Van Laere began his career as quite a reasonable tennis player. The story goes that he was standing in front of the mirror one day and turned his racket around into a guitar. Van Laere withdrew into the oeuvre of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Hank Williams and taught himself to play the guitar and the piano. As a musician, he took the name of Admiral Freebee, from On the Road, the novel by Jack Kerouac.
Belgium got its first extensive taste of Admiral Freebee during Humo’s Rock Rally 2000, the most important rock competition in the Low Countries. Backed by a bass player and a drummer, The Admiral won the silver medal and the price awarded by the public. When performing live, Admiral Freebee is versatility itself. Whether he performs solo and acoustically or with a well-oiled rock machine, the audience can only do one thing - according to fans: listen, see and be silent, only to shout out in admiration in the end.
In 2003 his debut album Admiral Freebee appeared, a record that met the high expectations. In the 12 songs Van Laere shows that he can just as easily come up with a moving country/pop ballad (see for instance the phenomenal single Rags 'n' Run) as a stadium rocker (Ever Present), and that he can just as effortlessly melt the two together into one song (There's a Road (Noorderlaan)) without turning it into a gimmick.
March 2005 Admiral Freebee’s second album was released. It was called Songs and it included 13 of them. Two of them were released as a single: Oh Darkness and Carry On – more to follow. The album was recorded live over the course of five days at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles. John Hanlon (famous for his work with Neil Young & Crazy Horse) sat at the mixing board. The sparing overdubs – backings and solos – took place in the Shangri-La Studio a bit further down the road. The Admiral was called 'The Talent'; whenever he was ready to record, the band recorded.
Studio lineup :
* Guitar/vocals/’Songs’: Tom Van Laere
* Guitar: Jesse Tobias (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Morrissey, Alanis Morissette, The Twilight Singers)
* Bass: Ric Markmann (Chris Cornell)
* Drums and backing vocals: Dean Butterworth (Morrissey, Ben Harper)
* Backing vocals: Tommy Funderburk (Toto)
* Production and technique: John Hanlon (Neil Young & Crazy Horse)
His latest album, Wild Dreams of New Beginnings, has been released to positive critical acclaim in November 2006.
Last Song About You
Admiral Freebee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And get behind the wheel
Don't ask me what I think
Don't ask me what I feel
'Cause I'm sick and tired
Of keeping real and true
It's just the last song baby the last song
It's just the last song baby the last song
I sing about you
Well I sleep all day
I climb trees at night
And now that you're gone
I'm sleeping with the TV on
And I'm sick and tired of feeling blue
It's just the last song baby the last song
It's just the last song baby the last song
It's just the last song baby the last song
I sing about you
Too many bridges that got burned
And I got all my lessons learned
For the wind is whispering all its charms
I'm stepping out out of your arms
And I'm feeling blue
I'm just starting anew
'Cause it's the last song baby the last song
It's just the last song baby the last song
It's just the last song baby the last song
I sing about you
It's just the last song baby the last song
It's just the last song baby the last song
It's just the last song baby the last song
I sing about you
The lyrics of "Last Song About You" by Admiral Freebee are about the end of a relationship and the singer's decision to move on. The song opens with the suggestion to "get your sneakers on" and "get behind the wheel", which could be interpreted as an encouragement to leave the past behind and move forward. The singer then declares that he is "sick and tired of keeping real and true", which could be seen as referring to the strain of dealing with the emotional fallout of a breakup.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "it's just the last song baby the last song", which suggests that the singer is trying to make a clean break and put an end to dwelling on the past. He then goes on to describe his current state - sleeping all day, climbing trees at night, and sleeping with the TV on now that his former partner is gone. He acknowledges that he is feeling blue and tired of it, but also recognizes that he has learned some valuable lessons.
The song ends with the singer stepping out of his former partner's arms and feeling like he is starting anew. The repetition of the phrase "it's just the last song baby the last song" is a reminder that the singer is ready to move on and leave the past behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Get your sneakers on
Put on your shoes and prepare yourself
And get behind the wheel
Get ready to take control and lead the way
Don't ask me what I think
I don't want to share my thoughts
Don't ask me what I feel
I don't want to talk about my emotions
'Cause I'm sick and tired
I'm exhausted
Of keeping real and true
Of being honest and sincere
It's just the last song baby the last song
This is the final song about you
Well I sleep all day
I spend my days sleeping
I climb trees at night
I try to find a sense of adventure in the darkness
And now that you're gone
Since you left
I'm sleeping with the TV on
I need the noise and distraction of the television to sleep
And I'm sick and tired of feeling blue
I've had enough of feeling sad
Too many bridges that got burned
There are too many damaged relationships
And I got all my lessons learned
I've learned from my mistakes
For the wind is whispering all its charms
The wind is alluring and tempting
I'm stepping out out of your arms
I'm leaving your embrace
And I'm feeling blue
I'm still sad
I'm just starting anew
I'm beginning again
It's just the last song baby the last song
This is really the final song about you
I sing about you
This is a song dedicated to you
Contributed by Savannah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lieven Declercq
hahahahahah!