Album: Crooked Shadows (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lead single from Crooked Shadows finds Dashboard Confessional frontman Chris Carrabba focusing on a positive outlook of fighting through struggles. Speaking with Beats 1, Carrabba explained the story behind the track.

    "It's a weird thing when you write a song; you think you know what it's about, but you don't [really] until some months later sometimes. So, I thought for sure it was just about how I found a place in the world, which was worth fighting for, which was the music scene that I come from. I wasn't cool in school. I didn't fit in. I found this music scene and it fostered this community and it fostered the people in it. You could be black or white, you could be straight or gay, you could be a man or a woman.

    Everybody was equal and we were equally protected but we were equally encouraged to do something that challenged the status quo. But then the political climate has changed in such a way that, almost days after writing that song, America started to feel really regressive somehow. And all these great strides we made during the last administration had been threatened to be undone, and I realized that people have beliefs worth protecting, worth standing up for and I found a residence in that."
  • The song was Dashboard Confessional's first single since the release of "Belle of the Boulevard" eight years previously in 2009. The band was on hiatus between 2011 and 2015.
  • Carrabba explained to New Noise Magazine how the song's definition changed as he wrote it.

    "There's never one thing, ever, with any song I have. When I write, I either keep the news or SportsCenter on. I need some slight distraction, I guess, so I don't get bogged down. I'm not writing an essay, I'm not sitting there poring over every comma. This frees me up somehow to just let things be wrong for a minute. I can always come back and revise. I'm watching the news and writing this song. The song is ostensibly in my mind about the way I grew up, the music scene I grew up in and the social politics it taught me, but concurrent with the news that's on to my left."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Charlie Benante of Anthrax

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.