Those recordings contain some of the most kaleidoscopic, distinctly individual – and above all, honest – pop music you’ll hear all year. Summers started Avid Dancer to express himself viscerally – sometimes literally. For 1st Bath’s artwork, he wrote the album’s title in, yes, his own blood over a collage of photos from his early childhood. “This music represents my entire existence up to making this record,” Summers explains. “I wanted to really let people in, so I decided to paint the album title in my own blood. I actually jabbed myself until I got a big enough pool to write with. I mean, what could be more ‘me’?” That philosophy boils down to the intensity suggested in Avid Dancer’s moniker. “I realized the name matches what I’m doing musically,” Summers says. “When we dance, we lose ourselves in it – we put ourselves out there and don’t give a fuck. I’m not a guitar player, not a singer – I’m just putting myself out there with this music.”
In fact, Summers began as a drummer – a champion virtuoso, who won top honors for rudimental snare at United Corps International’s prestigious annual bugle-and-drum corps competition. During the songwriting process, he’d start with rhythms he’d create on percussion. This process ultimately gave his material a righteous rhythmic heft across the board – from the highly danceable “All the Other Girls” and the smoky torch-soul ballad “Stop Playing With My Heart,” to even the pedal-steel Americana of “Why Did I Leave You Behind?”
Even when Avid Dancer’s music does evoke artists, say – from the trippy Madchester vibe of album opener “All The Other Girls,” evoking Stone Roses and Charlatans to the insistent Pixies-style bassline opening “Medication” – it’s a happy coincidence. Raised in a strict Christian household, Summers was forbidden to listen to any secular music until his late teens; as a result, his musical discovery remains ongoing. “Growing up before the Internet, I was cut off,” he notes. “I wasn’t even allowed to watch MTV! I lived in an alternate reality.” I remember sending some songs to a friend and he said, ‘Dude, you remind me of The Kinks.’ I thought they were maybe a new band, but when I listened to them I fell in love with their music. Another time, I got compared to Elliott Smith, and then I got really into him.”
Summers’ entrée into the world of popular music proves a most unlikely origin story. He dropped out of his freshman year studying music education at the University of Tennessee to join the Marines – enlisting, in fact, on September 12, 2001. “It was the day after 9/11, but I’d planned on doing it anyway,” says Summers. He ended up in the elite United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps, with whom he’d play up to 300 performances a year in addition to regular combat training.
At the end of his time with the Marines, Summers moved to Los Angeles: there he endured a number of awkward stints drumming for bands and studied audio recording.
Another sharp turn in Summers’ life came when he moved (of all places) to Alaska for a woman, it was here some of the songs on 1st Bath rook shape. As they grew, Summers would eventually return to LA and make his home at Venice Beach, where he completed 1st Bath. “This album for me has been all about honesty – with myself and about myself” Summers says reflecting on how his vast array of experiences have come together to shape his songwriting. Blogs started raving about early Avid Dancer demos, and they also caught the ear of noted producer Raymond Richards (Local Natives, Ferraby Lionheart). Together, Summers and Richards began recording the Avid Dancer songs that would eventually appear on 1st Bath at Richard’s Red Rockets Glare studio in Culver City, California – all except for the version of “I Wanna See You Dance,” which was produced by Dave Trumfio (Wilco, OK Go, Built to Spill,The Mekons).
Since then, he’s formed Avid Dancer’s live touring unit, a fluid ensemble that’s already supported the likes of Mac DeMarco, Warpaint, Hamilton Leithauser and Cold War Kids with its energetic live show. “I try to learn from other bands,” Summers says, “seeing how they hone in on delivering their message.” Ultimately Avid Dancer’s own message manifested itself when he wrote the song “All Your Words Are Gone” – one of 1st Bath’s most memorably plangent moments. “I met a sad girl and wrote that song to make her feel better,’” Summers says. “Writing that was a defining moment. Previously, I tried to write music that had never existed before. But doing ‘All Your Words Are Gone’ made me realize there are no new chords; what I needed to do was write a song that means something to me. I now understood I could do whatever I want: I don’t have to carry around any baggage – I can do anything. Whether it’s an acoustic country song, an electro track, or a heavy guitar jam, the style didn’t matter: I just channel whatever I’m feeling into a song that has something to say. That’s how I’ve been doing it ever since.”
I Told You So
Avid Dancer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And suppose I said "I wanna come back home".
