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| From | "Michael Bennett" <mrhonorama@hotmail.com> |
| Subject | Re: FOW lyric interpretations |
| Date | Wed, 16 Jul 2003 09:27:47 -0500 |
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I'll take the first one -- I never interpreted "Hackensack" to be anything
but the fantasy of a guy stuck in his hometown. The way the lyric is
written, I don't get the impression that the girl even knows him. She's a
TV/Movie star, while he ended up working in his dad's hardware store. And
that part, to me, is what makes this song empathetic, rather than
condescending -- folks get stuck in situations in life, and fantasy is their
escape. Not that the guy couldn't tell his dad to stuff it and follow his
own dreams, but, this is usually easier said than done.
The other song that really grabs me is "Fire Island" -- the kids who party
while the parents go away on yet another trip -- the song is heartbreaking,
as their empty low-grade hedonism is clearly no substitute for the void that
their parents are leaving.
It's this type of stuff that puts Fountains of Wayne on the top of the heap
--
Mike Bennett
Record reviews and more at http://fufkin.com
>From: "Durben, Steven" <Steven.Durben@cignabehavioral.com>
>Lyric interpretations. I hope you don't mind this indulgence but on the new
>FOW release my favorite two songs are "Hackensack" and "All Kinds of Time".
>Not a big deal but both have lyrics that leave me wondering about their
>intentions (or at least possibility of what might be read into the lyrics).
>Probably, in part, because I know FOW are known for their "clever" and
>sometimes "cynical" lyrics.
>
>So.. " Hackensack". On one level it sounds like a lovely song about a guy
>waiting for this woman he loves and longs for the possibility of her
>return.
>However, the cynical side of me wonders if it's not a sad joke. This guy
>is
>stuck in Hackensack still longing for someone he's NEVER had and never will
>have. So, long lost love or dreamy loser (I really prefer the less cynical
>interpretation but...).
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