Here’s a little bit on “Enemy,” the moody opener to my band’s new EP, The Sound.
Click to listen while you read on.
[audio:Enemy.mp3]
We debuted it at The Continental club in December of 2005, and like most all of our first-time-evers it was miserable. With some polish it became, and remains, one of my personal favorites.
Lyrically, it was my first attempt at a faster rhythmic pattern but I think it came out all right. I remember channeling Joey Eppard to capture the vibe we were feeling. In spite of the unfamiliar speed I’d committed to, the foundation of lyrics poured out in only a two or three short sessions. Most likely because of the song’s autobiographical nature.
The song is about blame. When life unfolds in ways you don’t expect or want it to, it’s a lot easier to point the finger at your parents, your girlfriend, money, work, or whatever fits, than it is to suck it up and take responsibility. Sure, there are barriers, and luck, and factors, but at the end of the day, you’re driving. “Enemy” is my personal recognition of this difficult but empowering frame of mind.
The first verse is full of thoughtless blame and finger pointing. It’s not until the interlude before second verse that I step back and change perspective to recognize the real problem. The rest of the song is a sensationalized conversation with myself where I point to the short-comings of a second-person “you” standing in to represent the lazy, entitled, and selfish things I catch myself doing to distance myself from the responsibility of my failures. It escalates to the resolution that you have to fight like a sumbitch to get what you want from life, and essentially, from yourself. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, just my take on it.
The best part is that it opens the album. When removed from it’s autobiographical context and applied to the band, the song’s message of strength, perseverance, and responsibility takes on an even greater significance. It says that we stand by our music and we are willing to do whatever it takes to see it succeed in spite of anything. To borrow a line from the chorus, don’t slow me down.
