Analyze: The '59 Sound

Regarding the Zach Finch thing, didn't Benny used to have 'Live Fast, Die Awesome. Z. F.' on his drums?

I didn't know this is/could be related to the '59 Sound song....

liveit wrote:

I think that that's what is so great about music, is that it's (or can be) so fitting to everyone. It's for the most part open to interpretation. Brian said that in an interview somewhere too- sort of- that he doesn't like to divulge too much information because it's personal. That once his lyrics leave him and come to us, it's ours and open to our own interpretation (not his exact words but roughly close). I think that's awesome of him to say.......BUT......at the same time- it would be cool to know what they mean to him. I personally don't know a whole lot about Miles Davis - I've started listening to a bunch of older soul/folk music lately, because of them. Just curious of the sound. It's not too bad. I thank them for that.

Yeah, that's what I like a lot about Gaslight. It's great to recognize references from soul artists like Sam Cooke, Dylan, Springsteen and others, and it's also great to discover some new stuff.

This is what Brian answered me a week ago:

Even though it may be hard for you, can you tell me a bit behind the story of the song "The '59 Sound"?

BF - I don't want to tell what the songs are about for me, because then people can't decide for themselves, which is why I write, it's for you to find your own meaning in. For me it's my story, for someone else it's theirs, if I tell exactly what it means, then it's only my story.

the whole interview can be read here:

https://thegaslightanthem.forumotion.com/interviews-f14/brian-fallon-interview-for-backpackrocknet-t688.htm

go here: https://www.youtube.com/mcstevepants and listen to The '59 Sound. I don't think the song is only about the person Brian is talking about here - but more maybe of what inspired the song. Best intro to the song I've ever heard. Thanks again mcstevepants.

see "The River" off Springsteen's 1975-85 live comp. that's the best story i've ever heard. i feel like Brian's trying to bring that same intimacy with the audience that Springsteen had by telling stories like this. i like it. hope he keeps doing it

That is brilliant, almost sounds like he's shedding a tear!

Jukebox Romeo wrote:

see "The River" off Springsteen's 1975-85 live comp. that's the best story i've ever heard. i feel like Brian's trying to bring that same intimacy with the audience that Springsteen had by telling stories like this. i like it. hope he keeps doing it

is that a good album? I was at this used book store and saw they had it there (they have a vinyl section that is really lame), I thought about getting it, but me and Bruce have a hit or miss relationship... I love things like Ghost of Tom Joad, but I hate things like Born in the USA

yeah, i think it's really good. he plays all the best stuff from his first few albums. the version of Thunder Road is incredible, and he plays a real slow, acoustic version of No Surrender that's equally good. really, it's probly worth it for those two songs and the story before The River, but the rest is very good too. i can up it if you wanna give it a listen

liveit wrote:

go here: https://www.youtube.com/mcstevepants and listen to The '59 Sound. I don't think the song is only about the person Brian is talking about here - but more maybe of what inspired the song. Best intro to the song I've ever heard. Thanks again mcstevepants.

that's a pretty good intro to '59 Sound. I love his little chats and the way he makes the gigs seem more personal and they don't just come on stage play and walk off.

e6c wrote:

Jukebox Romeo wrote:

see "The River" off Springsteen's 1975-85 live comp. that's the best story i've ever heard. i feel like Brian's trying to bring that same intimacy with the audience that Springsteen had by telling stories like this. i like it. hope he keeps doing it

is that a good album? I was at this used book store and saw they had it there (they have a vinyl section that is really lame), I thought about getting it, but me and Bruce have a hit or miss relationship... I love things like Ghost of Tom Joad, but I hate things like Born in the USA

Born in the USA is sheer brilliance. A lot of people just don't get it, including many on the Bruce boars I post on. The song itself is a work of genuis. But other than that the album is filled with so much else.

It takes some incredibly sad stories and pumps them through sort of sarcastically with the band in a rocking way like the old 60s protrst songs were sung. The whole theme of the album was the yuppie 80s generation pumping their fists and dancing through hard times like they didn't exist but they did. They just pretended otherwise. That's what was going on in 82, 83, and 84 and that's what Bruce captured like only he can.

Read the lyrics to the songs and it'll help you understand them better. Remember almost every song was written in the Nebraska sessions. Dancing in the Dark was written last at it's basically a about being fored to write a radio single. His manager felt the album which was done in Bruce's mind needed something else. BRuce put his foot down and said no but later that night in frustration he wrote the song. This gun's for hire even if it's just Dancing in the Dark. Bruce is saying he has become a hired HIT-man. In this case the hit is not a dead body but a song he didn't want to write. Simply incredible.


