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The '59 Sound (song)

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"The '59 Sound"
2008 single
Singlebythe Gaslight Anthem
from the albumThe '59 Sound
ReleasedJuly 22, 2008
June 15, 2009 (UKre-release)
Recorded2008
Length3:11
LabelSideOneDummy Records
Songwriter(s)Brian Fallon,Alex Rosamilia,Alex Levine, Benny Horowitz
Producer(s)Ted Hutt
The Gaslight Anthemsingles chronology
"The '59 Sound"
(2008) 		"Old White Lincoln"
(2008)
Audio sample
"The '59 Sound"

"The '59 Sound"is the debut single by American rock bandthe Gaslight Anthem.Written by the band and produced byTed Hutt,it is the title track of the band'ssecond full-length album.[1]The song is an elegy to a friend who died in a car accident, and is intended to The song reached the U.S.Alternative Airplaychart in early 2009, and was performed live by the band withBruce Springsteenat theGlastonburyandHard Rock Callingfestivals in June 2009.

Background[edit]

"The '59 Sound" was the first song written by singer-songwriter-guitaristBrian Fallon[2][3]for the band's albumThe '59 Sound(2008).[4]The song's title references a 1959Fender Bassmanamplifier that he built for himself.[5]Fallon recalled, "I never wrote a song like that before. And I thought it was better than anything else I ever wrote. I showed it to the guys [in the band] and they thought it was awesome. Then the next one was 'Great Expectations' and we definitely knew where we were going with [the album]."[4]Fallon said the band had tried to emulate the sound ofsoul musicfrom the late 1950s because "back then it seemed like there was a genuine feeling of excitement going on that I don't think is necessarily happening right now. It seems like when you look back on that era a lot of it is embodied in that Memphis sound, so it's just a giant celebratory thing."[6]

Lyrics[edit]

The song's themes mixpunk rockwithclassic rock.[7]The song is anelegyfor a friend who died in a car accident, while the band was elsewhere performing a gig.[8]The singer,Brian Fallon,asks his deceased friend: "Did you hear the '59 Sound coming through on Grandmama's radio?", referring to late 1950s music that they listened to while growing up.[6]He continues by asking about his friend's discomfort in the hospital, shortly before his death.[9]The song ends with the sentences "Young boys, Young girls (Ain't supposed to die on a Saturday night)", emphasizing the unexpectancy of the friend's death.[10][11]Fallon said the song is about growing older; and 'carrying on', accepting that loved ones eventually die.[12][13]

Release and reception[edit]

The single was released as aCD singlein July 2008,[14]and it reached Americanmodern rockradio stations in September.[15]Its music video, released bySideOneDummy Records,premiered the following month.[16]In January 2009, the song entered theBillboardAlternative Airplaychart,[17]peaked at number 35 in February, and spent 10 weeks on the chart.[18]It reached a peak position of 26 onBillboard's Canada Rock Chart in April,[19]and of 115 on theUK Singles Chartin July.[20][21]That same month, "The '59 Sound" was re-released in the UK as a physical single, backed with a live cover version ofPearl Jam's "State of Love and Trust",as well as a live performance of" We Came to Dance ", a song from the Gaslight Anthem's first album,Sink or Swim.[22][23]

"The '59 Sound" was well received by music critics, withPitchfork Mediawriter Tom Breihan praising the bridge: "It's simple, it's sincere, and it kills me every time."[24]CMJ New Musicwriter Tyler Theofilos praised the song's raw, energetic soundscape.[25]Jason MacNeil ofPopMatterscompared it tothe KillersandTim-eraReplacements.[26]TheSpin magazinedescribed "The '59 Sound" as "nuanced and assured".[27]The song was ranked number 62 onRolling Stone's list of "The 100 Best Singles of 2008".[28]

Live[edit]

The Gaslight Anthemperformed "The '59 Sound" live on thetalk showsLate Night with Conan O'Brien[29][30]andLate Show with David Letterman.[31]The band was joined onstage byBruce Springsteenduring performances of the song atGlastonbury Festival 2009[32]andHard Rock Calling 2009.[33]In June 2011, the band dedicated the song to the memory ofClarence Clemonsduring their set at the2011 Glastonbury Festival.[34]Clemons, a founding member of theE Street Band,had died that same month due to a stroke.[35]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written byBrian Fallon,Alex Rosamilia,Alex Levine, and Benny Horowitz, except where noted[36]

2008 7 "single
No.TitleLength
1."The '59 Sound"3:11
2."Even Cowgirls Get the Blues"3:31
Total length:6:42
2009 7 "and CD single
No.TitleLength
1."The '59 Sound"3:11
2."State of Love and Trust"(live atWebster Hall,New York City;Eddie Vedder,Jeff Ament,Mike McCready;originally performed byPearl Jam)3:27
3."We Came to Dance" (live atWebster Hall,New York City)3:36
Total length:10:14

Charts[edit]

Chart (2009) Peak
position
CanadaRock(Billboard)[37] 26
Scotland(OCC)[38] 64
UK Singles(OCC)[20] 115
UK Indie(OCC)[39] 10
USAlternative Airplay(Billboard)[40] 35

References[edit]

