1. S… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least three artists with the name Silent Majority.
1. Silent Majority formed on long island in the mid-90's and became one of the most influential hardcore bands from the area. Tom currently sings for Capital. Many people consider them to be the best hardcore band originating from Long Island of their time
Silent Majority started 1990, as something of a joke band called Splastic Action. The band was started by Tommy Corrigan on vocals, Rich Jacovina on guitar, Jim Mallin on bass and I believe Tommy's brother Steve on drums. I'm pretty sure Ryan Heyner joined a bit later. Rumor has it that the band started right after the band got their instruments for Christmas - so there was probably a good deal of interesting practices in those formative days. While Silent Majority came to be known as a band that had a strong lyrical focus, Splastic Action was a bit more amusing in their approach with songs about the classy Long Island motel "The Pines" that boasted choice lyrics like "screwing it, doing it at the Pines!" More to come on that later.
Eventually the band did take a far more serious approach and changed their name to Silent Majority and really became the embodiment in many ways of a Long Island Hardcore Sound: melodic yet abrasive with vocals that provided melodies that would stick in your head. The band would play regularly at all of the cornerstones of LI hardcore in the early 90's like the Angle, the Pipeline and Right Track Inn. Jim Mallin left early on and was replaced by Paul Brinkman. This lineup would release a live split recorded from a WUSB show with Time Alone and a 4 song demo in 1993, along with their first 7" on Reservoir records called "This Island Earth." I'm not sure if Paul left to join Clockwise, or if he was in the band concurrently. Steve Corrigan left after "This Island Earth" was released and they replaced him with Ben VanDyke who remained their drummer through the rest of the band's existence. The bass slot is not quite as easy to recollect as it seemed like there was a revolving door there. I believe Paul was with the band until 1996 for the next release, the "Distant Second" 7" that was also released on Reservoir, but I know that Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw was filling in often after that.
The first time I heard Silent Majority was when "Distant Second" was released. My friend Colin, who was the other guitarist in our band Six of One asked me if I had heard Silent Majority. I had seen the name quite a bit on flyers, but hadn't actually seen the band. He was like "You. Need. To." and gave me the 7". I was blown away. While I loved the song "Recognize" for the obvious hardcore, finger pointing, pile-on gusto, there was a real complex post hardcore sound with songs like "wellness" and "km". At this point I started going to see Silent Majority pretty regularly at shows at PWAC, Deja 1 and Dr. Shay's.
The following year would bring the album that most people would say defined the band. 1997's "Life of a Spectator" was the band's first full length and was released on Wreck-Age/Exit Records. Musically and lyrically it showed the band at the peak of their powers. "To Tame the L Word" and "Cross Crowded Rooms" make excellent bookends for the album, and many of the songs challenge the listener with dynamic rhythms and powerful sing-alongs. I always felt that lyrics can go one of two ways - either be really subtle and let the listener do the interpreting, or get right in their face. Tommy Corrigan does the latter, and it works well in this context. I remember seeing them perform "Spoken Words" and "Tip Your Bartender" before the album coming out just thinking that there was something really compelling to Tom's delivery and the message from the songs. With that being said, the diatribe in "Popular Opinion" is a bit of a blemish on an otherwise perfect album and in my opinion, is an instance when subtlety may have been called for. The only criticism that I've found to be repeatedly levied against the band would be towards Tommy's character. It can't be easy to deal with people misrepresenting you - but I do remember seeing Tom wearing a Tommy Hilfiger shirt which had the logo changed to read "Tommy Corrigan" instead. Depending on your relationship with the guy, it was either kind of funny or kind of funny that he would wear that. I don't know, my name isn't synchronous with any designer brands where I could imagine mocking up something like that - although if I could score a shirt from those "Schneider National" moving trucks I would be wearing that every day, no lie. Let's get back to the focus: the music. The band was hugely influential (see local bands All Grown Up, or bands like Polar Bear Club), integral to the long island hardcore scene, and largely responsible for shows at the PWAC and I don't think that contribution can or should be minimized.
In 1998 they followed "Life of a Spectator" with "Based on a True Story" a compilation of their 7"s which had went out of print, as well as the song "Expectations" from the "516 - A Long Island Hardcore Compilation" and "Soft Six" from the Welcome to New York, Now Go Home" comp.
Nautilus
Silent Majority Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
this would never die this thing between you and I we sat
and talked about it in the diner late at night cokes with no
ice me with iced tea and nowadays it's just three this plate
of fries me and a couple of guys you ain't around there was
a smile you must have have misplaced it with this cruelty kind
of a grin went to the show and screamed "we can win" and
then came home and realized we weren't in the game at a
far how fast how soon 'til you make up your mind this time
we all go through life with a system of doubts which one
will you choose before you turn and walk away we always
choose make up your mind step up and take control of it
you'll be glad you did it there was a game plan you went
and erased it smashed it into bits and then you misplaced
it how far how fast how soon 'til you make up your mind
The lyrics to Silent Majority's song Nautilus explore the fragility of relationships and the many doubts that come along with them. The song reflects on a time when the singer and their partner thought their relationship would last forever. They sat and talked about it in a diner over drinks, and now they're just a plate of fries with a few friends. It's a stark contrast to their previous conversations, and it shows how easy it is for even the strongest bonds to break.
The singer goes on to reflect on how they once thought that screaming "we can win" at a show would help them achieve their goals. But now, they've realized that they weren't even in the game. The song acknowledges that everyone is destined to fall at some point in their life, and the question is only how far, how fast, and how soon. The lyrics urge the listener to face their doubts, make a decision, and take control before it's too late.
Overall, the song is a reflection on the inevitability of change and how important it is to face difficult decisions head-on. The lyrics evoke a sense of loss and heartbreak, but also a sense of hope and resilience for the future.
Line by Line Meaning
there are times and there are places we thought
There are moments and locations in our past that we believed would never disappear.
this would never die this thing between you and I we sat
We thought our relationship was invincible and enduring when we sat togther.
and talked about it in the diner late at night cokes with no ice me with iced tea and nowadays it's just three this plate
We once talked excitedly about our future in a diner, when now only three French fries remain on the plate.
of fries me and a couple of guys you ain't around there was
You are no longer around to share the fries with me and my friends.
a smile you must have have misplaced it with this cruelty kind
Your smile has sadly been replaced by a cruel grin.
of a grin went to the show and screamed "we can win" and
Excitedly cheering for victory at a show, feeling like winners.
then came home and realized we weren't in the game at a
However, when we returned home, we realized we were not a part of the game at all.
all we're all destined to fall sometimes the question is how
We are destined to stumble at times, the question is how severely.
far how fast how soon 'til you make up your mind this time
How much time do you have, and how quickly will you decide what to do next?
we all go through life with a system of doubts which one
We all have doubts in our lives, but which one will you choose?
will you choose before you turn and walk away we always
Before leaving, we must decide which doubt to focus on.
choose make up your mind step up and take control of it
Choose and take control of the doubt, make up your mind.
you'll be glad you did it there was a game plan you went
You will not regret taking control. There was previously a game plan in mind.
and erased it smashed it into bits and then you misplaced
However, you erased and destroyed this plan, and now you have lost track of it.
it how far how fast how soon 'til you make up your mind
How quickly can you make a decision and take action? It is up to you.
Contributed by Lila S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.