but that would be lunacy.  People MUST know there are consequences for their actions.  Turning a page?  Maybe not.

2. “Scars” – Papa Roach

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut / And my weakness is that I cared too much / And our scars remind us that the past is real / I tear my heart open just to feel

Fun fact:  Papa Roach lead singer Jacoby Shaddix credits this song as the one that saved his life after a particularly crazy night in Vegas.  It’s about trying to help someone who really doesn’t want the help.  We’ve all got our own scars from the past, so we can all relate to the song in some way.  Caring too much isn’t a fault I’ve typically been accused of.  I’ve mentioned before that I’ve never had my heart broken but that’s just another way of saying that I never really tried to let someone in.  To quote one of my favorite movies High Fidelity:  “I guess it made more sense to commit to nothing, keep my options open.  And that's suicide.  By tiny, tiny increments.”  My scars are far less visible to the naked eye but a million tiny paper cuts doesn’t hurt any less.  Anybody got any Band-Aids?  Never mind.  I’d be too stubborn to use them anyway.

1. “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” – Fall Out Boy

We're going down, down in an earlier round / And Sugar, we're going down swinging / I'll be your number one with a bullet / A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it

I was looking someone to carry the torch forward and become a new go-to group.  One day, I saw the video for “Sugar We’re Goin Down” and I was amused by the story of a boy with antlers being looked at disapprovingly by his girlfriend’s father only to find out the father ended up having hooves himself.  More importantly, I took notice of the song itself and I wanted to know more about this band.  “Dance, Dance” and “A Little Less Sixteen Candles…” (which is a pretty cool video in its own right and deserves your time below) eventually satisfied my rule of 3 so From Under the Cork Tree was purchased.   It did not disappoint.   The album could be played in a variety of settings regardless of my mood.  I particularly enjoy listening to it this song while driving in the car with the windows down.  I also appreciated Fall Out Boy’s cheeky, verbose song titles, such as “Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn’t Get Sued.”  A new go-to group had indeed emerged.