And suppose I cried and said "I think I finally learned my lesson"
And I'm tired a-spendin' all my time alone.
If I told you that I realized you're all I ever wanted
And it's killin' me to be so far away.
Would you tell me that you loved me too and would we cry together?
Or would you simply laugh at me and say
I told you some day you'd come crawling back and asking me to take you in
I told you so, but you had to go
Now I found somebody new and you will never break my heart in two again".
If I got down on my knees and told you I was yours forever
Would you get down on yours too and take my hand?
Would we get that old time feelin', would we laugh and talk for hours
The way we did when our love first began?
Would you tell me that you'd missed me too and that you've been so lonely
And you waited for the day that I return.
And we'd live in love forever and that I'm your one and only
Or would you say the tables finally turned?
Would you say
"I told you so, oh I told you so
I told you some day you come crawling back and asking me to take you in
I told you so, but you had to go
Now I found somebody new and you will never break my heart in two again".
"Now I found somebody new and you will never break my heart in two again".
The song "I Told You So" by Avid Dancer portrays the dilemma of a person who has realized that they have lost the love of their life due to their own mistakes and is now desperate to get their love back. The lyrics reflect the pain and regret that the person is going through, as they imagine reaching out to their lover and begging for forgiveness. The song takes the listener through the emotional journey of the singer by painting vivid imagery of what might happen if they were to reunite with their lover.
The singer asks hypothetical questions like, "If I told you that I realized you're all I ever wanted, would you tell me that you loved me too and would we cry together?" and "If I got down on my knees and told you I was yours forever, would we get that old time feeling?". The chorus of the song repeatedly emphasizes the fear of rejection by their former love. The lyrics, "I told you some day you'd come crawling back and asking me to take you in, but you had to go. Now I found somebody new and you will never break my heart in two again," suggest that the singer is aware that their actions may have permanently damaged their relationship, and they may never be able to regain what they lost.
In conclusion, "I Told You So" is a heart-wrenching song that speaks to the pain of love lost and the regret of missed chances. The lyrics evoke strong emotions, and the listener cannot help but empathize with the singer's struggle to make amends.
Line by Line Meaning
Suppose I called you up tonight and told you that I loved you
The singer is proposing a hypothetical situation where they confess their love to their partner.
And suppose I said "I wanna come back home"
The singer is proposing another hypothetical situation where they express their desire to return home.
And suppose I cried and said "I think I finally learned my lesson"
The singer is proposing another hypothetical situation where they admit to finally learning a lesson.
And I'm tired a-spendin' all my time alone.
The artist expresses their fatigue with being alone.
If I told you that I realized you're all I ever wanted
The artist is posing another hypothetical situation where they confess that the person they are speaking to is everything they've ever wanted.
And it's killin' me to be so far away.
The singer expresses their pain at being so far away from the other person, presumably their partner.
Would you tell me that you loved me too and would we cry together?
The singer wonders if their partner will return their love, and if they will cry together in happiness and relief.
Or would you simply laugh at me and say "I told you so"
The artist ponders the possibility that their partner may not reciprocate their feelings and instead taunt them with "I told you so".
Oh I told you so
The repeated phrase is the taunting response of the partner, indicating that they predicted this would happen.
I told you some day you'd come crawling back and asking me to take you in
The partner predicted that the artist would return, seeking shelter and comfort from them.
Now I found somebody new and you will never break my heart in two again
The partner has found someone else and will not allow themselves to be hurt by the singer again.
If I got down on my knees and told you I was yours forever
Another hypothetical situation proposed by the artist where they pledge their eternal loyalty to their partner.
Would you get down on yours too and take my hand?
The singer questions whether their partner will accept their pledge and join them in commitment.
Would we get that old time feelin', would we laugh and talk for hours
The singer wonders if they can recapture the intimacy and happiness they once shared.
The way we did when our love first began?
The singer refers nostalgically to the early days of their relationship.
Would you tell me that you'd missed me too and that you've been so lonely
The artist wonders if their partner has also missed them and has been lonely while they were apart.
And you waited for the day that I return
The artist imagines that their partner has been waiting for their return.
And we'd live in love forever and that I'm your one and only
The singer envisions a future where they and their partner will live happily ever after together as each other's one true love.
Or would you say the tables finally turned?
The singer fears that instead of reciprocation, their partner will instead express a sense of satisfaction that the tables have turned in their favor.
Contributed by Caroline W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.