The Gaslight Anthem’s music embraces many elements of blues, classic rock, and punk rock. The band has described their sound as “Bruce Springsteen singing for a Cure cover band, with a tinge more aggression.” The group’s fondness for Springsteen, a significant influence on their music, is celebrated by fans and critics alike. Representative of such views, one critic wrote, “The Gaslight Anthem are like something out of speculative fiction: this is what pop music would be if Springsteen hadn’t listened to his producer, let the Ramones record ‘Hungry Heart,’ and launched the C.B.G.B.’ers into megastardom.”
The band released its first LP, Sink or Swim, in 2007 through XOXO Records, and toured with many reputable bands, including Against Me!, The Draft, Dead to Me, and Fake Problems.
The Gaslight Anthem’s second release, a 4-song EP entitled Señor and the Queen, was released on January 29th, 2008 by Sabot Productions.
Their second full-length, The ‘59 Sound, was released on August 19, 2008 on Side One Dummy Records. The album debuted at #70 on the Billboard top 200. It was produced by Ted Hutt, who has produced albums for The Bouncing Souls, Flogging Molly, and MxPx.
On August 6, 2008 they became the first band to ever appear on the cover of Kerrang! magazine without the publication having previously written a single word about them.
In Fall 2008, the band toured with Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, and Thrice.
On December 9, 2008, the Gaslight Anthem made their television debut on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, performing the song the “The ‘59 Sound.” On January 30, 2009, they appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, again playing “The ‘59 Sound.”
Their third full-length, American Slang, was released on June 15, 2010, on Side One Dummy Records. The Bring It On Songfacts reports that it finds the band moving away from the fictional lyrics and '50s-inspired sound of their previous records.
In 2010 they appeared on the main stage at the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK along with Arcade Fire, The Libertines and Modest Mouse.
Their fourth full-length, Handwritten was released on July 23, 2012 in the UK, and on July 24 in the US. The lead single, "45", was aired for the first time worldwide as Zane Lowe's Hottest Record in the World on April 30, 2012 on BBC Radio 1 and was released on iTunes on May 8, 2012. Handwritten was called by The Rolling Stone their "biggest sounding, most straightforward album"
Here's Looking At You Kid
The Gaslight Anthem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I'm famous now for all of these rock and roll songs.
And even if that's a lie, she should've given me a try.
When we were kids on the field of the first day of school.
I would've been her fool.
And I would've sang out your name in those old high school halls.
You tell that to Gayle, if she calls.
That I'm drunk off all these stars and all these crazy Hollywood nights.
And that's a total deceit, but she should've married me.
And tell her I spent every night of my youth on the floor,
Bleeding out from all these wounds.
I would've gotten her a ride out of that town she despised.
You tell that to Janey, if she writes.
But boys will be boys and girls have those eyes
That will cut you to ribbons sometimes.
And all you can do is just wait by the moon
And bleed if it's what she says you oughta do.
You remind Anna, if she asks why,
That a thief stole my heart while she was making up her mind.
I heard she lives in Brooklyn with the cool,
Goes crazy over that New York scene on 7th Avenue.
But I used to wait at the diner, a million nights without her,
Praying she won't cancel again tonight.
And the waiter served my coffee with a consolation sigh.
You remind Anna, if she asks why.
Tell her it's all right.
You know it's hard to tell you this.
Oh it's hard to tell you this.
Here's looking at you, Kid.
The Gaslight Anthem's song Here's Looking At You Kid tells the story of a man sending messages to three different girls from his past, Gayle, Jane and Anna. He tells Gayle that he's now famous for his rock and roll songs and that even though that might not be entirely true, she should have given him a chance when they were kids. He reminisces about how he would have been her fool and how he would have sung her name in the old high school halls. With Jane, he tells her that he's drunk off all the stars of Hollywood, but that she should have married him. He then confesses that he spent every night of his youth bleeding from all these wounds. And finally, with Anna, he asks the person he's talking to - possibly a mutual friend - to remind her that while she was making up her mind, someone stole his heart. He remembers waiting for her a million nights at the diner and how the waiter would serve his coffee with a consolation sigh.
