Known regionally as one of Western New York’s hidden jewels, Standard of Li… Read Full Bio ↴Known regionally as one of Western New York’s hidden jewels, Standard of Living have been winning over fans town by town since 2004 with their heartfelt piano pop and soaring vocal harmonies. The band grew up together in Amherst, NY (just outside of Buffalo) and released its second EP, Paint the Night, in July 2009.

Standard of Living released a debut full-length in 2004, but it wasn’t until 2006’s Patience EP that the band began to hit its stride. In fact, opening for Teddy Geiger, they met producer Billy Mann (Pink, Backstreet Boys, Sting), who helped them refine their songwriting skills.

Standard of Living applied the knowledge they gained from their time working with Mann in crafting Paint the Night. After 6 months of writing, the band settled on the final 7 tracks for the self-produced EP.

Paint the Night is a harmony-driven mix of nostalgia and liberation—for example, the tender reminiscence of “Wilson” gives way to “Without You,” an enthusiastic eff-you anthem. “I feel like the collection of songs on Paint the Night really gives our fans a range of who we are—there are slow songs, rock-out songs, and everything in between. There’s something for everyone to take away from it,” says singer/pianist Josh Rabenold.

Standard of Living has previously toured with singer-songwriters Teddy Geiger and Ben Jelen and has played with a diverse list of artists including Hanson, Paramore, The Rocket Summer, and Kate Voegele. The band puts an immense amount of pride and effort into their live performances, pulling off three-part harmonies live that most bands can only dream of. Rabenold explains, “While other bands run their show off of an iPod, we owe it to our fans to try to recreate the studio experience every single night.”

The world is the canvas and Standard of Living’s paintbrushes are working overtime. Their attention to detail and refined songwriting on Paint the Night puts them in position to turn heads nationwide and makes them a band to keep an eye on as their star burns brighter and brighter.

2) Standard Of Living is also an 80's gothic post punk band from SF.

Thoughts Of You
Standard Of Living Lyrics

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Thoughts of you bring tears of rain which distracts my gaze. Presence of fear remains within me as if invading my space. A feeling of uselessness that will forever burn within my being. If life is so precious why do I lack the urge to need it.

It's just guidance that I seek
Can I rely on you.

I'm all alone with all these memories. Memories I hate yet love. I've been here before like so many others. The pain is just something I must rise above.

And I know you'll ignore all my begging cuz you've done it plenty before.

Overall Meaning

In "Thoughts Of You," Standard of Living sings about the painful and haunting memories of a lost love. The lyrics describe how the mere thought of this person brings tears to the singer's eyes, disrupting his or her focus. The fear of being alone forever still lingers within, invading the singer's space. The pain of feeling useless slowly burns inside the singer's being, yet the preciousness of life doesn't urge the singer to want to live it. The singer seeks guidance and asks if he or she can rely on this person. The memories are hated yet loved, and the pain is something the singer must rise above. However, the singer knows that the person will ignore his or her begging since it has happened so many times before.

The song's lyrics convey a deep emotion of sadness and hopelessness. Furthermore, the song touches on the idea that life's value can be overshadowed by the pain of loss and memories. The feelings of being alone, useless, and unloved are poignant and speak to the listener's heart.

Line by Line Meaning

Thoughts of you bring tears of rain which distracts my gaze.
Thinking about you brings tears to my eyes that blur my vision.

Presence of fear remains within me as if invading my space.
I feel afraid and it's as if the fear has taken up space inside of me.

A feeling of uselessness that will forever burn within my being.
I feel completely useless and it's a feeling that won't go away.

If life is so precious why do I lack the urge to need it.
I don't understand why life is supposed to be valuable when I don't feel a strong desire to live it.

It's just guidance that I seek Can I rely on you.
I'm looking for guidance and I'm wondering if I can trust you to provide it.

I'm all alone with all these memories.
I'm completely by myself with all these memories.

Memories I hate yet love.
These are memories that I have conflicting feelings about - I hate them but I also love them.

I've been here before like so many others.
I've experienced this before, just like many other people have.

The pain is just something I must rise above.
I know I need to overcome this pain somehow.

And I know you'll ignore all my begging cuz you've done it plenty before.
I'm sure you'll ignore me when I ask for your help because you've done it many times in the past.

Contributed by Mateo D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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