Within a year’s time, Halifax found itself among the rookie bands on the 2004 Warped Tour. By early 2005, after bowling them over Drive-Thru founders Richard Reines and Stefanie Reines during a New Jersey gig with The Early November, the label tweaked and reissued Reference. Halifax continued touring and building its fanbase while concocting what would become The Inevitability of a Strange World, a collection of riff-heavy arena rock anthems that blend post-punk hardcore with hard rock influences, a la Mötley Crüe.
The band took a three year break which was everything but a holiday: it was “a trial in life that gave us one ultimatum: stand up and fight for what we believe in or break up. 90% of bands fail, we like to think we're in the other 10%" explains Tommy. “Not to mention how much we have matured in the last 3 years as musicians and songwriters, let alone adults. We planted our feet firmly on the ground when we made this commitment to music and it’s going to take a lot more than faulty indie labels, lawsuits, and debt to sniper us out. We're not a band that backs down when faced with barriers. We have more respect for our fans and ourselves than to let anything get in the way or stop us from being artists.”
Wielding a melodic guitar driven sound, the quartet is back with their new EP Align. Halifax shows off their newly polished song-craftsmanship while still staying true to their musical influences, as they combine pop sensibility with their unmistakable riff rock and pounding rhythms. The band even shows off their penchant for reggae music in "Snake Slide", and "No Saturation".
Anthem For Tonight
Halifax Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll hypnotize you,
But will you follow me,
Follow all these footsteps I left behind,
My hands are shaking,
Don't criticize me,
I'm not being in demand,
I could pay for your tears,
It's in my job description,
To tell you how to feel,
This is my ammunition,
I'll fly away with you,
Make make me make you want to sing along,
Break break me until you realize your favorite song,
This is your anthem for tonight,
Your contemplating,
What you want from me,
But it's not up to you,
Listen to me what I have to say,
Up against the wall,
With my guard down,
But can you conquer me,
I'm fighting you're not sure and we're not fine,
It's in my job description,
To tell you how to feel,
This is my ammunition,
I'll fly away with you,
Make make me make you want to sing along,
Break break me until you realize your favorite song,
This is your anthem for tonight,
So here comes a breakdown,
Oh you wish you could,
So here comes a breakdown,
Let's sing it and get down,
So here comes a breakdown,
Let's sing it and get down,
Just tell me one more time,
What do you want honey,
Make make me make you want to sing along,
Break break me until you realize your favorite song,
This is your anthem for tonight
The lyrics of Halifax's "Anthem For Tonight" delve into themes of manipulation and control, with the lead singer asking the listener to follow him as he leads them into a world of his own creation. He hypnotizes them with his words and asks them to trust him by following the footsteps he has left behind. He admits that he can be demanding at times, but reassures the listener that he can make it worth their while by paying for their tears.
Throughout the song, the lead singer asserts his power over the listener, stating that it is his job to tell them how to feel and that he possesses the ammunition to make them do so. He even goes so far as to say that he will fly away with the listener, further emphasizing his control over them. The chorus of the song is almost like a call to action, with the lead singer urging the listener to sing along with him and make this their anthem for the night.
As the song progresses, the lead singer becomes more vulnerable, admitting that he is up against the wall with his guard down. He challenges the listener to conquer him, but the listener is unsure and the two are left in a state of fighting and uncertainty.
Overall, "Anthem For Tonight" is a powerful commentary on the complexities and dangers of manipulation, control, and power dynamics in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
So here's a question,
I'm starting things off with a question
I'll hypnotize you,
I'll capture your attention
But will you follow me,
Will you come along with me?
Follow all these footsteps I left behind,
Follow my lead and do what I've done before
My hands are shaking,
I'm nervous
Don't criticize me,
Don't judge me harshly
I'm not being in demand,
I'm not in a position of power
I could pay for your tears,
Even if it makes you cry, I could handle it financially
It's in my job description,
It's what I'm supposed to do
To tell you how to feel,
I'm here to guide your emotions
This is my ammunition,
This is what I have at my disposal to get you to follow me
I'll fly away with you,
We could escape together
Make make me make you want to sing along,
I'm going to make you want to sing this song
Break break me until you realize your favorite song,
Break me down until you realize this is your favorite song
This is your anthem for tonight,
This is the song that belongs to you tonight
Your contemplating,
You're thinking
What you want from me,
You're unsure of what you want from me
But it's not up to you,
It's my decision, not yours
Listen to me what I have to say,
Pay attention to me, I have something important to say
Up against the wall,
We're in a difficult situation
With my guard down,
I'm being vulnerable
But can you conquer me,
Can you handle me?
I'm fighting you're not sure and we're not fine,
We're in a conflict and things aren't okay
So here comes a breakdown,
Things are about to get intense
Oh you wish you could,
You want to be a part of this
Let's sing it and get down,
Let's sing and dance together
Just tell me one more time,
Repeat yourself
What do you want honey,
What is it that you truly desire?
This is your anthem for tonight,
This song is all about you tonight
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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