As of 2009, the band consists of Kristen Henderson on bass guitar/bg vocals, Cathy Henderson on lead guitar/bg vocals, Dena Tauriello on drums and Nini Camps on rhythm guitar and lead vocals.
The band is primarily known as a touring band, at one time performing 260 shows a year. They earned a dedicated fanbase early on that follows them from concert to concert along the East Coast and increasingly across the country. Fans refer to the band simply as "AR" or "Antigone".
Their first four albums were recorded mostly with independent labels and financed through fan donations. In 2003 they signed up with Lava Records after label president Jason Flom spotted them playing at one of their gigs. In 2005, they became the first artists to be promoted in Starbucks' Hear Music Series, created to discover and spotlight new music. The high visibility, exclusive sale, in-store promotion and airplay at Starbucks across the country helped the band's acoustic EP From the Ground Up sell over 450,000 copies by the end of 2005. The album's single, "Don't Look Back," was very popular among country audiences, and its video received heavy airplay on CMT.
Antigone Rising have shared the stage with Joan Jett, The Rolling Stones, moe., Rob Thomas, Aerosmith, The Allman Brothers and The Bangles[1]. They performed at Lilith Fair 1998 and SXSW 2005 and have co-written with Chris Trapper of The Push Stars and Rob Thomas.
Michael
Antigone Rising Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the last night of his life
Michael's in the back seat
Thinking every thing's alright
He was young, and so invincible
The radio was blasting
In the car he got from dad
Are the last of him I have
And it's all so inconceivable
When they told me you were gone
Hated God for what he'd done
I'm trying hard to understand
And I know I shouldn't want this to be
Someone else instead of you
I thought you were so invincible
Four o'clock in the morning
Before the break of dawn
Michael left forever
From the town where he was born
And I woke up crying, 'cause I knew you were gone
And it hurts to miss you everyday
Feeling never goes away
I'm trying hard to understand
And I drive the streets we grew up on
I can't believe it's been that long
I thought we were so invincible
I want to change the way the story goes
Why can't it have a happy ending?
Driving down a dark road
On an endless summer's night
Michael's in the back seat
And he makes it home alright
And at night he whispers in my ear
Hear his voice so loud and clear
He tries to help me understand
That he'll always be right by my side
A part of him will never die
That's what made him so invincible
So invincible, so invincible, alright
The song "Michael" by Antigone Rising describes the death of a young man named Michael. The singer of the song recounts the night when Michael was killed in a car accident. Michael was in the back seat of a car on a dark road, and he thought everything was alright. But the singer reveals that Michael was young and felt invincible, which is tragic because it led to his death. The chorus reflects the singer's feelings of disbelief, anger, and sadness as she tries to understand why God took Michael away. She drives on the streets where they grew up and remembers Michael's presence. She says that missing him never goes away, and she wants to change the story's ending to a happy one.
The song's emotional impact lies in its message that life is fragile, and losing a loved one is difficult to process. The singer's wistful longing to hear Michael's voice again is both poignant and relatable. The song's lyrics also expose the brutal reality that feeling invincible is a common sentiment among young people, but it can lead to recklessness and tragedy.
Line by Line Meaning
Driving down a dark road
Michael is driving in a car on a dark road.
On the last night of his life
It was the last night of Michael's life.
Michael's in the back seat
Michael is sitting in the back seat of the car.
Thinking every thing's alright
Michael feels good and thinks everything is okay.
He was young, and so invincible
Michael was young and felt invulnerable.
The radio was blasting
The radio in the car was playing loudly.
In the car he got from dad
Michael got the car he is driving from his dad.
Tail lights in the distance
Michael sees tail lights in the distance.
Are the last of him I have
This is the last time the singer sees Michael alive.
And it's all so inconceivable
The singer cannot believe Michael is gone and feels confused.
When they told me you were gone
The singer found out Michael passed away.
Hated God for what he'd done
The singer is angry at God for taking Michael away.
I'm trying hard to understand
The singer is trying to make sense of Michael's death.
And I know I shouldn't want this to be
The singer wishes Michael's death did not happen, but knows it cannot be changed.
Someone else instead of you
The singer wishes someone else had died instead of Michael.
I thought you were so invincible
The singer thought Michael could never be defeated.
Four o'clock in the morning
It was four in the morning when Michael died.
Before the break of dawn
Michael died before the sun came up.
Michael left forever
Michael passed away for good.
From the town where he was born
Michael died in the town where he was born.
And I woke up crying, 'cause I knew you were gone
The singer woke up crying after having a dream about Michael being gone.
And it hurts to miss you everyday
The singer feels sad every day because of missing Michael.
Feeling never goes away
The singer's sadness over Michael's death does not fade.
And I drive the streets we grew up on
The singer drives on the roads where they and Michael grew up.
I can't believe it's been that long
The singer is surprised at how much time has passed since Michael's death.
I thought we were so invincible
The singer felt like they could never be defeated.
I want to change the way the story goes
The singer wishes they could alter Michael's death.
Why can't it have a happy ending?
The singer wishes the story could end positively instead of Michael's death.
On an endless summer's night
This line imagines an alternate reality where Michael survived and returned home.
And he makes it home alright
Michael made it home safely in the imagined reality.
And at night he whispers in my ear
The singer imagines Michael speaking to her in her dreams.
Hear his voice so loud and clear
The voice Michael speaks in the singer's dreams is vivid and easy to hear.
He tries to help me understand
Michael helps the singer understand why he had to die in the imagined reality.
That he'll always be right by my side
In the imagined reality, Michael will always be with the singer.
A part of him will never die
In the imagined reality, Michael lives on in some way.
That's what made him so invincible
The singer imagines that the part of Michael that lives on makes him invulnerable.
So invincible, so invincible, alright
This line emphasizes the idea that Michael is still invincible in the imagined reality.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KRISTEN HENDERSON, DIANE SCANLON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind