Motion City Soundtrack is an American pop-punk band from Minneapolis, MN. T… Read Full Bio ↴Motion City Soundtrack is an American pop-punk band from Minneapolis, MN. They have released six full-length albums: I Am The Movie (2003), Commit This To Memory (2005), Even If It Kills Me (2007), My Dinosaur Life (2010), Go (2012), and Panic Stations (2015). Their 2005 single "Everything Is Alright" was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2017. They broke up in 2016 but announced a reunion in 2019.

Red Dress
Motion City Soundtrack Lyrics

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Like your hair much better that way
When it hangs out front when it hangs out front
With tilted head like a listener
But I'm just thinking about the red dress
I like the red dress

I'm on my way I'm on my way I'm on my way
From coast to coast I'm chilly most I'm chill

I never knew the way to Pasadena
But now I know and now I know and I am grateful

You say you'll burn this city down
With stars and stripes with stars and stripes
And ask if I'll move out west with you
But I'm still thinking about the red dress

I like the red dress

Coast to coast and in too deep
Saving our secret for the weekends
Which I can't remember
Motel walls and in disguise
Telephone calls we don't reply
With drink I see things better
I'll see you around
We'll bring the house down
We'll bring the house down

I like the red dress

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Motion City Soundtrack's song "Red Dress" is a portrayal of a love-struck guy who can't get a certain woman he's into out of his mind. He confesses his preference for how the woman looks with her hair hanging out front and tilted head. However, throughout the lyrics, he can't seem to focus on anything else but the woman's red dress. Despite the woman asking him to move with her to the West and her plans to burn the city down with "stars and stripes," he still keeps thinking of the woman in the red dress. The song hints at a secret romance that the guy and the woman share on weekends, spending time together in motel rooms while on the road. The lyrics show how the guy is entranced not just by the woman's physical appearances, but by the feeling she gives him, a feeling that he can't find anywhere else.

The song's repetitive structure emphasizes the main theme of the lyrics, that being the attraction the guy has for the woman in the red dress. The lyrics' metaphors of the "stars and stripes" reference American nationalism and its perceived sense of resilience and persistence, implying that the woman's passion and love burn as brightly as the country she comes from. The phrase 'saving our secret for the weekends/which I can't remember' suggests how the singer may be struggling with addiction, using drugs or alcohol to cope with their feelings and perhaps intentionally forget some experiences shared with the woman. The lyrics show the complex nature of modern relationships, highlighting the euphoria and the escape it can bring, but also the unhealthy habits it can entail.

Line by Line Meaning

Like your hair much better that way
I prefer the way your hair hangs over your forehead with a tilted head

When it hangs out front when it hangs out front
I like it when your hair is not tucked behind your ears

With tilted head like a listener
I tilt my head as if I'm listening to you intently

But I'm just thinking about the red dress
However, my mind is preoccupied with thoughts of the red dress

I'm on my way I'm on my way I'm on my way
I am travelling, moving from one place to another

From coast to coast I'm chilly most I'm chill
I am travelling from one coast to another and mostly feeling the cold weather

I never knew the way to Pasadena
I was not aware of how to get to Pasadena before

But now I know and now I know and I am grateful
But now I have found out and I am thankful for it

You say you'll burn this city down
You claim that you will destroy this city

With stars and stripes with stars and stripes
Probably using explosives to do so

And ask if I'll move out west with you
You've requested me to accompany you to the western U.S

But I'm still thinking about the red dress
Nevertheless, I can't stop thinking about the red dress

Coast to coast and in too deep
I am travelling extensively and deeply immersed in something

Saving our secret for the weekends
We are keeping our secret for the weekends

Which I can't remember
A secret that I cannot seem to recollect

Motel walls and in disguise
I'm in a motel trying to be unrecognizable

Telephone calls we don't reply
We don't answer phone calls

With drink I see things better
Alcohol makes me think more clearly

I'll see you around
I'll come across you again in the future

We'll bring the house down
We'll have a great time and create an amazing memory

I like the red dress
I am still in awe of the beauty of the red dress

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JESSE MACK JOHNSON, JOSHUA ALLEN CAIN, JUSTIN PIERRE COURTNEY, MATTHEW SCOTT TAYLOR, TONY RICHARD THAXTON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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