Recording mostly live, the band released its debut, Almost Killed Me, on French Kiss Records in March 2004 and Separation Sunday a year later. In April 2006 the band signed to Vagrant Records and entered the studio on the 1st of May to begin work on their third record, Boys and Girls in America. Released in October, it was one of the most critically acclaimed records of 2006 and reached a much larger audience than its predecessors.
The band released their fourth album, Stay Positive, recorded again with Boys and Girls in America producer John Agnello. Nicolay left the group and on May 4, 2010 the band released their fifth studio album, Heaven Is Whenever, recorded with producer Dean Baltulonis.
On July 15, 2008, Stay Positive was released. It debuted at #30 on the Billboard 200. It debuted on the UK Album Chart at #15 on July 20, the third-highest new entry. It ranked #1 on the UK Indie Chart. The album was named the best of 2008 by Entertainment Weekly. The song "Constructive Summer" was number 56 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.
Their seventh album, Thrashing Thru the Passion, was released in 2019. Among its songs, "Entitlement Crew" and "Confusion in the Marketplace," were considered standouts.
Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night
The Hold Steady Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, he told him what to celebrate
And I met William Butler Yeats, Sunday night dance party, summer 1988
At first I thought it might be William Blake
We mix our own mythologies, we push them out through PA systems
We dictate our doxologies and try to get sleeping kids to sit up and listen
And I'm not saying we could save you
And if you don't get born again at least you'll get high as hell
Yeah, and sweet St. Paul, that must be the hardest luck saint of them all
We met him at some suburban St. Paul mall
Yeah, and St. Theresa came to Holly, but I wasn't even at that party
I'd already moved out to New York City
Yeah, when Judas went up and kissed him
I almost got sick
I guess I knew what was coming
I guess I knew it was coming
We gather our gospels from gossip and bar talk then we declare them the truth
We salvage our sermons from message boards and scene reports
And we sic them on the youth
We try out new testaments on the guys sitting next to us
In the bars with the bars on the windows, alright
And even if you don't get you converted tonight
You gotta admit the band's pretty tight
They did "She's Got Legs" into "Ain't Too Proud To Beg"
Into something by the Dixie Dregs
And they faked their way through "Fairytale of New York"
When the band stopped playing we howled out for more
Hey Nelson Algren, Chicago seemed tired last night
They had cigarettes where there were supposed to be eyes
Hey William Butler Yeats, all the Irish seemed wired last night
They tried to separate our girls from our guys
They had cigarettes where there were supposed to be eyes
The Hold Steady's song "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night" is a nostalgic and contemplative piece about the blend of literature and rock music. The song talks about meeting some famous writers, William Butler Yeats and Nelson Algren who inspired the band's folklore. This mixing of real-life human interactions and legendary tales is reflected in the lyrics where the band creates and pushes their own mythologies, dictating their own doxologies. The song is all about acknowledging and celebrating the inspiring personas in their lives and how literature has influenced their music.
Craig Finn, the lead singer of The Hold Steady, sings about his experience of meeting Yeats, but in a twist of fate, he initially assumed he had met William Blake. The lyrics suggest that while this may have initially been a mistake, it doesn't change the fact that his encounter with Yeats was still a significant moment. He also references St. Paul, who according to Christian tradition, was an apostle that initially persecuted and then converted to Christianity. The band sees themselves as a kind of modern-day interpreter, taking the tales and fables of the past and re-contextualizing them for the new millennium.
The song also touches on the idea of the band's role in their audience's lives, perhaps through their music they could put someone in a place where they can save themselves. The art and literature that they draw so much inspiration from have the power to do that, awaken that sense of salvation in people. The line 'if you don't get born again at least you'll get high as hell' suggests the idea that even if someone doesn't find a life-changing revelation, they can still experience euphoria and liberation through the power of art.
Line by Line Meaning
Nelson Algren came to Paddy at some party at the Dead End Alley
Nelson Algren came to Paddy's party at Dead End Alley
Yeah, he told him what to celebrate
He told him what to celebrate
And I met William Butler Yeats, Sunday night dance party, summer 1988
I met William Butler Yeats on a Sunday night dance party in the summer of 1988
At first I thought it might be William Blake
At first I thought he might be William Blake
We mix our own mythologies, we push them out through PA systems
We create our own stories and make them heard through PA systems
We dictate our doxologies and try to get sleeping kids to sit up and listen
We insist on our beliefs and try to make uninterested people listen to us
And I'm not saying we could save you
I am not saying that we can save you
But we could put you in a place where you could save yourself
We can take you to a place where you could help yourself
And if you don't get born again at least you'll get high as hell
Even if you do not get reborn, you will still have the best of times
Yeah, and sweet St. Paul, that must be the hardest luck saint of them all
Sweet St. Paul must be the saddest saint of all
We met him at some suburban St. Paul mall
We met him at a mall in suburban St. Paul
Yeah, and St. Theresa came to Holly, but I wasn't even at that party
And St. Theresa came to Holly, but I was not present in that party
I'd already moved out to New York City
I already moved to New York City
Yeah, when Judas went up and kissed him
When Judas approached and kissed him
I almost got sick
I felt nauseous
I guess I knew what was coming
I knew what was coming
I guess I knew it was coming
I knew it was coming
We gather our gospels from gossip and bar talk then we declare them the truth
We get our stories from rumors and bar conversations but claim them to be true
We salvage our sermons from message boards and scene reports
We extract our preaching from internet message boards and music scene reports
And we sic them on the youth
And we influence them on the youth
We try out new testaments on the guys sitting next to us
We try new statements on the guys sitting beside us
In the bars with the bars on the windows, alright
In the bars with windows filled with bars, fine
And even if you don't get you converted tonight
And even if you do not get converted tonight
You gotta admit the band's pretty tight
You have to admit that the band is impressive
They did "She's Got Legs" into "Ain't Too Proud To Beg"
They played "She's Got Legs," then played "Ain't Too Proud To Beg"
Into something by the Dixie Dregs
Then moved to something by the Dixie Dregs
And they faked their way through "Fairytale of New York"
And they pretended to know the song "Fairytale of New York"
When the band stopped playing we howled out for more
When the band stopped playing, we shouted for an encore
Hey Nelson Algren, Chicago seemed tired last night
Hey Nelson Algren, Chicago looked weary last night
They had cigarettes where there were supposed to be eyes
They had cigarettes, where they were because there should be eyes
Hey William Butler Yeats, all the Irish seemed wired last night
Hey William Butler Yeats, all the Irish looked excited last night
They tried to separate our girls from our guys
They attempted to segregate our girls and guys
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Craig Finn, Franz Nicolay, Tad Jason Kubler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind