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.
The Longing Never Stops
Admiral Freebee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Making his request
Sometimes I feel like an unwelcome guest
And I can't help but wonder for where I'm bound
With my lost account
I can't help but wonder for where I'm bound
Something that can free me
Something I gotta see
It's a heed that never drops
The longing never stops
The longing never stops
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
Like I'm far from home
Sometimes I feel like I'm all alone
And I can't help but wonder for where I'm bound
With my lost account
I can't help but wonder for where I'm bound
Sometimes I feel like there's something over the hill
Something that can free me
Something I really gotta see
It's a heed that never drops
The longing never stops
The longing never stops
And the longing never stops
And the longing never stops
And the longing never stops
In Admiral Freebee's song "The Longing Never Stops," the singer expresses feelings of being an "unwelcome guest" and feeling lost and alone. One could interpret the unwelcome guest metaphor to mean that the singer feels out of place or unwanted in certain situations. The repetition of the line "Sometimes I feel like an unwelcome guest" emphasizes this feeling of being unwanted or unsure of their place in the world. The second verse adds to this by stating that the singer feels like they are "almost gone" and "far from home," further highlighting their feelings of being lost.
However, amidst these feelings of uncertainty and longing, the singer also expresses a glimmer of hope. They mention how they feel that there is "something over the hill" that can free them and that they "gotta see." This could be interpreted as the singer seeking something new and trying to find their place in the world. Despite not knowing exactly where they are headed, they feel a strong urge to keep going and continue searching for something better.
The chorus of "The Longing Never Stops" reinforces this message of constant searching and longing. The repetition of the line "It's a heed that never drops, the longing never stops" emphasizes the idea that this search for something better will never truly end. The singer acknowledges that they may never find exactly what they are looking for, but they keep trying anyway.
Overall, Admiral Freebee's "The Longing Never Stops" encapsulates the feelings of uncertainty and restlessness that one may feel in their search for meaning and purpose in life. However, it also carries a hopeful message that we should never give up on our search and keep moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I feel like an unwelcome guest
I feel like a nuisance to others
Making his request
Asking for things that I need or want
And I can't help but wonder for where I'm bound
I don't know where my life is headed
With my lost account
Without a clear direction or purpose
Sometimes I feel like there's something over the hill
There's always something more to explore or achieve
Something that can free me
Something that can make me feel less trapped or constrained
Something I gotta see
Something that I need to experience or witness for myself
It's a heed that never drops
A feeling that never goes away
The longing never stops
The desire to fulfill my dreams and aspirations never fades
Sometimes I feel like I'm almost gone
I feel like I'm close to giving up
Like I'm far from home
Like I'm disconnected from my roots or values
Sometimes I feel like I'm all alone
Like no one understands me or can relate to me
And the longing never stops
The desire to achieve remains with me
Contributed by Aaliyah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.