A native of Chicago, Splithoff spent time pursuing a musical career there before heading to New York City and posting up on his best friendβs couch in Harlem, penning ideas on guitar, piano, and bass and recording early demos. Splithoff began to gain momentum with the independent release of his breakout single, "Sing to Youβ
Driven by a hypnotic howl, breezy guitar, and an unbreakable bounce, the track generated over 50 million streams to date, occupied coveted real estate on noted Spotify playlists and reached the top 8 at Adult Radio, paving the way for Splithoff to continue to release singles + EPs to a growing fan base.
Splithoff has toured nationally as a headliner with recent appearances at renowned festivals such as Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo.
Past Times
John Splithoff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A quick pause for the rewind
When I was consuming love likes it's a drug for the first time
Man the history looks nice
And the colors shine so bright
Now I'm remembering the memories like they're not mine
And the colors turn black and blue
Tryna make some sense of the music In my mind
And it sounds like
99 problems cause you're not the one
The teenage dream has come and gone
Feeling so low when nothing's going wrong
This is what it sounds like
Five different lovers that got away
The people that you knew don't look the same
It's a hard day's night when you're missing yesterday
This is what it sounds like
It's a hard day's night when you're missing yesterday
This is what it sounds like
Midnight
I'm falling back into my past life
Old photos get me every time
Like some cheap wine
It's a good ride, and it's a good high
Walking these avenues
And the colors turn black and blue
Tryna make some sense of the music In my mind
And it sounds like
99 problems cause you're not the one
The teenage dream has come and gone
Feeling so low when nothing's going wrong
This is what it sounds like
Five different lovers that got away
The people that you knew don't look the same
It's a hard day's night when you're missing yesterday
This is what it sounds like
It's a hard day's night when you're missing yesterday
This is what it sounds like
This is what it sounds like
Na.Na.Na.Na.Na.Na.Na.
This is what it sounds like
Na.Na.Na.Na.Na.Na.Na.
In John Splithoff's song "Past Times," the chorus repeatedly emphasizes how hard it can be to look back on the past with nostalgia. The first verse speaks to the way people view past relationships or experiences as colorful and vivid in retrospect. The singer acknowledges that they used to treat love like a drug, consuming it with reckless abandon when they were younger, but now they look back on those experiences with an almost surreal sense of detachment.
The second verse addresses the way looking back on the past can make everything seem darker and bluer than it actually was. The singer mentions the struggle to make sense of the "music in my mind," suggesting that memories can be chaotic and confusing. The chorus again emphasizes the difficulty of remembering past mistakes and traumas, reiterating how hard it is to move on from them.
Overall, "Past Times" reflects on the way nostalgia can both comfort and confuse us at the same time. The lyrics suggest that memories are often hazy and hard to grasp, and that looking back on past mistakes can be painful. However, despite the sense of malaise that permeates the song, it ultimately ends on a hopeful and upbeat note, as the chorus repeats the refrain "this is what it sounds like" over and over again, suggesting that there is a kind of beauty in the pain of nostalgia.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been thinking 'bout past times
Reflecting on memories and experiences from the past
A quick pause for the rewind
Taking a moment to go back and revisit the past
When I was consuming love likes it's a drug for the first time
Reminiscing about the excitement and intensity of first love
Man the history looks nice
The past seems more attractive in hindsight
And the colors shine so bright
Memories seem more vivid and alive in retrospect
Now I'm remembering the memories like they're not mine
Feeling distanced or detached from past experiences
I'm walking these avenues
Navigating through life and processing experiences
And the colors turn black and blue
Feeling sadness and pain as life moves forward
Tryna make some sense of the music In my mind
Processing thoughts and emotions through music
99 problems cause you're not the one
Feeling disappointment or heartbreak in relationships
The teenage dream has come and gone
Feeling nostalgic about youth and the past
Feeling so low when nothing's going wrong
Experiencing sadness or melancholy without an apparent reason
Five different lovers that got away
Thinking about past relationships that didn't work out
The people that you knew don't look the same
Noticing changes in people or relationships over time
It's a hard day's night when you're missing yesterday
Feeling nostalgic or longing for the past
Midnight
A reference to late-night thoughts and reflection
I'm falling back into my past life
Being mentally transported to past experiences
Old photos get me every time
Feeling emotional or nostalgic when looking at old pictures
Like some cheap wine
Referencing a low-quality or nostalgic quality of past memories
It's a good ride, and it's a good high
Acknowledging the joyful and thrilling aspects of the past
This is what it sounds like
The chorus serves as a refrain emphasizing the nostalgic themes of the song
Na.Na.Na.Na.Na.Na.Na.
A repeated phrase that serves as a reminder of the song's nostalgic themes
Contributed by Ryan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.