Influenced heavily by the sounds of MBV, Ride, Spaceman 3, Lush, and the Cocteau Twins, the band soon developed a following. After a few early line-up changes they drafted in one of Portland's most amazing voices, Kaitlyn ni Donovan. Having an extremely successful solo career of her own, Kaitlyn immediately added the lush vocals and beautiful melodies the band needed. One self-released EP later, the band were in the studio recording their debut album "44 Down." Released in 2002 on independent label Reverb Records, the album was singled out by Under the Radar and Magnet magazines with full page features, noting its influence.
The High Violets followed up their debut with the album "To Where You Are," which was released in 2006 (Reverb). Produced, engineered, and mixed by Tony Lash (Dandy Warhols, Elliott Smith, Tahiti 80) and Jeff S. Saltzman (Sleater Kinnery, Stephen Malkamus), it took over three years to create and was well worth the wait. Press releases proclaimed Clint Sargent's layered guitars the standout feature and Kaitlyn ni Donovan's watercolor vocals the crowning jewel on the CD's shimmering sounds -- "well crafted songs giving fans new and old a healthy dose of their soft and hard sides expertly mixed together." Portland's KINK radio showcased the album on its Local Music Spotlight and Seattle's KEXP invited the band to perform a live broadcast prior to their CD release.
The band completed a successful nationwide tour in 2006 along with performances at the SXSW Music Festival and Musicfest NW. While in Austin they met Emmy-winning producer, director, and editor, Dutch Rall, who worked with the band to produce a fantastic video of "Invitation," and a mini documentary that recently aired on PBS. Check out the video on www.myspace.com/thehighviolets.
Goodnight Goodbye
The High Violets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never seem to decide
Two by four you watch as I parade
Another batch of clowns
Patiently holding on
Bitter sweet you and I
Cause our old love never dies
And others pay with hearts broken wide
And we try really try
But free's a word that terrifies
Cause our old love never dies
Every time we try to say goodbye
It's just goodnight
Kids we stayed that day back when
We met and you were only 24
There's no reward for our get away
Strung up by guilt by dawn
Holding on and on
Bitter sweet you and I
We can't say our goodbyes
The timing is never right
We tell ourselves every time
And we try, really try
To move on and hope it will subside
With boys and girls who buy our lies
But every time we try to say goodbye
It's just good night
Bittersweet you and I
We can say our goodbyes
Cause our old love never dies
And other pay with hearts broken wide
Being free is alright
But free's a word that terrifies
Cause our old love never dies
The High Violets' song "Goodnight Goodbye" is a melancholy and introspective track about a couple who can't seem to say goodbye to each other despite their best efforts. The opening lines, "I can't afford to let you get away / I never seem to decide", suggest a sense of helplessness and indecision. The singer is struggling to let go of their partner, but they can't bring themselves to make a clean break.
The chorus repeats the line "our old love never dies", highlighting the power and persistence of their connection, even as they try to move on. The couple's attempts to say goodbye are always met with sadness and regret, and they end up settling for a temporary "goodnight" instead.
The lyrics also hint at a sense of guilt and shame, with phrases like "strung up by guilt by dawn" and "boys and girls who buy our lies". The couple is trapped in a cycle of pain and deception, unable to break free from their past.
Overall, "Goodnight Goodbye" is a poignant and beautifully crafted song about the complexities of love and loss. It captures the conflicting emotions of a couple trying to move on but never quite succeeding.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't afford to let you get away
I cannot bear to lose you
I never seem to decide
I struggle to make a decision
Two by four you watch as I parade
You watch me as I go about my life
Another batch of clowns
More people like me
Patiently holding on
Continuing to hold onto our relationship
Bitter sweet you and I
Our relationship is both happy and painful
We can't say our goodbyes
We cannot find it in ourselves to end our relationship
Cause our old love never dies
Our love for each other will never truly go away
And others pay with hearts broken wide
People who try to get in between us or come after us end up getting hurt
And we try really try
We put in a lot of effort
But free's a word that terrifies
The idea of being free from our relationship scares us
Every time we try to say goodbye
Each attempt at ending our relationship
It's just goodnight
It always ends up just being a temporary farewell
Kids we stayed that day back when
We were young and in love back then
We met and you were only 24
That's when we first met
There's no reward for our get away
There's no benefit to us breaking free
Strung up by guilt by dawn
We are burdened by guilt every morning
Holding on and on
We continue to hold onto each other
The timing is never right
The circumstances never align for us to part ways
We tell ourselves every time
We try to convince ourselves
And we try, really try
We give it our all
To move on and hope it will subside
We try to move on and hope the pain will die down
With boys and girls who buy our lies
Other people who fall for our facade
Bittersweet you and I
Our relationship is both happy and painful
We can say our goodbyes
We have the power to end our relationship
Being free is alright
Being free from our relationship is okay
Cause our old love never dies
Our love for each other will never truly go away
And others pay with hearts broken wide
People who try to get in between us or come after us end up getting hurt
But free's a word that terrifies
The idea of being free from our relationship scares us
Contributed by Madison B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ilyailyukhin-ilford9978
Criminally underrated.
@ix8880
I can't understand why this band hasn't had greater success, Kaitlyn's voice is to die for and the guitars are just so lush and full. I would love to see them - Please come to Arizona for a show!
@SixBellsChime
I totally agree! Have put Hight Violets songs on so many mixtapes and playlists for friends. They should be huge!
@nramadhin88
Love her voice
@planetmut
This is soooo bloody good!
@DoctorSpender
This was my favorite song of 2010 and I have been a fan since then. I keep hoping for (well-deserved) greater success... still introducing folks to their music.
@alternativefm328
Alternative FM Through the night
@MsAudiofilo
Muy buena banda 👏
@tsjoencinema
This sounds awesome
@lefrauens
Very good track!