(1) An indie… Read Full Bio ↴There are currently 2 artists using the name John Gold:
(1) An indie pop artist from Land O' Lakes, FL
(2) A singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, CA
(1) John Gold is an indie pop artist based in Land O' Lakes, FL. His music has an untamed type of wild and innate power which demands attention, honest (though abstract) lyrics, dynamic song structures, various instrumentation, and melodic vocal patterns.
(2) From the artist: southern california and the music born of it are in my blood. i was born here, too, and i live here now. it’s a place of extremes in either direction, but most of the time the sun at the magic hour or the night blooming jasmine in the breeze or some fleetwood mac turned up with the car windows rolled down is enough to help us ignore what ails this place. Now here i go again i see a crystal vision…
the quick story goes like this: after a stint in new york city, i spent about eight years living in this apartment on wilton place in hollywood. it was really small but i didn’t mind because it was kind of like a tree house, and anyway it had everything I needed: a nice tube amp with a few shelves of lp’s, plenty of musical instruments, and a couple good microphones that attached to gear for recording ideas. my mom gave me our upright piano that now doubled as a desk to write on. when I was a little kid, harry nilsson made up a song for me on that same piano. i had a feeling that someday i’d sing songs, too.
so much went down on wilton: so much extreme shit around apartment fires, run-over pets, broken spirits and hearts gone cold. but there was always music, always my songs, and always this giant avocado tree in the sunshine outside my window. so-cal comfort. I wrote and recorded three albums there. a few songs were on tv shows and movies, and by some miracle people all over the world started letting me know that these transmissions from my tiny room were reaching them and keeping their souls warm.
i still had never sung a note more than 20 miles beyond the city limits, and a couple years ago I decided that if this music thing was gonna be real, i needed to make a change. i so badly wanted to move and i wanted to move forward! i felt stuck. i knew that the only thing that would make it happen would be to dream up some songs that no longer reported on and kept me living in the past, but that needed to dictate my future. i wanted to make something that sounded like the place i know, but maybe not a complete throwback to sounds like joni mitchell or csny – those are untouchable – just something new that feels good to be around and reflects my life here.
i asked my friend and musical wiz, scott seiver, to produce it with me and to get it well-recorded over the course of a couple months. he’s also a great drummer and can play a lot of instruments, so we covered a lot of ground between the two of us. my fairly sane but insanely talented group of friends in town (check those liner notes) played and sang and celebrated these songs with me and have everything to do with the songs sounding the way they do. a year later we somehow conjured the amazing shawn everett to mix it. my brother makes the album cover look like the music sounds.
so now i’m writing to you from a house not too far away from hollywood with orange trees in the yard and a one-year-old cat named ocho sleeping next to me and the album is coming out in June, thanks to the great people at vagrant records! i expect that some amazing adventures are on the horizon and hopefully along the way we’ll get to play the songs for you in person, wherever you are.
every word on this album is true to me. every line and each note stands for something important: it’s my own manifesto. it’s my own religion. my own cult of one. “don’t freak out” has been my mantra ever since keefus and benji hughes played their version of baby it’s your life for me. augusta vail has become my personal lord and saviour. i still drown it in white wine every now and again. best of all, what came of that seed of change has grown into the flower in my head, and it continues to bloom. I hope that you put it through your headphones. I want it to be like a flower in your head, too. your sun is coming up, and you’re still alive.
as above, so below.
with love
from los angeles
in 2011
jg
Ghetto
John Gold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was high as a kite but he knew they said somethin like this wow wow
Don't go with the people if you know that the people gonna drown
You're just another good-looking dumb-dumb but you know you'll be just right
chorus:
She'll give you everything
So extraordinary
But you could not put your arms around it
I'll bottle any of these
The opportunity to
Try and control it
Oh I swear you won't believe
so sign every hided on this line my son
We can do this like the days you call a week and do it all at ones
If you wanna play the game you know the name it's all the same to us
I'll take you to another place I'll take you to another world
CHORUS
this another thing was all done
He had his number ones on
And everything was cold, a touch and all better baby
You know you want some
all the things that we do to get to the goal
To get to the things that we cannot hold when it's over
And a million ways to walk today
Believing all the times that it's just ah wrong or right
she'll give you everything
So extraordinary
Ah you could hold it
But you could not put your arms around it
In John Gold's song Ghetto, the lyrics tell a story of a man who is high and standing in the middle of 6 and 7. He is warned not to go with the people if he knows they will drown, but he ignores the warning. The chorus speaks of a woman who will give him everything and an opportunity to try and control it, but he won't be able to put his arms around it. The second verse speaks of signing on the line, and doing everything at once, while the man will take him to another place and another world.
The lyrics are open to interpretation, but some possible meanings are that the song speaks to the allure of material possessions, wealth, and power, and the cost that comes with it. The singer is warned not to follow the crowd, but he does so anyway, and is seduced by the promise of everything he desires. The chorus speaks to the impossibility of truly possessing or controlling those things, which can only be experienced momentarily.
The song also touches on themes of addiction and escapism, as the singer seeks to escape his reality through drugs and an alternate place that promises everything. Overall, the song's lyrics are intricate and thought-provoking, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.
Line by Line Meaning
He was standin' in the middle of 6 and 7
He was lost and confused, unsure of which direction to take in life.
He was high as a kite but he knew they said somethin like this wow wow
He was under the influence of drugs, but still had a sense of awareness about his surroundings.
Don't go with the people if you know that the people gonna drown
Don't follow the crowd if you know it's headed in the wrong direction.
You're just another good-looking dumb-dumb but you know you'll be just right
Others may underestimate him because of his looks, but he knows he'll succeed in the end.
CHORUS: She'll give you everything / So extraordinary / Ah you could hold it / But you could not put your arms around it
He's describing a person or opportunity that is amazing but difficult to fully understand or grasp.
So sign every hided on this line my son
He's encouraging someone to sign up for something, likely a contract or agreement.
We can do this like the days you call a week and do it all at ones
He's suggesting that they tackle a task in one fell swoop, like a week's worth of work in one day.
If you wanna play the game you know the name it's all the same to us
If you want to be involved or succeed, you have to know the rules and be willing to play by them.
I'll take you to another place I'll take you to another world
He's offering to take someone on a new journey, possibly a metaphor for showing them a new perspective or introducing them to a new experience.
CHORUS: She'll give you everything / So extraordinary / Ah you could hold it / But you could not put your arms around it
See previous chorus explanation.
This another thing was all done / He had his number ones on / And everything was cold, a touch and all better baby / You know you want some
He's describing a time when everything was going well, and he had achieved his goals.
All the things that we do to get to the goal / To get to the things that we cannot hold when it's over
He's describing the things we do to achieve our goals, even though those goals are not permanent and will eventually end.
And a million ways to walk today / Believing all the times that it's just ah wrong or right
There are many paths in life, and it's often difficult to know which is the right one.
CHORUS: She'll give you everything / So extraordinary / Ah you could hold it / But you could not put your arms around it
See previous chorus explanation.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: JOHN D. GOLDMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind