Most songs follow a similar pattern: Start out, build up, reach a crescendo, denouement. For others, it might be verse, chorus, bridge, repeat. Sometimes, though, bands ignore this entirely and you get something altogether different.
My entrance to the TVOTR was when this song was used at the end of an episode of “Entourage.” In the scene, the characters are on a private jet getting ready to take off into an unknown future. There was an underlying tension and uncertainty as the characters all looked at each other almost as if to ask, “well, now what?”
Listening to the song, I was asking the same thing. Not because it was bad — it absolutely isn’t — but because I kept expecting it to break wide open. But it never does. It builds and builds, but stays at the same level. Like a wall of sound, but waist-height.
That’s not to say it’s simple. Its blurry bass lines and frenzied, distorted single guitar notes are layered beautifully.
The lyrics are both abstract and explicit
You’re staring at the sun
You’re standing in the sea
Your mouth is open wide
You’re trying hard to breath
The water’s at your neck
There’s lightning in your teeth
Your body’s over me
“Staring At The Sun” by TV On The Radio| Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes 2004
The band has noted that the lyrics are about death. Others are convinced it’s about sex. To me, it’s like a clear memory of a foggy time, and demands you pay attention.
What do you think?
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Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
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P.P.S. This originally appeared on Medium
Golden Age is a very special TVOTR song for me. Phish also covers it; that might not be a favorable thing for some but adds another layer of meaning to it for me.