"Second Go" by Lights

The artist called Lights grew up under parents who were missionaries, and she was constantly traveling the world. Most of her songs are upbeat and poppy with a bit of an electronic feel. The song I will be reviewing today is no different. It's called "Second Go" and generally talks about giving people a second chance. The song begins with an electric keyboard-infused intro and strong lyrics.


"How many times will the clock go around/How many times will my hands hit the ground?"


The first thing that comes to mind with this lyric is running. The stopwatch keeps moving, but you get a quick start and fall forward, having to catch yourself with your hands.


"How many coffins before there's a crown/How far will I go till the alarm sounds?"


How many people have to die for power, royalty or fame? This could also mean martyrdom. How many sacrifices must be made before the real king is put into power? And lastly, how far does Lights herself have to get within her dreaming or dazed state before she is harshly awakened?


"How come you love me when I am ugly?/This I can only hope..."


Sorry Lights, you're clearly beautiful. But seriously, ugly has many meanings, and she could be saying many things here. She could truly feel insecure with the way she looks, but I don't believe that's the case. I think here she's saying when she makes mistakes, or even that she has certain serious flaws, the person the song is directed to may still love her. And so begins the chorus:


"Give me a second go/Don't let me go alone/You saw me at the worst/You caught me falling first/All I wanted to know/Give me a second go."


Someone saved her when she was at her worst. This person showed her the light when she was in darkness, and she wants this person to be with her no matter how she messes up in the future. The second verse is my personal favorite.


"No matter the weather there's never a break/Conquer a ladder, then slip on a snake."

Remember the game shoots and ladders? Or snakes and ladders? Here's a reference to that game. You are so happy when you roll and you get to climb a ladder, but a few minutes later you roll again and have to slide down a snake. Life is like that. There are ups and downs, snakes and ladders, but you have to keep going because that will always be the cycle.


"Cried till my river turned into a lake/And I'm wondering now before it's too late."


This girl has cried a lot. She's been through ups and downs, and in this moment she is down. First she was crying a river, which goes with a flow and has a current, but then the river formed a lake which is stagnant. Is it too late to go back?


"How can you save me when I am angry? Reasons I'll never know."


Again, Lights is questioning the listener. This also hints to her inner flaws, or perceived flaws. She cries, she is angry, she has human emotions. Then the chorus is repeated. After that is a catchy verse despite it's meaning:


"One to five I'm half alive/Six to nine I'm out of line/Ten to twelve I'm not myself/By the millionth time I cry."


Lights is torn. At all hours she feels unworthy of being saved by this person, yet he seems to always give her a second go.


What we can understand from this song is everybody has flaws, yet everybody deserves a second go.


A good bible verse to go along with this is Colossians 1:21-22.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

"Japanese Exchange Student" by The Rocket Summer

It's hard to believe that only a week ago I was meeting one of my greatest musical heroes, Bryce Avary.

Don't get me wrong, it feels like yesterday.

Sidenote: Not all of my song reviews will be this detailed or personal.

The Rocket Summer came to Auburn University last Wednesday, April 28th. After sitting through Sister Hazel, a band I admire but don't know many songs of, I was excited to hear The Rocket Summer was coming on next. I tried my best to push my way to the front, but ended up a few crowd members back. I was agitated at first, but as soon as Bryce hit the stage the anger left me and I realized I was just enjoying the music with a bunch of friends I never really knew I had.

Afterward, I went to the merch table and began chatting with the other people who were waiting in line. I was pleasantly surprised that no one was fighting to get to the front for autographs. I'll admit I was anxious to meet him. For one, I'd been listening to The Rocket Summer for over 4 years so I was excited to meet one of my heroes, but secondly, I had heard different stories about Bryce and his attitude while meeting fans.

Another surprise for the night: Bryce was extremely chill. He signed my vinyl record and responded with a simple but sincere "thank you" when I told him his music had impacted my life.


Which brings me to my first song review: "Japanese Exchange Student" by The Rocket Summer.
The song begins with a catchy beat and the words:


"I might as well be a Japanese exchange student/'Cause people wouldn't know me, right when I show up/But then the thrill wears off, and then I'm alone/until Beyonce rolls through town/and I think that I can call and score a ticket/When I can't."


Here, Bryce is understandably feeling hopeless. He's hiding behind the clever metaphor of being a Japanese exchange student to express that he feels like an outsider where he currently calls home. He could mean where he lives and records his music, but since he is on tour so much of the time, I would assume that he means in every city. The following lyrics continue to confirm my suspicions.


"Cause' I don't know her, like you don't know me/It's a lonely world when it's all that you see/It doesn't matter if I got a good heart in me/This gets lonely."


I've often felt like an outsider. To be honest, that's a lie. I've very, very often felt like an outsider, particularly in my high school and university. I felt like I didn't fit into any particular group or mold, so I made friends everywhere. But I was still lonely because I wasn't sure of my friends' motives. Did they actually like me, or did they just want something from me?


The chorus is repeated and in the next verse Beyonce' is replaced with Paul McCartney, indicating a stark contrast in Bryce's desires. What does he want out of his fame? Does he was to hang with Beyonce' and her crew or be remembered as one of the greatest songwriters of our generation?


"Last year I got the cover/my phone wouldn't stop ringing and ringing./They called in on my mother and that is saying something."


This is Bryce's expression of how when he finally achieved fame, he realized it is not what he really wanted. His mother was bothered and his phone rang to the point of annoyance. Who were his true friends? Who just wanted to know him now that he was famous?

"Well maybe it's been quiet, my phone just picks up dust."

In this line, Bryce expresses that he felt alone and dismayed because he didn't know who was his true friend and who wanted to just stay friends because he achieved the ultimate fame: getting on the cover of a magazine.

The rest of the song just hits the idea home:

"So, hey, be nice to the Japanese exchange students/'Cause people wouldn't know them/right when they show up/And they have found yourself in a similar place/Where you found you looked around and just saw loads of empty space/And you were thinking how you don't know them/like they don't know you./It's a lonely feeling after all that you do./Got a good heart, got a good soul/What must I do to prove it anymore?/I got friends in high and low places/and it's all the same to me./'Cause it's all about who you know/and not about if you really know anyone."

Bryce wants his fans and the people who have been ringing his phone repeatedly to know that he loves all of them, but just like everyone else, he is human. He can't answer 1,000 phone calls a day, just like you can't. He has a good soul, but in 10 minutes of talking to him, or even five or one, he can't prove that to you, just like you can't to him. The last line of this section is the blunt truth: if you're famous or receiving attention, people suddenly want to know you.

"I love the Japanese/I love the Japanese/those from Japan and overseas./I love the Japanese/do you love the Japanese?/Those from Japan and overseas/Those from Japan and overseas/like me."

Bryce all in all is offering encouragement to anyone hearing this song: treat everyone as you would like to be treated, and they will in turn eventually treat you in the same way.


A Bible verse to accompany this song would be Matthew 7:12.
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."