Growing up in houses just two minutes away from each other in Swords, a working class town near Dublin airport, Stephen Garrigan and Mark Prendergast met aged eight, when they were the only boys in the school choir. Skip forward six years and they recruited Vinny May , also situated a stones throw away and together set about forming the first of myriad bands. The line-up for Kodaline was recently completed by the addition of bassist Jason Boland . The band's name, incidentally, means absolutely nothing. For the moment they wanted something they could take ownership of.
The band became a YouTube sensation with their music video for the song 'All I Want' which tells the heartbreaking beauty-and-the-beast type story. On October 4th 2013 Kodaline released another music video for this song called 'All I Want part 2" this again tells us about the man.
On June 17th 2013, Kodaline released their first studio album, In a Perfect World, with 11 tracks including 'All I Want', 'Pray', 'Love Like This' and 'High Hopes'. The oldest track on their album is 'High Hopes' which was based on a series of breakups that members of the band were facing during that time.
Teaching each other the principles of songcraft, the music they came up with some of which can be found on their self titled EP isn't wan or introspective or self-serving. Instead, it's bold, epic and stirring. Currently maintaining an air of understated mystery, Kodaline are soon set to unveil themselves to the world with these first four tracks recorded with Steve Harris (producer for Dave Matthews band, mixer for U2).
Singles have featured in a number of TV shows, including 'Remember the time' in Grey's Anatomy and 'All I Want' in "The Vampire Diaries". This song was also used ,very effectively, as the backing music in the 2012 Google Zeitgeist advert.
Kodaline have also been doing many tours recently and their last two in the UK were completely sold out. They enjoy being on the stage and are looking forwards to many festivals in the upcoming summer, such as T in the Park and the V festival.
To celebrate the beginning of 2014, Kodaline released an alternative video for their song 'One Day' on January 1st, 2014. Also, on the 15th of January, Kodaline received the EBBA for the people's choice award along with another award for the best Irish Act. This promising band has been acclaimed for their many talents and will surely continue to produce such heart-rendering music.
Kodaline have announced their second album: 'Coming Up For Air' which will be released in February 2015. A couple of the songs have already been made public. They are also going on another tour around various places in the world after it's release, starting in the amazing Glasgow Barrowlands. They will also be returning to America after their last tour was cancelled due to Jay's broken wrist.
what it is
Kodaline Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you're trying to figure out your fate tonight
And you hear a sound coming out of the car radio
Saying "son, if you don't learn, then you will never know"
So you try to drag your feet down to the bar
When you startin' to forget just who you are
And they told you it was written in the stars
But you've never had a chance to look that far
Yeah, it's just the way it goes
Maybe you die young before you're old
Yeah, it's just the way it is
Nobody's gonna tell you how to live
In a world that changes everyday,
It's easy to get lost along the way.
In a world that's never as it seems,
Where people try to buy and sell their dreams
Where people try to buy and sell their dreams
Yeah, it's just the way it goes.
Maybe you die young before you're old
Yeah, it's just the way it is.
Nobody's gonna tell you how to live.
Nobody's gonna tell you how to live.
(It's just the way it goes)
(Maybe you'll die young before you're old)
(Yeah, it's just the way it is)
(Nobody's gonna tell you how to live)
(Nobody's gonna tell you how to live)
Nobody's gonna tell you how to live.
Nobody's gonna tell you how to live.
Cause nobody understands just what it is
The song "What It Is" by Kodaline expresses the confusion and uncertainty of life that everyone faces at some point. The lyrics imply that life is a journey where one tries to figure out their way in the midst of an ever-changing world. The song's first verse describes the feeling of being lost and unsure of one's fate while standing in the parking lot of life. The lyrics suggest that no one can predict their future, but the sound coming from the car radio says that learning is crucial for advancing in life.
The singer tries to find solace in the bar where they lose themselves and forget who they are. People have told them that their destiny is written in the stars, but they have never taken the time to search for it themselves. The chorus implies that life is unpredictable, and there is no right way of living. The phrase "Maybe you'll die young before you're old" suggests that life is short and that we should live every moment to the fullest. The song points out that nobody understands what life is, and it's up to individuals to figure it out by learning and experiencing.
In the second verse, the song emphasizes that people get caught up in a world that's always changing, where they forget who they are, and they begin to live someone else's dream. The song suggests that people try to buy and sell their dreams, which implies that individuals follow societal norms and expectations to achieve their goals. In the end, the song concludes that nobody can tell you how to live because nobody understands the uncertainty and confusion of life.
Overall, "What It Is" reinforces the idea of self-discovery and that one's destiny is theirs to make. The song addresses the pitfalls of trying to follow societal norms and the importance of living in the moment while staying true to one's self.
Line by Line Meaning
So you're standing in the parking lot of life
You are at a loss in your journey through life.
And you're trying to figure out your fate tonight
You are attempting to determine what destiny has in store for you.
And you hear a sound coming out of the car radio
A sound from the radio catches your attention.
Saying 'son, if you don't learn, then you will never know'
A message conveyed by the sound is: If you do not learn, you will never understand.
So you try to drag your feet down to the bar
You try to drag yourself to the bar.
When you startin' to forget just who you are
You cannot recall who you truly are.
And they told you it was written in the stars
You were told that your destiny is preordained.
But you've never had a chance to look that far
You have never had the opportunity to explore beyond that point.
Yeah, it's just the way it goes
Life often works this way.
Maybe you die young before you're old
It is possible to die young, even before reaching old age.
Yeah, it's just the way it is
This is just how things are at times.
Nobody's gonna tell you how to live
No one will instruct you on how to exist.
In a world that changes everyday,
Living in a world that changes continuously,
It's easy to get lost along the way.
It is effortless to become confused and lose your path.
In a world that's never as it seems,
Living in a world that is never what it appears to be,
Where people try to buy and sell their dreams
Where individuals try to negotiate for and sell their aspirations.
Yeah, it's just the way it goes.
This is just the way life operates.
Maybe you die young before you're old
It is possible to die young, even before reaching old age.
Yeah, it's just the way it is.
This is just how things are at times.
Nobody's gonna tell you how to live.
No one will dictate how you should live your life.
Nobody's gonna tell you how to live.
No one will instruct you on how to exist.
Cause nobody understands just what it is
Because no one grasps precisely what is occurring.
Contributed by Wyatt B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Violet
on All I Want
Just amazing and comforting