Songs of the month - January 2021
December was busy and because I was migrating posts from my local server to Microsoft Azure, December 2020 songs of the month was never written...
But don't be sad! 2021 is here; and with it comes another monthly round up of songs.
So, Let's get into it.
Running on empty - Jackson Browne
Running on Empty is a song by Jackson Browne as part of his album of the same name, released in 1977.
But what is the song about?
Well, Jackson wrote the song while driving to the studio to try to finish his forth album. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, he says that he was always driving the car with no fuel in the tank.
But I think it has a deeper meaning; about being tired, used and exhausted and looking towards the future, not knowing and wondering what to expect.
Lions - Dire Straits
"Lions" is a song by Dire Straits, as part of their debut album and was released in 1978. It's classified as "Blues rock" or "Classic Rock" and was written by lead singer Mark Knopfler.
It describes a city. Most people (including myself) recon that the city is London, as confirmed by Mark himself in an interview. However, there is speculation that the song refers to Knopfler's home city of Leeds.
There are clues pointing in each direction throughout the song. "Lions" (The title of the song) can refer to the bronze lions in Trafalgar Square, The Lions on the Southbank or even similar stone lions in Leeds.
If it were London, it would be strange to refer to the trains "overground" when London is known for the "underground"; Although some speculate that it refers to Charing Cross Station, which as part of the National-Rail-Network is classed as an "overground" station.
Whereas other Dire Straits songs are more alike to a story, "Lions" is more alike to descriptive writing; Seeming like a song for a cinematic 'Visit London Tourist' ad rather than a full-fledged movie; The lack of story makes the song feel free to explore different aspects of the city. It's a great song.
One - U2
After a few months, I've slowly found myself returning to U2 (where this all started). "One" is the 3rd song from Achtung Baby, their album released in 1991. "Achtung Baby" roughly translates in German to "Attention, Baby" and was particularly relevant at the time the song was written.
It has to do with this:
The fall of the Berlin wall took place on November 9th 1989 and it plays a huge role on the center of the song. U2 arrived in Berlin two years later, in 1991, around the same time of the formal reunification of Germany.
This song is about unity in a reunified Germany and world. Little did they know, about a month later, the Soviet Union would be signed out of existence thus creating an international sales boost for the song and album altogether.
Single Handed Sailor - Dire Straits
This song is a reference to Sir Francis Chichester, who still holds the record for the fastest single-handed circumnavigation of the world.
It tells the story of the sailor entering the docks at Greenwich, London in the evening. References to the Cutty Sark are made because until 2005, Sir Francis Chichester's boat, the Gipsy Moth IV was located at the docks in Greenwich.
The Cure - Friday I'm In Love
It's a bit hard for me to work any other than the obvious. From my perspective, the song is about waiting for Friday.
So, if you're reading this on the day it's released: Happy Friday.