  1. ^Billboard.Nielsen Business Media, Inc.April 3, 2010. p. 33.ISSN0006-2510.
  2. ^Bienstock, Richard (August 23, 2014)."No Longer Bound By The Boss".Billboard.Vol. 126, no. 27. pp. 51–52.
  3. ^ Holdship, Bill (November 12, 2008)."Record Review – The Gaslight Anthem –The '59 Sound".Metro Times.Archived fromthe originalon January 7, 2009.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
  4. ^ab MacNeil, Jason (March 20, 2009)."The Gaslight Anthem Have a Little Springsteen in Their Step".Toronto Sun(Sun Media). Archived fromthe originalon March 22, 2009.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
  5. ^Hoard, Christian (May 7, 2012)."The '59 Sound".Rolling Stone.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
  6. ^ab Bayer, Jonah (September 9, 2009)."Gibson Exclusive: The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon Looks Back onThe '59 Sound".Gibson Guitar Corporation.Archived fromthe originalon September 25, 2009.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
  7. ^The Herald Journal.Herald-Journal. September 4, 2008. p. 24.
  8. ^"From The Editor's Floor: The Gaslight Anthem".Alternative Press Magazine.RetrievedApril 21,2024.
  9. ^The '59 Sound | The Gaslight Anthem Lyrics, Meaning & Videos,retrievedApril 23,2024
  10. ^"The '59 Sound | Pitchfork".December 2, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 2, 2008.RetrievedApril 23,2024.
  11. ^The Gaslight Anthem – The '59 Sound,retrievedApril 23,2024
  12. ^AltPress."From The Editor's Floor: The Gaslight Anthem".Alternative Press Magazine.RetrievedApril 23,2024.
  13. ^Rob Laing (March 26, 2024).""I know that is a 25-year-old's spirit just burning – like a Chevy engine": The story of The Gaslight Anthem's classic song, The '59 Sound ".MusicRadar.RetrievedApril 23,2024.
  14. ^The Gaslight Anthem,The '59 Sound / Even Cowgirls Get The Blues,Side One Dummy,retrievedApril 24,2024
  15. ^"Available for Airplay Archive".FMQB.Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2014.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
  16. ^The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (Official Video).RetrievedApril 22,2024– via www.youtube.com.
  17. ^SPIN.SPIN Media LLC.July 2010. p. 33.ISSN0886-3032.
  18. ^ "The '59 Sound" – The Gaslight Anthem ".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon December 11, 2021.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
  19. ^"The Gaslight Anthem".Billboard.November 18, 2021. Archived fromthe originalon November 18, 2021.RetrievedApril 22,2024.
  20. ^ab Zobbel (July 11, 2009)."Chart Log UK: New Entries Update".Zobbel.RetrievedDecember 26,2009.
  21. ^* For Top 100 positions:"Gaslight Anthem UK Singles Chart Archive".Official Charts Company.RetrievedJune 13,2018.
  22. ^"Release" The '59 Sound "by The Gaslight Anthem - MusicBrainz".musicbrainz.org.RetrievedApril 22,2024.
  23. ^"The Gaslight Anthem – New Single" The '59 Sound "Out June 29th".Altsounds. June 17, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon June 24, 2009.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
  24. ^ Breihan, Tom (November 25, 2008)."Album Reviews – The Gaslight Anthem –The '59 Sound".Pitchfork.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
  25. ^ Theofilos, Tyler (June 2008)."Reviews – The Gaslight Anthem –The '59 Sound".CMJ New Music(155). College Media, Inc.ISSN1074-6978.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
  26. ^ MacNeil, Jason (November 24, 2008)."The Gaslight Anthem,The '59 Sound– Review ".PopMatters.Archived fromthe originalon December 1, 2008.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
  27. ^SPIN.SPIN Media LLC.July 2010. p. 72.ISSN0886-3032.
  28. ^ "Best of 2008".Rolling Stone(Wenner Media). December 25, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2008.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
  29. ^Writer, Staff."The Gaslight Anthem to play on Conan".The Music.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
  30. ^Ryan, Gary (September 15, 2023)."The Gaslight Anthem:" Playing with Bruce Springsteen should land me a Nando's Black Card "".NME.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
  31. ^LUSTIG, JAY (May 20, 2015)."The '59 Sound, The Gaslight Anthem on 'Late Show with David Letterman".NJArts.net.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
  32. ^ "Bruce Springsteen Makes Surprise Appearance with Gaslight Anthem at Glastonbury".NME.June 27, 2009.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
  33. ^ Murray, Noel (June 30, 2009)."A Jersey Reunion in the UK: Bruce Springsteen & The Gaslight Anthem".The A.V. Club(The Onion, Inc.).RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
  34. ^The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (Live - Glastonbury 2011 @ Pyramid Stage) 25/06/11.RetrievedApril 22,2024– via www.youtube.com.This song's for Clarence.
  35. ^Sisario, Ben (June 19, 2011)."Clarence Clemons, Springsteen's Soulful Sideman, Dies at 69".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedApril 22,2024.
  36. ^the '59 Sound(CD booklet). The Gaslight Anthem. Los Angeles:SideOneDummy Records.2008. SD1358.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  37. ^"The Gaslight Anthem Chart History (Canada Rock)".Billboard.Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  38. ^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  39. ^"Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50".Official Charts Company.Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  40. ^"The Gaslight Anthem Chart History (Alternative Airplay)".Billboard.Retrieved December 11, 2021.

External links[edit]

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