It is not entirely clear when Songs: Ohia became Magnolia Electric Co. In interviews, Jason Molina has claimed that he considered the tenure of Songs: Ohia over after Didn't It Rain, which would make Magnolia Electric Co. the eponymous debut album of the new band. In fact the name Songs: Ohia appears nowhere on the artwork of the album and only a promotional sticker on the cellophane wrapping connects it with the prior band name. Nevertheless, Secretly Canadian still promotes the album under the Songs: Ohia moniker. On the other hand, the Magnolia Electric Co. live album Trials and Errors was recorded on April 16, 2003 at the Ancienne Belgique club in Brussels, at a time when the band was still touring under the Songs: Ohia name. Pitchfork Media later reported that name change would be made official after the Spain tour in October 2003, although by now it seems the label espouses a name change around July 2003.
On January 13, 2006, Molina told a Chicago newspaper that he had recorded three records which were to be released within a few months. A solo record, titled Let Me Go, was recorded February 2005 in Indiana and features a return to the voice/piano/guitar style that Pyramid Electric Co. was recorded in. A Magnolia Electric Co. album, Nashville Moon, was recorded during July 2005 with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago. Molina stated that there was a heavy atmosphere in the studio, due to the fact that three of Albini's close friends had died in a car crash. The third record to be released is a full length collaboration with Camper Van Beethoven front man David Lowery, tentatively named The Black Ram. During the sessions for the album, Molina's mother suffered a stroke, went into a coma and has been on life support since then.
In the article, Molina also commented on his determined work ethic: "Every New Year I throw out songs. I just threw out probably 20 tapes full of demos and I didn't even listen to them... Getting rid of all that old stuff really forces you to write new material."
Though officially Songs: Ohia no longer records or performs, and projects have been either marketed as Magnolia Electric Co. or Jason Molina's solo work, most fans still use the name Songs: Ohia to refer to all projects collectively.
Jason Molina stopped touring and recording in 2009 in order to enter rehab and fight his alcoholism. An EP called Autumn Bird Songs was released in 2012 under Molina's own name, although it consisted of songs recorded before Molina had entered rehab. He died on March 16th, 2013 of organ failure.
Hammer Down
Magnolia Electric Co. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heaven bound
I saw the light
On the old grey town
Hammer down
Heaven bound
Sometimes I forget how I've always been sick
And I don't have the will to keep fighting it
Heaven bound
Hammer down
Heaven bound
When it's been my ghost on the empty road
I think the stars are just the neon lights
Shining through the dance floor (x2)
Of heaven on a Saturday night
I saw the light (x2)
Hammer down
Heaven bound
Hammer down
Heaven bound
The song "Hammer Down" by Magnolia Electric Co. is a melancholic reflection on life, mortality, and the inevitability of death. The opening lines "Hammer down, heaven bound, I saw the light on the old grey town" evoke the image of a car speeding down the highway towards the afterlife. The repetition of "Hammer down, heaven bound" throughout the song reinforces the idea of moving towards a final destination and suggests a sense of urgency in the pursuit of this goal.
The second verse of the song shifts the focus inward, with the singer reflecting on his own mortality and the inevitability of death. "Sometimes I forget how I've always been sick, and I don't have the will to keep fighting it" suggests a resignation or acceptance of one's own mortality. The repetition of "Hammer down, heaven bound" throughout the song provides a sense of comfort and reassurance that there is a final destination awaiting us all.
The final verse brings the imagery back to the road, with the singer envisioning the stars as neon lights and the idea of heaven as a dance floor on a Saturday night. The repetition of "I saw the light" reinforces the idea of a guiding force or light that leads us towards our final destination. Overall, "Hammer Down" is a somber reflection on the cycle of life and death, and the ultimate destination that awaits us all.
Line by Line Meaning
Hammer down
Accelerating quickly and forcefully.
Heaven bound
On a path to eternal paradise after death.
I saw the light
Had an epiphany or spiritual awakening.
On the old grey town
In a place that is old, perhaps run-down or lacking vitality.
Sometimes I forget how I've always been sick
Occasionally lose perspective on the chronic illness I have always lived with.
And I don't have the will to keep fighting it
Lack motivation and energy to continue the struggle against the illness.
When it's been my ghost on the empty road
When I have been alone and lost in life's journey.
I think the stars are just the neon lights
Believe that what I perceive as hope and brightness in life may actually be artificial and fleeting.
Shining through the dance floor (x2)
Radiating through the joys and sorrows of life like lights on a dance floor.
Of heaven on a Saturday night
Representing the mystery and beauty of the afterlife.
Contributed by Leo C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.