Composed from a place of deep turmoil, lead singer Lucas Silveira began work on the Cliks' second album following the highly successful tours behind sophomore release Snakehouse. The band's incendiary live shows became the calling card by which they were known, and in short order, musical heroes Ian Astbury of the Cult and Cyndi Lauper hand-picked the band for their respective tours. Late-night bookers were listening too, and soon the Cliks found themselves on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, not to mention a very special performance Lucas did with Cyndi Lauper on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The band picked up momentum and fans when Logo awarded them the NewNowNext Artist On the Brink Award which ultimately led to an appearance on teenybopper mecca TRL to discuss their plans for the future.
Though critically lauded and publicly adored, Silveira returned road weary and emotionally shattered. Having spent 400 days on the road touring behind Snakehouse, Silveira was eager to return home, but home wasn't the reprieve he'd hoped it would be. "The album is based around defeat, lies, deception, loss of trust in others and yourself," explains Silveira. "I wrote the album coming from a really lonely place." Indeed, the album plumbs difficult depths in the form of relationships and identity politics, as did the band's Warner Music debut, Snakehouse, but here, there is a redemptive quality absent from the band's previous output. The price of that, however, is eternal vigilance. "Dirty King is more about having risen out of the ashes, being on your feet, but constantly having to dodge people trying to knock you down," says Silveira.
With their rise out of the ashes comes new sonic territory for the band. Their most adventurous album to date finds the band teamed with producer-engineer Sylvia Massy (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool) at her Weed, California based Radio Star Studios. "She's my kind of producer," says drummer Morgan Doctor. "She doesn't come from a singer-songwriter background, but an engineering background, so she's more about creating sound and texture in the studio." Massy's studio -- filled with enough amps, effects and instruments to make it a veritable playground for musicians – served as the band's bedrock to create the full range of the album's sounds and correlating emotions, from the jagged rock of its denials to the soulful balladry of its admissions.
The album's namesake, and perhaps the clearest distillation of Silveira's emotional state during the writing of the album, is "Dirty King." Based on the gulf between how Silveira felt and how he was perceived, the song slides in on a surf guitar riff as Silveira alternates between a vamp and growl, teasing out the chorus in a voice that manages to sound menacing and seductive at once. Elsewhere, the band changes gears on the mournful "Not Your Boy" and "Emily," the catchiest evidence of the band's expanding sound. "'Emily' is definitely a big leap for the Cliks as a band, but for myself as a songwriter, I have lots of songs like this under my belt. I just never introduced them to the band because I didn't feel like it was ‘Cliks' material," says Silveira of the waltzing, string-laden track that's more dulcet than biting. The song's inclusion is a testament to the direction of Massy, who encouraged Silveira to continue writing after he'd played her an early version. The song also demonstrates Massy's analog approach, and the adventurousness of the band. Where most producers would have downloaded the sound of glass breaking to use on the track, the band and producer headed out onto the streets of Weed to procure their own found noise. "We were out late at night on the main street of Weed, breaking a huge piece of glass and recording it live," says Doctor.
Dirty King also sees the band writing together, as well as playing. After bassist Jen Benton wrote the bassline for "Career Suicide" while on tour, she began playing it at soundcheck. Doctor suggested she continue developing it, and ultimately all three would collaborate to write it. "On tour Lucas and I came up with the pre-chorus together, [and] we put together the chorus and the bridge, which was written to a very rhythmically defined beat Morgan came up with," says Benton. "It was a great experience for [us]."
Despite themselves, the Cliks couldn't help but make a record that made order out of tumult and sense out of turbulence. With pop hooks lacing the rock spines The Cliks are known for, the songs inhabit the specificity of the circumstances under which they were written, all the while appealing to broader audience ."
Sleeping Alone
The Cliks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I can't help the feeling
That you're wide awake
But I'm not on your mind
And I can't escape
As my heart keeps on reeling
Darling you're not sleeping alone tonight
All of my friends
Tell me I should forget her
End this regret and stop wasting precious time
But I can't escape
As my heart rolls with thunder
Darling you're not sleeping alone tonight
I know you're not sleeping alone tonight
I wanna cry, but there's no use crying
Would rather die if I can't feel you by my side
But darling you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
And our love has truly died
Truly died
Truly died
Truly died
Oh no, no no no no
No no no no
Oh no, oh no, oh no
Who oh no
Oh no, no
But darling you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
And our love hasn't truly died
The Cliks's song Sleeping Alone is about the singer's inability to let go of a past love. The lyrics suggest that the singer believes that their ex-lover may still be thinking of them, despite the fact that they have moved on. The singer cannot escape the feeling that they still belong together, despite the advice of friends to move on from the heartbreak. In the chorus, the singer laments that they cannot cry or move on, even though they know their love has truly died.
The song is structured in a way that highlights the singer's sense of sadness and isolation. The verses feature a stripped-down arrangement with minimal instrumentation, which creates an intimacy that underscores the sadness in the lyrics. The chorus, on the other hand, is substantive and features a full arrangement, with a strong drum beat, electric guitars, and backing vocals. The contrast between the chorus and verse amplifies the emotions conveyed in the lyrics.
All in all, Sleeping Alone is a melancholic song about the pain of lost love, and the difficulty of letting go. The Cliks brilliantly convey the feeling of isolation and longing that comes with a broken heart.
Line by Line Meaning
I know it's late
I'm aware that it's getting late
But I can't help the feeling
However, I can't control the emotions I'm feeling right now
That you're wide awake
I have a notion that you are still awake
But I'm not on your mind
But I don't believe I'm on your mind
And I can't escape
I'm trapped in my current situation
As my heart keeps on reeling
My heart is still going through the motions
Darling you're not sleeping alone tonight
I know you're not alone tonight
I know you're not sleeping alone tonight
In fact, I am certain that you are not alone tonight
All of my friends
Every one of my friends
Tell me I should forget her
Advise me to forget about you
End this regret and stop wasting precious time
Put an end to this regret and stop wasting my time
But I can't escape
But I'm unable to break free
As my heart rolls with thunder
As my heart aches with intense emotion
Darling you're not sleeping alone tonight
I know you're not alone tonight
I know you're not sleeping alone tonight
I am certain that you are not alone tonight
I wanna cry, but there's no use crying
I feel like crying, but I know it won't accomplish anything
Would rather die if I can't feel you by my side
I'd rather die than go on without your presence
But darling you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
But my darling, you are gone without a trace
And our love has truly died
Our love has indeed come to an end
Truly died
It has completely and utterly died
Truly died
It's hard to accept, but our love has indeed passed away
Truly died
Our love is no longer alive, it's died
Truly died
It's dead, that's the truth
Oh no, no no no no
The reality is hitting me hard
No no no no
This is something I can't escape
Oh no, oh no, oh no
This is not what I wanted
Who oh no
I can't comprehend it
Oh no, no
This is really not good
But darling you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
But my darling, you are gone without a trace
And our love hasn't truly died
Our love has not truly come to an end
Contributed by Sophia K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.