Their debut full-length, Background Music, was recorded for Equal Vision Records in 2001 and was released to much acclaim. In 2003, the band faced a legal battle with a similarly named band from Philadelphia. The band then changed their name briefly to the initials "A.N." then to American Nothing for a brief period. After the other American Nightmare threatened to press charges again, they changed their name to Give Up the Ghost (which was intended to be the name of their second album). Their second full length, We're Down Til We're Underground released on Equal Vision Records, displayed the band experimenting with their sound, with longer songs that didn't follow the typical hardcore songwriting formula they had adhered to in their previous releases.
The band broke up suddenly in June 2004, a day after announcing the cancellation of a European tour. The band issued a statement which cited "health and personal reasons" for the split. Give Up the Ghost's success, combined with the success of contemporary Boston bands like The Suicide File, cemented the position of the Boston scene as the bellwether for new trends during the early 2000s. Members went on to join / form other bands such as Cold Cave, Some Girls, XO Skeletons, Ye Olde Maids, Head Automatica, Bars, and The Hope Conspiracy. Wes also went on to start a publishing company called Heartworm Press and co-owns Philadelphia based bookstore/performance space Juanita And Juan's. Give Up the Ghost came back into the headlines in 2007 under accusations that Fall Out Boy had taken lyrics from Wes Eisold, the band's lyricist, resulting in an out-of-court settlement and a credit in the liner notes of both the multi-platinum selling From Under the Cork Tree and Infinity on High.
After seven years of disbandment, Give Up the Ghost played two reunion shows in December 2011. The band performed in Revere, Massachusetts (just outside of Boston) on December 29, and in Los Angeles on December 31. Deathwish Inc. reissued Give Up the Ghost's albums Background Music (2001) and We're Down Til We're Underground (2003) to coincide with the reunion dates. Tickets for the two reunion shows went on sale on October 29, 2011 and both shows sold out in under a minute. As a result, a special ticket package was announced to go on sale November 7, with all proceeds going to Shirts For A Cure Project, which benefits the Syrentha Savio Endowment. The package included two tickets and two t-shirts for $100, which in turn also sold out in under a minute.
Give Up the Ghost played additional reunion shows on July 20 and July 22, 2012 at Webster Hall in New York City. In addition, Give Up the Ghost performed at the FYF Fest in Los Angeles, California in September 2012 under their original name American Nightmare. They scheduled two more shows under the American Nightmare name in June 2013 in Chicago and Toronto. Shows in Anaheim CA and Seattle WA are also scheduled for December of 2013.
Wes Eisold - vocals
Tim Cossar - guitar
Brian Masek - guitar
Josh Holden - bass
Alex Garcia Rivera - drums
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Love American
Give Up The Ghost Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our love is all that we'll ever have
Boys and girls, guys and dolls
You were finding faith in bathroom stalls
And broken beds, spring fractured spines
Fall for the right kids at all the wrong times
And in a world of sluts, we keep this wet dream alive
Yeah, our drought is drying out
Of breaking down and breaking out is just wishful thinking
We're taking walks around the hearts and homes we'll never own
You go nowhere in a nowhere town and no one's listening to the sound
Of breaking down and breaking out is just wishful thinking
You go nowhere in a nowhere town
We're growing up by falling down
We love the songs because we live the songs
In condemned flats between the rights and wrongs
And all we know is that we'll never know
We love the hearts but the hearts love us even more
Desperate and true, thinking of you
Borrowed and blue, sinking with you
Keep loving, keep breathing, keep living
The song "Love American" by Give Up The Ghost talks about the struggles of young love in a time when everything else seems to be falling apart. It starts by saying that their love is the only thing they ever had and will ever have. The song then refers to the struggles that many young people face when trying to find their place in the world. The verses mention finding faith in bathroom stalls, broken beds, and fractured spines, which could be interpreted as young people looking for fulfillment in all the wrong places.
The chorus talks about how they feel stuck in a nowhere town, and breaking out is just wishful thinking. Despite this, they keep on walking around the hearts and homes they'll never own, which could be interpreted as them dreaming of a better life. The second verse talks about how they're growing up by falling down and living in condemned flats between the rights and wrongs. It's a bittersweet reminder of how, despite their struggles, they're still trying to make the most of what they have.
Overall, "Love American" is a poignant song that captures the essence of what it means to be young and in love during difficult times. It speaks to the challenges of finding your place in the world while holding onto hope and dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Our love is all that we ever had
Our romantic love is the only thing that we have that is valuable.
Our love is all that we'll ever have
We accept that we may not have anything else other than our love to get through life.
Boys and girls, guys and dolls
People of all ages and genders are important in our lives.
You were finding faith in bathroom stalls
You searched for meaning in unexpected places.
And broken beds, spring fractured spines
We are willing to face physical pain for our love.
Fall for the right kids at all the wrong times
We fall in love with the right people at the wrong time.
And in a world of sluts, we keep this wet dream alive
We continue to hold on to our romantic dream amid a culture of promiscuity.
Yeah, our drought is drying out
Our emotional dry spell is beginning to fade away.
You go nowhere in a nowhere town and no one's listening to the sound
We feel like we are not going anywhere in our unremarkable town, and nobody is paying attention to us or our dreams.
Of breaking down and breaking out is just wishful thinking
Our desire to break free from our current situation is just a hopeful fantasy.
We're taking walks around the hearts and homes we'll never own
We are wandering aimlessly through places we will never truly belong to.
We're growing up by falling down
We are learning from our mistakes and failures and using them to become better people.
We love the songs because we live the songs
We resonate with music because it reflects our own experiences.
In condemned flats between the rights and wrongs
We live in rundown apartments and deal with moral ambiguity.
And all we know is that we'll never know
Our understanding of the world is limited.
We love the hearts but the hearts love us even more
We receive more love from others than we can give.
Desperate and true, thinking of you
We are hopelessly devoted and constantly thinking of our significant other.
Borrowed and blue, sinking with you
We are feeling sad and helpless, but we are together in our feelings.
Keep loving, keep breathing, keep living
Our message to ourselves and others is to continue to love and live, regardless of the challenges we face.
Lyrics © HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP
Written by: TIM COSSAR, WESLEY EISOLD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind