What? Really? I love that song, and I definitely will agree that there's a warmth to it, but I don't know about "bright/upbeat." If I'm thinking of bright JEW tunes, I'm thinking Always Be, Here It Goes, The Middle, etc.
"Gotta Be Somebody's Blues" definitely does feel like a forerunner of "Pass the Baby." I also wouldn't classify "Always Be" as "bright." That song isn't quite as brutal as "Carry You" is lyrically, but it's close.
I didn't really heavily consider the lyrics actually. I was just thinking about the tone/tempo, etc. So, yea, I'd agree.
I think it has a bright, light and airy "pop" sound to it yeah. I'm not considering the lyrics at all. Jim always says that his favourite songs to write are the ones that sound happy but lyrically are dark. Carry You sounds summery to me, especially with the "do do, do-do-do" bridge and the "agai-yay yay yay-ain". Also the root note resolution right at the end of the song is very bright and happy and resolved. Edit: Also I think it is quite literally an upbeat song. The tempo is fairly high. It's around 135 bpm, whereas Gotta Be Somebody's Blues is around 80 bpm.
All this lyrics talk is calling to mind my favorite JEW lines. The chorus of "Carry You" packs so much ache into so few words: "I could never be the one that you want, don't ask / Well, here's to living in the moment, 'cause it passed" CTL is full of killer lyrics. I always thought this was a beautiful description of how some relationships go: "I must look like I'm running away, to you at your faster pace"
I was so disappointed with how they changed Carry You when it came out that I hated it at first, but when it's taken on its own merit as a new song, it's not bad. I still much prefer the original though and would love it if they had brought that back, but obviously they can't really do that now. Edit: Also, maybe that contributes to why I think it's such a bright/upbeat song... because when I first heard it I was comparing it to the original, which is much darker musically, so in comparison the new version is very bright and upbeat.
Agreed. Jaw droppingly good lyrical moments on here. Jims never been one for elaborate metaphors or anything, but he can certainly write an emotionally charged lyric to this day
You'll still like it, haha. I think Invented was his best written, personally, but this one's gotta have topped it
I think a big part of what makes CTL so compelling (and possibly my favorite JEW album) is the contrast between the devastating lyrics and the bright music. Everything's so upbeat (meant literally, in terms of rhythm), shimmery, and clear (except for "Gotta Be Somebody's Blues").
I like them a lot, but I feel like they're pretty standard for him. I think invented is more creative, structure and content wise
Yeah. They tried that trick on me a few years back so I said "No I'm selling out" (It was Virgin/EMI so it probably wouldnt counted as selling out anyway. Just without the pay)
Yeah, I think Invented definitely has Jim's best lyrics. It's not my favorite Jimmy Eat World record (probably about tied with Chase This Light for my second favorite), but I think the lyrics are the best Jim's written thus far.
its time....lyric rankings!!!!! invented > chase this light > damage > futures > bleed american > clarity
Jimmy Eat World threads get the weirdest rankings going. hahaha okay. Lyric ranking: Invented > Damage > Chase This light > Futures > Clarity > Bleed American
Tried to rank them and honestly I'm not that into a lot of his stuff lyrically other than CTL and some of the stuff on Futures. There's usually a few lines here and there I really like.
Rank which album leaf the dudes were looking the best in Bleed American > Futures > Integrity Blues > Invented > Clarity > Chase This Light > Mike's Cereal Shack > Damage