This song, and The Offspring's vocalist Dexter Holland both have interesting stories. And yes, two 90s alternative songs in a row. Deal with it. Or, you know, post what you love. Open invite to anyone reading these posts, it should be open to any user.
So, this song... of course, I first heard Offspring, like many from my generation, with Come Out and Play (which we all called "Keep 'em Separated"). And, that's a cool song with a nice beat and fun to listen to, but I remember when this video came out on MTV, and that's when I really started taking The Offspring a bit more seriously.
As the story goes, vocalist Dexter Holland was out with his wife (or girlfriend?) at a store or shop when the place was shot up in a drive-by shooting, targeting a gang member who was also there. (Fucking Los Angeles, right?) (Or wherever it was. I know, we tend to think of all of California as Los Angeles.) Nobody was killed, but he wrote the song imagining what would have happened if she was taken from him. So the song sounds like it's about someone who died, and it kind of is, but it didn't really happen.
Also, Dexter Holland is literally a genius, not only having graduated high school as valedictorian, but also holds a Ph.D in molecular biology. So it would be appropriate to address him as Dr Holland... because he literally owns that degree.
"Who we are is but a stepping stone to what we can become." I read that in a game trailer. (For Deus Ex: Human Revolution. 15 years ago.)
2 Comments
Godnroc@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2d
Interesting to know a brush with death lead to this song because it wasn't until I heard the piano version that I truly internalized how sad it is.
While the original is great, the profound sadness in the words "it feels like heavens so far away" doesn't really resonate as all when yelled compared to the quiet, somber, and tearful tone in the newer version.
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 2d
I did listen to the newer version. I'd never heard it before. I was more familiar with the Five Finger Death Punch cover (than the newer Offspring version, not the original — I've been a fan of the original since it was brand new) and that is played the same way.
Interestingly, on Apple Music, there are two new versions on the EP you linked the song from. Only the second one appears on YouTube, though. The first one is just called "Gone Away (2021)", no alternative. I'm not sure what the difference is, though.