1. Soco Amaretto Lime by Brand New
Composer: Jesse Lacey
Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDBp2SFIp8M
While this song may not be written with many parts and high soaring vocals like many of todays pop hits. It has such lyrical complexity and meaning packed into 4:44 of slow soothing emotion.
The title, Soco Amaretto Lime, is a very sweet form of italian liqueur. The kind of drink that only teenagers would drink. The song starts out with a slowly rythmic D to G progression (this progression draws many similaries to Taking Back Sunday's "slowdance on the inside")
The Lyrics and Explaination:
"Passed out, on the overpass"
this line is talking about "the overpass", a place where Lacey and his friends hung out and drank late into the night during highschool
"Sunday's best and broken glass"
this line is a lyrical reference to "Slowdance on the inside", the beginning of that song with the lyrics "Passed out, in our school clothes so we'd wake up in our sunday's best" and the end of slowdance with "this glass house, is burning down, you light the match, I'll stick around." So Lacey is basically parphrasing that entire song into one line.
"Broken down from the bikes and bars
Suspended like spirits over speeding cars
You and me were kings
over the parkway tonight
and tonight will go on forever"
These lines give you a feeling of what its like to be in high school, at the end of a night Senior year and to realize, you're king of it all. This ties into the very existential themes of the song.
"While we, walk around this town like we own the streets
and stay awake through summer like we own the heat"
More themes of how you feel on top of the world when you are young and in love.
"Singing, everybody wake up, wake up
It's time to get down (repeat)"
This line is about how you would be out late into the night, doing whatever you wanted, feeling freedom.
"and when I pass the bottle back to Pete
on the overpass tonight, I bet we'll laugh"
Lacey is talking about one of his best friends in high school "Pete", who died in a drunk driving accident on Prom night.
"I'm gonna stay eighteen forever
so we'll never miss a party
cause we keep them goin constantly
and we'll never have to listen
to anyone about anything
cause its all been done and its all been said
we're the coolest kids, and we take what we can get"
The chorus of the song is describing exactly what it feels like to be in high school. To be young and impulsive. They have already crossed all the lines and it feels like all the barriers of their life have been removed.
"The hell out out of this town
find some conversation
the low fuel lights been on for days
it doesn't mean anything
I've got another 500, 'nother 500 miles
before we shut this engine down"
The 2nd verse is describing that, as you grow up, your town feels less like a home and more like a prison. All you can think about is getting out. You drive around with no gas in the tank and it feels like it never runs out, it can't, because you are invincible.
"Eighteen forever
(you're just jealous cause I'm young and in love)
So we can stay like this forever
(your stomach's filled up, but you're starved for conversation)
And we'll never miss a party
(and you're spending all your nights growing old in your bed)
Cause we keep goin' constantly
(and you're tearing up your photos 'cause you wanna forget)
And we'll never have to listen
(It's over, you're just jealous cause we're young and in love)
To anyone about anything
(your stomach's filled up but you're starved for conversation)
Cause it's all been done, and it's all been said
(and you're spending all your night growing old in your bed)
We're the coolest kids, and we take what we can get
(and you're tearing up your photos cause you wanna forget)"
The outro has two parts, the first, in the foreground of the sound is him looking forward to his life and his love, the second, him looking back on it much older and realizing all his mistakes and how he can never take them back. He see's that then he though he would never grow old, but now he has and only wishes he could get that feeling back. The girl in the story has moved on, but never again feels as fulfilled as she did on that night. All she wants to do, is forget it ever happened. Cliche themes, but presented very well. Past, present, and future all playing out simultaneously.
"you're just jealous cause we're young and in love
(it's over) x6"
-RECORD SCRATCHING-
In the final moments of the song, Lacey expresses the feeling of how we resent our parents, because they don't understand our love (a very Romeo and Juliet like theme) but when we grow old we realize they were right all along. The record scratching represents high school (and even further, life), right when it starts to get good, it abruptly ends.
Note: in his latest performances of Soco Amaretto Lime, Lacey replaces the ending line with "I'm just jealous cause you're young and in love" Making the statement that he is now feels old and cannot connect with the emotions of the song as much anymore but he's glad he had them.
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Hope you enjoy that song as much as I have, I'll be back next week with another song.
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