Anyway, his real genius came out in his first trilogy. If you don't lke Born To Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and The River then I don't know what to tell you. If you do like them then I can set you up with some real live stuff that is performed and sounds a lot better than the Live Box Set.

Shallow it's only now you've pointed that out to me I 'get' Dancing in the Dark. Sheer brilliance indeed, thanks for that.

Tomaldo wrote:

Shallow it's only now you've pointed that out to me I 'get' Dancing in the Dark. Sheer brilliance indeed, thanks for that.

It really makes the song more enjoyable doesn't it? At least it did for me. I mean I always liked the melody and recording of it but outside of possible connections to Backstreets it was always missing something. It didn't feel like a Bruce song. Like it was beneath him. He's made simple silly songs before that and they were even on that album but they were very tongue and cheek and that made them ok for me, but DITD was serious and I just didn't understand why it was on the album.

Then when I saw the Behind the Music on Bruce I realized that it was written the same night Jon Landau told him Born in the USA wasn't being released until they had bona fide hit. That's when I re-read the words and understood the double meanings of the song.

Bruce himself has admitted to righting what he feels with out knowing it at the time. I guess that's what separates an artist with a muse from the rest of us. I don't know if he fully understood what he was saying with that chorus when he wrote it or when he figured it out. All I know is it might be the ultimate song of the 80s because of what it's about.

Yeah it definately makes the song more enjoyable.

The same goes for Gaslight about writing with feeling. I get the feeling what Brian is singing is really genuine, and that he's not just doing it for the sake of it if you get what I mean. It is, in my opinion, one of the hallmarks of what makes a band truly 'great', as opposed to just 'very good'.

Tomaldo wrote:

Yeah it definately makes the song more enjoyable.

The same goes for Gaslight about writing with feeling. I get the feeling what Brian is singing is really genuine, and that he's not just doing it for the sake of it if you get what I mean. It is, in my opinion, one of the hallmarks of what makes a band truly 'great', as opposed to just 'very good'.

I've yet to really jump into the song meanings of Gaslight yet but I can tell I will be impressed. When I heard '59 Sound live in Toronto it wasn't until then I knew it was about fallen friends. I was too busy enjoying the music to get into the lyrics. I'll get there.

^
How amazing was that Toronto show? I wish I could go back in time. I was just in awe.

the song is about partly related to his grandfather/oldiesmusic/fixing his own music amps/ and more importantly, the tragic car accident that took a very dear friend, Zack Finch - who was a rad man who was also in rad bands in nj during his time here, such as the gallows, bench press 3000 and the sirs. all can be found on myspace - www.myspace.com/zack_finch_memorial_page
the young boys/young girls refers to the other in the car/feelings their pain/etc for what they been put through.

you don't have to dig any deeper into the references on it. plain and simple.
hopei could help, thanks

Daisy thanks for the info

no problemo
u have may even been at a show with the 2 survivors of the car accident and not know....i wonder how they feel about the song...but...se la vie

Jukebox Romeo wrote:

yeah, dude, same. I checked out "Kind of Blue", and I liked it a lot. This might only be because I used to play trumpet in jazz bands in high school, but still. and I've checked out Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Ben E. King, too, but I'm not too into them

btw, i think Brian sings "Stand By Me" better than Ben E. did...

Where would I find this cover?

tacked on the beginning of any live version of I'da Called You Woody, Joe

Oh i knew that, thanks, I thought he did like the entire cover or something, that'd be savage if he did

Stevearm wrote:

Oh i knew that, thanks, I thought he did like the entire cover or something, that'd be savage if he did

There are so many songs where I think 'If Brian Fallon would cover that it would be amazing'.

that would be so great, if they did a cover of the whole song (stand by me) and released it as like, the b side to some single.

Brian spoke about what the 59' Sound was with the Asbury Park Press. Here is the link to the article and the direct paragraph where he discusses what the 59' sound is to him.

http://www.app.com/article/20090731/ENT/907310313/-1/NEWS10/+BEST+BAND+YOU+LL+HEAR+

Q: What is "The '59 Sound"? I know it's the title of the album, but what is sound you're referring to?

A:
Well, truth be told, because you're from the Shore area and I'm from
the Shore area, I'll tell you the truth. The inspiration of it came
from (when) I was really into old amplifiers from Fender, and I was
really getting into like these sounds for recording and just playing
live, and I was really interested in old sounds that matched an old
style of music. I found out that Fender made this amp called the
Bassman, and the re-creation of this amp was the 1959 Bassman. Then I
started looking around at all these pictures of Elvis (Presley), Sam
Cooke, all these guys, Wilson Pickett, and all these guys had the same
amp. I was like, "Wait a minute. Maybe this thing's magic or something
like that."

Whoa! JerseyBen, good find.