Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis? - The Gaslight Anthem

Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis? - The Gaslight Anthem

3:02

Señor And the Queen, 2008

Written by Brian Fallon, Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine, and Benny Horowitz

Fallon's Springsteen fixation is on full display on this song, which is no bad thing.  If you're going to follow in the footsteps of others, you might as well pick one of rock's great storytellers. Like Springsteen, Fallon writes in vivid, cinematic fragments of highways, prayers, summer nights, desperate hopes, all charged with the yearning of a young man trapped between romance and economic frustration: "I need a Cadillac ride, I need a soft summer night / Say a prayer for my soul, Señorita." Fallon has always worn his influences on his sleeve, and other master songwriters he admires pop up too: "Between the minor chord fall and the fourth and the fifth / It's a broken Hallelujah and a pain in my fist" gives the song a Cohen-like scriptural gravitas.  Fallon provides his own backing vocals here, double-tracking "ba ba ba" on his main song, giving his urgent, gritty bellow even more power.

Positive Charge - Gaslight Anthem

Positive Charge - Gaslight Anthem

4:06

History Books, 2023

Written by Brian Fallon, Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine, and Benny Horowitz

A growling rock anthem about finding yourself again, whether youth, lost love, or something else.  Demons have been faced and now we're ready to step into the sunshine.  "It's hard to know when your mind declares a war on you / Like the thoughts inside my skull would do, like I was blind / And I'm sure I saw the signs but didn't know."  Now life seems precious, arms open wide, wanting to keep love alive as long as possible.  I love the songcraft and the lyrics, although to me the mix seems strangely muffled, dampening the message somewhat.

Get Hurt - The Gaslight Anthem

Get Hurt - The Gaslight Anthem
3:43
Get Hurt, 2014 
Written by Brian Fallon, Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine, and Benny Horowitz

Title trax!

A song probably stemming from Fallon's divorce.  The narrator has "wounds without a bandage" (cf. Romeo's "He jests at scars that never felt a wound"), but declares he came to get hurt.  "Once I could tell all the hurt apart from myself / Now all I can see is the need."  The song is a rather moody departure from the band’s usual heartland-punk sound, embracing instead an atmospheric, brooding alt-rock with bluesy undertones. The song builds on haunting, echoing guitars and restrained verses before exploding into a cathartic, emotionally raw chorus. But those verses!  "Maybe you needed a change / Maybe I was in your way."  Off.  Hits hard for those of us that have been there.  One of the most brutal lyrics in the band's catalogue, I think.

The '59 Sound - Gaslight Anthem

The '59 Sound - Gaslight Anthem
3:10
The '59 Sound, 2008
Written by Brian Fallon, Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine, and Benny Horowitz

These guys are the last bastion of heartland rock music forged by the 1950s and the Boss.  (Well, maybe the Hold Steady, too.)  This title track is a tribute to a friend who died too young in a car accident.  It's simple, it's raw, it's true, it has power.  This is the sort of rock music a man would play.  This song and its album were almost universally acclaimed when it came out.  Where was I?  Being ignorant of the greatness.