Landing their first record deal with Twin/Tone in 1984, Soul Asylum recorded a total of four albums for the local label: Say What You Will... Everything Can Happen in 1984 (later reissued as Say What You Will, Clarence... Karl Sold the Truck), Made To Be Broken in 1986, While You Were Out in 1986, and the EP Clam Dip and Other Delights in 1988. The band then switched to A&M, releasing Hang Time in 1988 and And the Horse They Rode In On in 1990 under that label. Although they enjoyed some success as a live band, Soul Asylum suffered from low album sales and considered disbanding.
In 1992, they signed with Columbia Records to produce Grave Dancers Union, a record that would come to transform them from underground college rockers to international superstars. The first two singles off the album, Somebody To Shove and Black Gold, both came in at high positions at the Modern Rock and Album Rock charts, but it was the album's third track and it's video of missing teens that led them to their major breakthrough. Runaway Train peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, raised album sales to double-platinum level, and won Soul Asylum the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994.
In 1995, Soul Asylum followed up the success of Grave Dancers Union with Let Your Dim Light Shine, which climbed to #6 on the Billboard 200 and featured the #1 Modern Rock track Misery. After releasing Candy From A Stranger in 1998, the band members took a break from recording and didn't release a new studio album for the better part of seven years. During the interim singer Dave Pirner released a solo album and Dan Murphy toured and recorded with Golden Smog.
They reunited in 2004 to record their ninth full-length album, The Silver Lining, brought together by the news of Mueller being diagnosed with throat cancer. Up until this point, Soul Asylum had always included Murphy, Mueller, and Pirner, despite several line-up changes. This changed on June 17th, 2005, when Mueller passed away after finishing his work on several tracks on the new album. The Silver Lining was released in 2006 and dedicated to Karl Mueller's life and memory, with Murphy expressing that, "For me, this record is Karl."
In late 2005, ex-Replacements bassist (and current Guns N' Roses bassist) Tommy Stinson and former Prince drummer Michael Bland joined Soul Asylum in tribute to the late Karl Mueller. They completed their American tour in support of The Silver Lining in late 2006. In November and December 2006 they opened for Cheap Trick on their American tour. On March 10th, 2007, Soul Asylum joined Cyndi Lauper, Mint Condition, and Lifehouse to hold a concert to benefit Wain McFarlane, the leader of the legendary reggae band Ipso Facto, to help pay for the expenses of a kidney transplant.
http://www.soulasylum.com
Gravity
Soul Asylum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a brand new silver planet
Walks the walk, and he talks the talk
If I had the world he could have it
For every question there are ways to shoot it down
Well there's a greenback, a green light
So we suggest we get this new thing off the ground
But I can't stand the gravity, can't stand it
The way you handled it, I got to hand it to you
No I can't stand the gravity, understand it
The way you handled it, I'm coming out of my shoes
Shudder, and wind me up
Like a toy on my first day of school
Stranded, abandoned
It's the rent and I'm out of food
For every answer there are questions to spare
It's nothing but convenience though it's not convenient
We ain't going anywhere
But I can't stand the gravity, can't stand it
The way you handled it, I come and hand it to you
But I can't stand the gravity, understand it
The way you handled it, I'm coming out of my shoes
Come on home
Drifting up alone
Burning away
Up in the space
Lie down in a dream
Tell me whatcha need
Just a circuitry
It's only sanctity
Live how you wanna live
Circle like a satellite
Like a shooting star, still flickering, still glowing
The room is still on fire
For every answer there are ways to shoot it down
Down on the cold ground do you believe that this time you are comin' round
But I can't stand the gravity, can't stand it
The way you handled it, I come and hand it to you
No I can't stand the gravity, can't stand it
The way you handled it, I'm coming out of my shoes
Lie down in a dream
Tell me whatcha need
It's only sanctity
Just a circuitry
Live how you wanna live
Like a Shooting star
Like candle light, still flickering
Floating like a bumble bee, in a whirlwind, blowing
Like a candle light
Starting to disintegrate
The lyrics of Soul Asylum’s “Gravity” describe the challenges of living in a world that values money and convenience over connection and purpose. The “little old man” represents those who hold power and influence in society, but who may not have the best interests of the people at heart. The singer recognizes that money talks and can make things happen, but at the same time, feels weighed down by the gravity of the situation. The gravity could be interpreted as the weight of societal expectations and norms that make it difficult to break away and pursue one’s dreams. The singer acknowledges that it’s hard to be true to oneself when surrounded by these pressures, but there’s a sense of defiance in the way he declares that he’ll live how he wants to live, even if it means starting to disintegrate.
The lyrics also touch upon the theme of isolation and abandonment. The singer feels like a toy or circuitry, stranded and out of food, just waiting for someone to wind him up again. He’s searching for a sense of purpose and belonging, but struggles to find it in a world that doesn’t value these things. The references to drifting up alone and burning away in space suggest a feeling of being untethered and ungrounded, but still searching for something more.
Overall, “Gravity” is a song about the struggle to find meaning and purpose in a world that can be harsh and unforgiving. It’s a call to break free from societal norms and expectations and live life on one’s own terms, no matter the cost.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a little old man, who can get his hands
On a brand new silver planet
There's a person who has the power to obtain something incredible.
Walks the walk, and he talks the talk
If I had the world he could have it
This person has the necessary qualities to achieve great things, and the singer would give them anything they wanted.
For every question there are ways to shoot it down
Well there's a greenback, a green light
So we suggest we get this new thing off the ground
There are easy ways to disprove or criticize any idea, but because there is money and opportunity involved, the singer suggests taking a risk and trying something new.
But I can't stand the gravity, can't stand it
The way you handled it, I got to hand it to you
No I can't stand the gravity, understand it
The way you handled it, I'm coming out of my shoes
The artist cannot tolerate the pressures and demands of their situation and admires those who handle it well, yet they themselves are pushed to their limits and feel like they're falling apart.
Shudder, and wind me up
Like a toy on my first day of school
Stranded, abandoned
It's the rent and I'm out of food
The artist feels uncontrollable fear and anxiety, like a child on their first day of school, and is facing financial hardship and abandonment.
For every answer there are questions to spare
It's nothing but convenience though it's not convenient
We ain't going anywhere
There are countless other questions that arise when one question is answered, and the situation is only convenient in that it's not convenient at all; and there is no progress being made.
Come on home
Drifting up alone
Burning away
Up in the space
The singer wants to go back to a safe place that they know, but instead feel disconnected and like they're slowly losing themselves.
Lie down in a dream
Tell me whatcha need
Just a circuitry
It's only sanctity
Live how you wanna live
The artist wants to escape into a fantasy and be told what to do, but acknowledges that our lives are just a series of routines and we should strive to live freely.
Circle like a satellite
Like a shooting star, still flickering, still glowing
The room is still on fire
The artist is circling around aimlessly, like a satellite, or they could disappear at any moment, like a shooting star. The situation they are in is still tense and unstable.
Down on the cold ground do you believe that this time you are comin' round
But I can't stand the gravity, can't stand it
The way you handled it, I come and hand it to you
No I can't stand the gravity, can't stand it
The way you handled it, I'm coming out of my shoes
The artist is feeling desperate and doubtful about whether they can recover from their situation. They admire others who can handle the pressure, but they themselves feel like they're about to fall apart.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID PIRNER, DAVID ANTHONY PIRNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind