Backing him up on this record are Grown Children Megan Spear, Mees' long-time harmonic partner, keyboardist, and percussionist; Javier Madrigal on lead guitar and trumpet; Quilty Kim on bass and backing vocals; and drummer Joe Bowden. Spear's soaring vocals are the Yin to Mees' gravely, half-spoken Yang, while Madrigal's jangly guitar solos add a rich complexity to the band's pop aesthetic. In Bowden, the newest addition to the recently solidified lineup, Mees has found a linchpin: a rock drummer who has the chops and energy to drive the songs forward, but also the dynamics and sensibility to underscore rather than overpower them. This finesse serves the album well as it expands and contracts between spare, twinkling piano melodies tapped out on Spear's keyboard and boisterous swells of guitars, strings, horns, and choral arrangements.
From the first euphoric lines of album-opener "Hungry Like a Tiger" (“I’m breathing good air, through good lungs, with a good heart beating”) to the unstoppable catharsis of the 7-minute barn-burner sing-along "Juicy Fruit," Only Good Thoughts Can Stay weaves a dense fabric of instrumentation around a central narrative patchwork. Lyrically, Mees has forgone the strictly first-person storytelling that characterized 2008’s Caffeine, Alcohol, Sunshine, Money in favor of embodying the perspectives and personal experiences of close friends and family, including his wife (“W.W.J.B.D”), his brother (“Billy Bird”), and a longtime friend (“Inaudible Song”), all of whom shared many of the trials and tribulations that provided inspiration for the record.
Recorded at Portland's Type Foundry Studios under the engineering and production hand of Adam Selzer (M. Ward, Laura Veirs), the album features cello, viola, trumpet, kettle drum, Hammond organ, and Nashville guitar in addition to the traditional guitar-bass-drums setup, as well as a bevy of organic elements. Syncopated group handclaps open “Limber Hearts;" a choir of hollering souls descends on "Graverobbers;" Selzer's dog Stella even chips in to lead a chorus of howls on "Billy Bird." In the recording process, the band set out to capture the facile energy and spontaneity of their interactive live sets--raucous affairs which have been known to end with Mees leading a final call- and-response from atop Bowden's kick drum whilecrowd members rush the stage.
Members:
Jared Mees
Joe Bowden
Jesse Bettis
Megan Spear
Javier Madrigal
Bonus Track
Jared Mees & The Grown Children Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She zips up her coat, he goes to the streets
He gets on the bus, finds an empty seat
He reads in a rush as it begins to sleet
And it says, "Darling, darling, what, oh, what have we done?
Who, oh, who have we become?
Where did we go wrong?
You treat me fine, but you make me cry til I can't breathe.
He wakes up at 6, she's still asleep
And he builds a fire
The rain falls in sheets
He stares at the clock, the carpool's late
We should leave here at 7 to get there by 8
He turns on the TV as he picks up the phone
The first thing he sees is a man weeping alone
Crying, "Jesus, Jesus, savior, what have we done?
Who, oh, who have we become?
Where did we go wrong?
You treat me fine, but you make me cry til I can't breathe.
And if it weren't for her, I would probably leave."
She's 71, he's 73
And they rent a house down by the sea
She drops him off and he makes some cash
He takes a cab home, finds her on her back
Staring at the fan, breath stuck in her throat
She takes his hand and she slips in a note
And it says, "Why, oh, why do we come so fast and then disappear?
Where, oh, where do we go after that, after here?
No, I know that this is not for me to see.
When I go promise that you'll follow me."
The song Bonus Track by Jared Mees & The Grown Children is a poignant narrative that takes the listener through the stages of a romantic relationship - from its passionate and fragile beginnings to its eventual end. The lyrics evocatively showcase the ups and downs of a couple's journey through life, as they struggle to come to grips with life's many challenges. The first verse describes a woman slipping a note to her partner, and the man's subsequent journey on a bus, which provides a glimpse of the increasing strains on their relationship. The chorus that follows is an introspection on love, asking what it could become and where it could have gone wrong. The second verse reveals the couple's middle age where they've gone from passionate to functional, living their life together, as they now have kids and jobs to manage. The man, watching TV and seeing a man weeping alone, only adds to his insecurities. This chorus, like before, focuses on love's fragility, questioning how they got here and wonder what the future will hold. The final verse shows the couple in their old age, living by the sea but still suffering from the same insecurities as they did in their youth. The woman, short of breath, slips a note to her partner asking where they go after this life, imploring him to follow her.
Line by Line Meaning
She slips him a note, he shows her his teeth
She passes him a message, he responds with a smile
She zips up her coat, he goes to the streets
She prepares for the cold, he heads out into the city
He gets on the bus, finds an empty seat
He boards the vehicle, scanning for an unoccupied spot
He reads in a rush as it begins to sleet
He quickly peruses the text as snow starts to fall
And it says, "Darling, darling, what, oh, what have we done?
The note pleads with the recipient, questioning their actions
Who, oh, who have we become?
Asking about their current state or personality
Where did we go wrong?
Inquiring about the point when things started to take a bad turn
You treat me fine, but you make me cry til I can't breathe.
Expressing feelings of emotional toxicity
And if it weren't for this kid, I would probably leave."
Hinting at the pivotal factor that is keeping them together
He wakes up at 6, she's still asleep
He begins his day early while she remains slumbering
And he builds a fire
He starts a flame to keep the place warm
The rain falls in sheets
Heavy precipitation is occurring outside
He stares at the clock, the carpool's late
He checks the time, and the group ride is behind schedule
We should leave here at 7 to get there by 8
Noting that a 60-minute timeframe is necessary for arrival
He turns on the TV as he picks up the phone
He starts up the television while also answering the landline
The first thing he sees is a man weeping alone
On the screen is an individual in tears all by himself
Crying, "Jesus, Jesus, savior, what have we done?
The person on TV is exclaiming religiously, with pleas of redemption
She's 71, he's 73
The woman is 71 years old, and her partner is two years older
And they rent a house down by the sea
They choose to lease a dwelling near the shore
She drops him off and he makes some cash
She gives him a ride before he earns some money
He takes a cab home, finds her on her back
He hails a taxi, then spots her lying on the floor
Staring at the fan, breath stuck in her throat
She gazes upon the ceiling fixture, and her breathing becomes difficult
She takes his hand and she slips in a note
She grips his palm while placing a message inside
And it says, "Why, oh, why do we come so fast and then disappear?
The letter queries their fleeting existence and transience in life
Where, oh, where do we go after that, after here?
Wondering about what comes afterward, beyond the realm of this world
No, I know that this is not for me to see.
Realizing that some things are not meant to be revealed
When I go promise that you'll follow me."
Requesting for the other to accompany them once they depart
Contributed by Alexis L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Noyjeetut
Such a great song. I listen to it multiple times a day.
@josephbuckreis3212
This video is sad but also genius. I love it.
@Hawntbawt
Great blend of beautiful good times and morbid humor! XD
@TheBoysquad
Just discovered this band via their record label (which carries all my favorites including Finn Riggins and Typhoon). I can only say...yes. and yes. I have another new favorite. But the blonde girl should really go back to being a red head :)
@thatone7926
JSP Jacobs cool! I know Finn riggins
@noelybro
Heard this on mushrooms one night like it broadcast through the radio thought it was significant and had to find out what song it was
@eddypalogrande6090
12,000 views.. FINALLY!
@TheMattJacks
Theyre no Worlds Greatest Ghosts!!!
@TheMattJacks
Goddamned indie bands.
@LLukAAs08
why did he do that? :)