The '59 Sound (song)
"The '59 Sound" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() 2008 single | ||||
Singlebythe Gaslight Anthem | ||||
from the albumThe '59 Sound | ||||
Released | July 22, 2008 June 15, 2009 (UKre-release) | |||
Recorded | 2008 | |||
Length | 3:11 | |||
Label | SideOneDummy Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Brian Fallon,Alex Rosamilia,Alex Levine, Benny Horowitz | |||
Producer(s) | Ted Hutt | |||
The Gaslight Anthemsingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
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. 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]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The '59 Sound" | 3:11 |
2. | "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" | 3:31 |
Total length: | 6:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
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]- ^Billboard.Nielsen Business Media, Inc.April 3, 2010. p. 33.ISSN0006-2510.
- ^Bienstock, Richard (August 23, 2014)."No Longer Bound By The Boss".Billboard.Vol. 126, no. 27. pp. 51–52.
- ^ Holdship, Bill (November 12, 2008)."Record Review – The Gaslight Anthem –The '59 Sound".Metro Times.Archived fromthe originalon January 7, 2009.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
- ^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.
- ^Hoard, Christian (May 7, 2012)."The '59 Sound".Rolling Stone.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
- ^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.
- ^The Herald Journal.Herald-Journal. September 4, 2008. p. 24.
- ^"From The Editor's Floor: The Gaslight Anthem".Alternative Press Magazine.RetrievedApril 21,2024.
- ^The '59 Sound | The Gaslight Anthem Lyrics, Meaning & Videos,retrievedApril 23,2024
- ^"The '59 Sound | Pitchfork".December 2, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 2, 2008.RetrievedApril 23,2024.
- ^The Gaslight Anthem – The '59 Sound,retrievedApril 23,2024
- ^AltPress."From The Editor's Floor: The Gaslight Anthem".Alternative Press Magazine.RetrievedApril 23,2024.
- ^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.
- ^The Gaslight Anthem,The '59 Sound / Even Cowgirls Get The Blues,Side One Dummy,retrievedApril 24,2024
- ^"Available for Airplay Archive".FMQB.Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2014.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
- ^The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (Official Video).RetrievedApril 22,2024– via youtube.
- ^SPIN.SPIN Media LLC.July 2010. p. 33.ISSN0886-3032.
- ^ "The '59 Sound" – The Gaslight Anthem ".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon December 11, 2021.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
- ^"The Gaslight Anthem".Billboard.November 18, 2021. Archived fromthe originalon November 18, 2021.RetrievedApril 22,2024.
- ^ab Zobbel (July 11, 2009)."Chart Log UK: New Entries Update".Zobbel.RetrievedDecember 26,2009.
- ^* For Top 100 positions:"Gaslight Anthem UK Singles Chart Archive".Official Charts Company.RetrievedJune 13,2018.
- For "The 59 Sound":"Chart Log UK 1994–2010 Gina G – GZA".Zobbel.de.RetrievedJune 13,2018.
- ^"Release" The '59 Sound "by The Gaslight Anthem - MusicBrainz".musicbrainz.org.RetrievedApril 22,2024.
- ^"The Gaslight Anthem – New Single" The '59 Sound "Out June 29th".Altsounds. June 17, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon June 24, 2009.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (November 25, 2008)."Album Reviews – The Gaslight Anthem –The '59 Sound".Pitchfork.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
- ^ Theofilos, Tyler (June 2008)."Reviews – The Gaslight Anthem –The '59 Sound".CMJ New Music(155). College Media, Inc.ISSN1074-6978.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
- ^ MacNeil, Jason (November 24, 2008)."The Gaslight Anthem,The '59 Sound– Review ".PopMatters.Archived fromthe originalon December 1, 2008.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
- ^SPIN.SPIN Media LLC.July 2010. p. 72.ISSN0886-3032.
- ^ "Best of 2008".Rolling Stone(Wenner Media). December 25, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2008.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
- ^Writer, Staff."The Gaslight Anthem to play on Conan".The Music.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
- ^Ryan, Gary (September 15, 2023)."The Gaslight Anthem:" Playing with Bruce Springsteen should land me a Nando's Black Card "".NME.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
- ^LUSTIG, JAY (May 20, 2015)."The '59 Sound, The Gaslight Anthem on 'Late Show with David Letterman".NJArts.net.RetrievedApril 20,2024.
- ^ "Bruce Springsteen Makes Surprise Appearance with Gaslight Anthem at Glastonbury".NME.June 27, 2009.RetrievedDecember 19,2009.
- ^ 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.
- ^The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (Live - Glastonbury 2011 @ Pyramid Stage) 25/06/11.RetrievedApril 22,2024– via youtube.
This song's for Clarence.
- ^Sisario, Ben (June 19, 2011)."Clarence Clemons, Springsteen's Soulful Sideman, Dies at 69".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedApril 22,2024.
- ^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) - ^"The Gaslight Anthem Chart History (Canada Rock)".Billboard.Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^"Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50".Official Charts Company.Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^"The Gaslight Anthem Chart History (Alternative Airplay)".Billboard.Retrieved December 11, 2021.