In the chorus, the man acknowledges that boys will be boys and girls will have those eyes that will cut you to ribbons sometimes. He believes that all he can do is wait by the moon and bleed if that's what she says he ought to do. The song ends with the man looking straight into the camera and declaring that it's hard to tell whoever he's talking to this, before saying "here's looking at you, Kid," a direct reference to the iconic line from the movie Casablanca.
Line by Line Meaning
You can tell Gayle, if she calls,
Let Gayle know that I've become famous for my rock and roll songs. Even though it might be a lie, she should have given me a chance when we were kids on the first day of school.
And even if that's a lie, she should've given me a try.
Even if it's not true that I'm famous for my rock and roll songs, Gayle should have given me a chance.
When we were kids on the field of the first day of school. I would've been her fool.
Back when we were in school, I would have done anything for Gayle.
And I would've sang out your name in those old high school halls. You tell that to Gayle, if she calls.
I would have sung Gayle's name out loud in the high school halls. Let her know that if she calls.
And you can tell Jane, if she writes,
Let Jane know that I'm living it up with all these crazy Hollywood nights and stars, even though it's not true. She should have married me when she had the chance.
That I'm drunk off all these stars and all these crazy Hollywood nights.
Even though it's not true, I'm claiming to be drunk on fame and Hollywood.
And that's a total deceit, but she should've married me.
It's a total lie, but Jane should have married me when she had the chance.
And tell her I spent every night of my youth on the floor, Bleeding out from all these wounds.
Let her know that I spent my youth on the floor, bleeding out from the wounds of life.
I would've gotten her a ride out of that town she despised. You tell that to Janey, if she writes.
I would have taken Jane away from the town she hated. If she writes, let her know that.
But boys will be boys and girls have those eyes That will cut you to ribbons sometimes.
People are who they are, and sometimes girls have a way of hurting you deeply with their eyes.
And all you can do is just wait by the moon And bleed if it's what she says you oughta do.
All you can do is wait and bleed if that's what she wants you to do.
You remind Anna, if she asks why, That a thief stole my heart while she was making up her mind.
If Anna asks why I'm not with her anymore, remind her that someone else stole my heart while she was deciding what she wanted.
I heard she lives in Brooklyn with the cool, Goes crazy over that New York scene on 7th Avenue.
I heard that Anna lives in Brooklyn and loves the cool New York scene on 7th Avenue.
But I used to wait at the diner, a million nights without her, Praying she won't cancel again tonight.
I used to wait for Anna at the diner every night, praying she wouldn't cancel our plans again.
And the waiter served my coffee with a consolation sigh. You remind Anna, if she asks why.
The waiter used to serve me coffee with a pitying sigh. If Anna asks why I'm not with her anymore, remind her of this.
Tell her it's all right.
Assure Anna that everything is okay.
You know it's hard to tell you this.
This is difficult to say.
Oh it's hard to tell you this.
It's really tough to tell you this.
Here's looking at you, Kid.
This is me wishing you well.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN FALLON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BruceGaslightAnthemFallon
This song will never get old, it`s a timeless classic. Just stunning and something that every boy can relate to.
@markvito746
This song makes me think of this time I wrote a love letter to a girl in 6th grade and put a pack of m&ms in there and stapled it all.around so I would be out of site when she opened it. But I chickened out. I remember opening the letter on the bus ride home and eating the candy. Was the saddest chocolate I've ever eaten.
@stijnboeren3943
What a story Mark
@MrBank325
@@stijnboeren3943 You can say that again.
@allanansume5524
Same with my hs crush. She turned 18 so I bought 18 lollipops and put them in a bag with a note. I planned on leaving it at the changing room of the theater (I knew her from theater club and that day we had the opening night). Chickened out too and ended up sharing them with all the crew
@DngrDan
That's a great story honestly
@scottys1423
I've forgotten most of the girls who shot me down, but I remember the ones I never had the guys to talk to. The real regrets are the risks we don't take.
@ManiBee
If you're here from Chuck then I love you perfect stranger
@edgarloya2999
How funny is life when you have an actual minute to really sit back and contemplate what life is and the emotions that you go thru at that stage in your life. When he finally gets to Ana is when it actually hits home and you realize that no matter how hard life was it was a hell of a ride regardless of the waitresses sigh or not!!!
@nikifuller842
This song means everything