The lineup: Zac, Matt, Adam, Shon and Adam.
The lineup: Zac, Matt, Adam, Shon and Adam.
Let’s get this out of the way up top: no, Solid Gold is not a syndicated top 40 countdown show which aired from 1980 to 1988 featuring the Solid Gold Dancers. But I could see the Solid Gold Dancers doing a fine routine to a couple of Solid Gold’s numbers—maybe the slinky “Bible Thumper,” or the dreamier “Who You Gonna Run To?”
Now that we’ve cleared that up, here’s the deal: Solid Gold is a band with the ability to compel you to Shake. Your. Ass. After meeting in 2000 at the University of Wisconsin, Zach Coulter and Matthew Locher founded the band along some shared fundamental principles: love of futuristic art and architecture, and an obsession with the old-school doob. After their drummer left, they continued on, crafting tranced-out slow-dance grooves. Lifting guitarist extraordinaire, Adam Hurlburt, from one of their favorite bands proved itself to be excellent. In 2005 they left Madison and the haze of smoke behind, relocating to Minneapolis. Lost and confused in a new city, the three found that they still agreed on three things 1) they enjoy guitar licks 2) they enjoy fucked up old keyboards 3) they enjoy synthed-out hip-hop beats.
With that in mind, it’s kind of weird that they didn’t find a drummer for a couple of years, but they’ve recently corrected that problem, augmenting their laptop-full of special effects with Sticks, a real live human metronome. Finally, they filled out their sound with a shamanistic slide guitar player, Shon Troth, who may or may not be a real live human.
Thus situated, Zach, Adam, and Matt reconnoitered in the studio to put the finishing touches on their years-in-the-making debut record, Bodies of Water. Full of songs about breaking up and running away, there is a penumbra of heart wrench lingering over Bodies of Water that belies the ironic Duran Duran-esque superficiality of their band name (and the flat plasticine whap of their beats).
The stories are familiar, breaking up and figuring it out on your own—but Coulter's lyricism vacates narrative possibility, refusing to go forward in any kind of linear development, instead relying on that beat and washes of keyboard and guitar to swirl around repetitive phrasing and imagery. “I’m not a good storyteller,” he says, before adding, “I don’t want to force it.” His songs are suggestions, but oftentimes suggestions recall mood and emotion and memory more powerfully than stories.
Solid Gold has been on the road for a couple years now, performing showcases in London and New York, playing festivals in the middle of Texas and the middle of Sweden, and enjoying triumphant hometown returns every time they make it back to Minneapolis. Who knows, maybe Solid Gold will find a slot on a Top 40 countdown show yet.
Calm Down
Solid Gold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who's gonna love you when you're dead?
Fire crashes upon ??
Who's gonna love you when you're dead?
Claiming you can feel
Things you'll never see
Talk like you know all about
It ain't working anymore
Close your eyes and close the door
Begging for their lives
Is it a figment anymore
When they let up off the floor
You'd better watch yourself
Calm down
False thoughts run through your head
Who's gonna love you when you're dead?
Fire crashes upon ??
Who's gonna love you when you're dead?
So ??
The day that he was born
Holding your hands up in sin
Told the truth you swore
But you sold your soul
For enemies
Bought your love for cheap
??
It's the way of the weak
The song "Calm Down" by Solid Gold can be interpreted as an introspective and melancholic reflection on the consequences of one's actions and the fear of being alone. The opening lines "False thoughts run through your head, who's gonna love you when you're dead?" highlight the singer's anxiety about the future, and the possibility of being forgotten or unloved after they pass away. The repetition of this question throughout the song highlights its importance to the singer's state of mind.
The lyrics then shift to the singer's perception of others, claiming that they "talk like they know all about places they ain't been", and that they claim to "feel things they'll never see". This could imply a sense of superiority on the part of the singer, who believes they have a deeper understanding of the world than those around them. However, it could also imply that the singer feels isolated and misunderstood, as they are unable to connect with others who do not share their perspective.
The chorus, "Calm Down", acts as a mantra that the singer repeats to themselves as if to pacify their anxiety and fear. The song ends with the repetition of the earlier lines about false thoughts and fear, implying that the singer has not found a solution to their worries.
Line by Line Meaning
False thoughts run through your head
Your mind is plagued with untrue beliefs
Who's gonna love you when you're dead?
You are concerned about who will care about you after you die
Fire crashes upon ??
Unclear lyrics, unable to provide meaning without correct phrasing
Claiming you can feel
You believe you have emotional depth
Things you'll never see
You think you understand concepts that you have never experienced in person
Talk like you know all about
You speak as if you have extensive knowledge about subjects that you only have surface-level understanding of
It ain't working anymore
Your methods of coping are no longer effective
Close your eyes and close the door
You need to take a break from the world and retreat into yourself
Begging for their lives
You are pleading for validation and acceptance from others
Is it a figment anymore
You question if your desires are realistic
When they let up off the floor
When the situation changes, you need to be cautious
You'd better watch yourself
You need to be careful about your actions and decisions
Calm down
You need to stop stressing and relax
So ??
Unclear lyrics, unable to provide meaning without correct phrasing
The day that he was born
A reference to a specific event (unable to determine the significance)
Holding your hands up in sin
You have been dishonest or deceitful
Told the truth you swore
You made a promise to be honest, but you struggled to uphold that promise
But you sold your soul
You compromised your principles or morals
For enemies
You made sacrifices for people who were not aligned with your best interests
Bought your love for cheap
You sought affection from others by making poor decisions
??
Unclear lyrics, unable to provide meaning without correct phrasing
It's the way of the weak
Giving in to temptation or taking the easy way out is not admirable behavior
Contributed by Caden I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.