Bassist Scott Waldman was born on Long Island, New York. He picked up the guitar when he was thirteen and now plays bass. After graduating from the University of Michigan with an English degree in April 2003, Scott moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of rocking full-time.
Hailing from West Covina, California, drummer Marc Precilla took his first piano lesson at age seven and after branching off to many other instruments, he discovered a partiality for hitting things as hard as he could, leading him to the drums. He has played in several rock/punk bands in order to craft his penchant for high-energy percussion and melody.
The City Drive has recorded with producer Mike Green (Yellowcard, The Matches, Over It, Rufio) as well as producer Chris Fudurich (Jimmy Eat World, Finch, Nada Surf, Rx Bandits).
In March 2004, The City Drive performed on the opening night of the SXSW (South by Southwest) Festival in Austin, Texas, alongside such bands as The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, NOFX and Alkaline Trio. In June, they joined the Nokia Core Tour.
In December 2004, The City Drive signed a record deal with We The People/Sony Records. They recorded their debut, full-length in the summer of 2005 with Fudurich which features backing vocals by Rachel Haden of the now-defunct band That Dog (she also sang on Jimmy Eat World's "Bleed American" and has worked with Weezer and Beck). The album is set for release in Spring 2006.
In May 2007, Scott Waldman quit the band.
In January 2009 the band has appeared to have broken up. Danny is now solo and any mention of the band is pretty much wiped out. No official word came, it just happened.
Give Up Love
The City Drive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It doesn't matter what you're told
You wanna get swept away
Violins playing
Come on kid, now
Don't you know
Who want a romantic scene
From a movie
Yeah, you must be joking
Give up
Give up love and you will be alright
Look away and with luck it could come out tonight
Ebb and flow
You never know which way it goes
You give it everything you have
Then it goes bad
Yeah, it breaks your bones so
Let it go
Don't worry what the poets wrote
And chuck away every last
Wish in the trash
Yeah, it makes no difference
Give up
Give up love and you will be alright
Look away and with luck it could come out tonight
You'll know why
Give up
Give up love and you will be alright
Look away and with luck it could come out tonight
The lyrics to The City Drive's song "Give Up Love" speak to the struggle of romantic love and the sometimes fruitless search for the perfect love story. The opening lines, "It doesn't matter what you're told, you wanna get swept away, violins playing, come on kid, now," suggest a desire for a romanticized version of love, one complete with elaborate cinematic moments. However, the following lines, "Don't you know, it never, ever comes to those who want a romantic scene, from a movie, yeah, you must be joking," feel almost mocking, as if to suggest that love is not something that can be manipulated into the perfect story or stereo-typical moments.
As the song continues, it devolves into the bleak reality of love through the lyrics, "Ebb and flow, you never know which way it goes, you give it everything you have, then it goes bad, yeah, it breaks your bones so. Let it go, don't worry what the poets wrote, and chuck away every last wish in the trash, yeah, it makes no difference." The lyrics seem to be urging the listener to let go of idealized notions of love and to stop worrying about conforming to poetic musings or societal expectations. The repeated refrain of "give up, give up love and you will be alright, look away and with luck it could come out tonight," reinforces the idea that love cannot be forced or planned, but rather that it must happen organically.
Overall, The City Drive's "Give Up Love" is a commentary on the often elusive nature of love and the struggles that come along with it.
Line by Line Meaning
It doesn't matter what you're told
No matter what people tell you about love and romance, it won't always be the reality
You wanna get swept away
You desire the feeling of being in love and losing yourself in it
Violins playing
The orchestral instrument is used as a metaphor that symbolises the ideal of love and sentimentality
Come on kid, now
A friendly invitation is made to the listener to step forward and be drawn into the songwriter's perspective on love
Don't you know
The songwriter reminds the listener of something they should already know
It never, ever comes to those
The songwriter's view is that true love is hard to find and not always possible to attain
Who want a romantic scene
People who are after a perfect romance are less likely to get what they want
From a movie
Films often present an idealised version of love that is unattainable in the real world
Yeah, you must be joking
The songwriter views the listener's ideal of love as an unrealistic fantasy
Give up
The songwriter suggests that the listener move on from the pursuit of love
Give up love and you will be alright
By relinquishing the idea of a perfect romance, the listener can find peace and happiness in other aspects of life
Look away and with luck it could come out tonight
If the listener stops searching for love and focuses on other things, they might find love unexpectedly
Ebb and flow
Love and relationships can be unpredictable and constantly changing
You never know which way it goes
You can't predict how love will turn out, it might lead to joy or pain
You give it everything you have
People often invest all their energy and emotion into a romantic relationship
Then it goes bad
The relationship can take a negative turn and cause pain
Yeah, it breaks your bones so
The emotional pain from heartbreak can be as bad as physical pain
Let it go
The songwriter suggests that the listener moves on from a past love
Don't worry what the poets wrote
The songwriter advises the listener not to put too much stock in love poetry and fantasy
And chuck away every last
Abandon all remnants of your fixed idea of love and romance
Wish in the trash
Dispose of any idealised wish for romantic love
Yeah, it makes no difference
The songwriter suggests that the listener's life won't be particularly different or worse without love
Give up
The songwriter reiterates their point on relinquishing the pursuit of love
Give up love and you will be alright
By giving up on love, the listener can find contentment in other aspects of their life
Look away and with luck it could come out tonight
The songwriter once again hints that love could come unexpectedly when one's attention is focused elsewhere
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind