Formed in 2006, the band derived its name from the Wilco song, “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” and is led by band founder and lead vocalist/ guitarist BJ Barham. A new lineup was announced in April 2017 with new faces joining the ranks: Crooks drummer Joey Bybee, Damn Quails bass player Ben Hussey and guitarist Shane Boeker – all from Texas – along with Nashville pedal-steel player Adam Kurtz, who also fronts Music City's experimental Buck Owens tribute Buck N' Stuff. Bybee left in August 2018 and was replaced by Nashville-based drummer Matty Alger, who in turn left in February 2019. Kurtz left the band after the Mile Zero fest in January 2019, and Hussey left in July 2019.
Their first album, Antique Hearts, was released in 2006, followed by The Bible and the Bottle in 2008.
In 2012, American Aquarium released two albums: Live in Raleigh and Burn. Flicker. Die.
The band released their sixth original album, Wolves, in February 2015.[7] The band's fans helped raise $24,000 through a Kickstarter project to help fund the album's production, and the album was recorded in Asheville, North Carolina at Echo Mountain.
On November 25, 2016 "Live at Terminal West" was released by the band from a live show recording in November 2015 at Terminal West in Atlanta, Georgia.
Things Change was released on New West Records in 2018, followed by
Lamentations (on New West Records) in 2020.
Hard To Quit
American Aquarium Lyrics
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And kick off those skinny jeans
Take off what you're wearing
And let down your hair and
Let me show you how good a mistake can really be
Nobody's ever kissed me like you do
And I don't think anyone ever will
And the way my fingertips
Turn on the woman inside of you
Why can't we make this work
Just tell me what I gotta fix
You ain't gotta stay
But please don't walk away
'Cause you're the hardest thing I've ever had to quit
I'll never forget those nights
In a dirty hotel room
If I had it my way
We'd head out on that highway
And we'd never look back just living between the lines
But your eyes that tell me more
Than your tongue ever will
You just can't help it
You're in love with someone else, kid
And I'm stuck here falling in love with you
Why can't we make this work
Just tell me what I gotta fix
You ain't gotta stay
But please don't walk away
'Cause you're the hardest thing I've ever had to quit
This shirt still smells like you
I haven't washed these clothes in weeks
I'm killing myself
Just listening to old voicemails
Just to hear the way you said goodbye
Just to hear the way you said goodbye
The song "Hard to Quit" by American Aquarium is a heartbreaking ballad about a man who is hopelessly in love with someone who is already in love with someone else. The man is begging his lover to stay with him despite knowing that their love is never going to work. He is trying to show her that being with him can be the best mistake of her life. The lyrics are poetic and raw, depicting the intense emotions of love and heartbreak.
The first stanza of the song is a plea for the woman to come to bed and be with him. The second stanza talks about how no one has ever kissed him like she does and how she turns him on. The third stanza is a desperate plea for her to stay and not leave him, despite knowing that she loves someone else. The last stanza talks about how he is struggling to move on and how everything around him reminds him of her. The lyrics are a beautiful expression of love, heartbreak, and the struggle to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby won't you come to bed
And kick off those skinny jeans
Take off what you're wearing
And let down your hair and
Let me show you how good a mistake can really be
The singer is requesting the person to come to bed and remove their clothes to engage in a sensual act, where they can make mistakes that feel good
Nobody's ever kissed me like you do
And I don't think anyone ever will
The way you bite my lower lip
And the way my fingertips
Turn on the woman inside of you
The singer has never experienced such an amazing kiss before, and feels that it's unlikely that they will. The kiss results in a heightened sexual desire in both parties
Why can't we make this work
Just tell me what I gotta fix
You ain't gotta stay
But please don't walk away
'Cause you're the hardest thing I've ever had to quit
The singer is struggling with ending the relationship, asking the other person to let them know what they need to do to make things work, even if they choose to walk away in the end, as their absence is hard to overcome
I'll never forget those nights
In a dirty hotel room
If I had it my way
We'd head out on that highway
And we'd never look back just living between the lines
The artist recalls moments of passion in a seedy hotel room, where they wish they could travel endlessly with the other person and live life on the edge
But your eyes that tell me more
Than your tongue ever will
You just can't help it
You're in love with someone else, kid
And I'm stuck here falling in love with you
The other person's eyes reveal to the artist that they are in love with someone else, even though they may not be admitting it through their words. Meanwhile, the artist is slowly developing romantic feelings for them
This shirt still smells like you
I haven't washed these clothes in weeks
I'm killing myself
Just listening to old voicemails
Just to hear the way you said goodbye
Just to hear the way you said goodbye
The singer is holding onto the memory of the other person and their scent, unwilling to let go, and as a result keeps old voicemails that remind them of the time they said goodbye
Contributed by Hudson O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.