Darren Jackson and Erik Appelwick, (of Minnesota bands Kid Dakota and Vicious Vicious, respectively) began recording and performing under the name of Camaro in the early 2000's. As their popularity on the Minneapolis music scene increased, they changed their names to The Olympic Hopefuls and were picked up by 2024 records, a local independent label. They released their debut album, The Fuses Refuse to Burn in 2005.
Due to a copyright dispute with the Olympic Games, the band shortened its name to the Hopefuls after the album was released.
The song "Let's Go!" was featured on the second seasons of both The O.C. and Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.
In April of 2006, Applewick left The Hopefuls to play bass for Tapes 'n Tapes.
The Hopefuls' music is peppy, light, and often deliberately corny. They define their music as "fun music for fun times" and keep their songs upbeat and fast-paced. They often use xylophone fills, synthesizers, and hand claps to, as their webpage says, "keep heads bopping and asses shaking."
On the album, Jackson and Applewick switch off writing and singing songs; Applewick sings the odd-numbered songs and Jackson sings the even-numbered. Their songs are typically about romance and the problems associated with it.
Official site: http://2024records.com/artistweb/thehopefuls/default.cfm
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There is a second group that went under the name of "The Hopefuls" -- a 60s girl group, possibly an early incarnation of Candy and the Kisses. They have only one single: "One Sweet Kiss," which has been featured on a few compilations of soul rarities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZKy1ukpsFI
Let's Go
The Hopefuls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So we live for the darkness
Like the Hollywood vampires
We sleep until the sun sets
And stay up all night
In the arms of the moonlight
I'll meet you outside your window
We'll disappear in the shadows
Put on your Monday best
We're going for a ride
We gotta get out West
We gotta get outside
Hey, alright
It's a.m. time
And we've got Mini-thins and nursery rhymes
The lights fade in the distance
Drivin' away from the skyline
We've got the world in our headlights
Everything will be alright
Let's go!
Until the sun is up
Until the gas is gone
Until the pills wear off
Until we come undone
We could stay up all night
The Hopefuls' song Let's Go is a tale of escapism, a yearning to flee from the mundanity of everyday life and seek refuge in the shadows of nightfall. The opening lines "Every day is a disaster, so we live for the darkness" convey a sense of hopelessness and despair, and a desire to break free from the shackles of the mundane monotony of daily existence. The Hollywood vampires mentioned in the song allude to a group of stars known to enjoy the nightlife to the fullest, staying up late and indulging in wild parties. The singer draws inspiration from these stars and wants to emulate their free-spirited lifestyle.
The lines "In the arms of the moonlight, I'll meet you outside your window, we'll disappear in the shadows" evoke an air of intrigue, a sense of adventure beckoning in the darkness, urging the singer to step out of their comfort zone and explore the unknown. The song encourages the listener to join in on this journey of discovery, inviting them to put on their Monday best and venture into the night, away from the humdrum routine of daily life. The repetition of the phrase "Let's go!" emphasises the sense of urgency and the singer's determination to break free from the shackles of routine.
The song also touches upon the theme of substance abuse, with the lines "And we've got Mini-thins and nursery rhymes." Mini-thins were popular over-the-counter stimulants containing ephedrine, widely used for weight loss and staying awake. The references to nursery rhymes could allude to a childlike sense of innocence and wonder, an attempt to recapture lost youth and vitality.
Overall, the song is a call to adventure, an invitation to embrace the unknown and seek solace in the darkness, away from the monotony of daily life.
Line by Line Meaning
Every day is a disaster
Each day is a mess and filled with trouble.
So we live for the darkness
To escape from the problems of the day, we look forward to the night.
Like the Hollywood vampires
Just like the often depicted vampires in Hollywood movies, we also sleep all day and stay up all night.
We sleep until the sun sets
We sleep during daytime until the sun goes down.
And stay up all night
And when the night arrives, we don't sleep and stay awake all night long.
In the arms of the moonlight
Enjoying the feel and grace of the moonlight, we spend our nights wandering around or spending time with our loved ones.
I'll meet you outside your window
To have a good time together, we agree to meet secretly outside each other's window.
We'll disappear in the shadows
We'll try not to attract anyone's attention and instead vanish into the dark shadows.
Let's go!
With enthusiasm, we urge each other to start doing something right away and be heading out.
Put on your Monday best
Dress up and put on your best attire as we are setting out for something extraordinary.
We're going for a ride
We are embarking on a journey or an adventure that will be thrilling and exciting.
We gotta get out West
Our destination is the western region that we desperately need to reach.
We gotta get outside
We are sick of being cramped up indoors, and hence we need to step outside.
Hey, alright
An exclamation of excitement and agreement. We are ready for this journey.
It's a.m. time
It's morning, and the day has just started.
And we've got Mini-thins and nursery rhymes
We have energy-boosting supplements and some old songs that we grew up with to keep us going during the journey.
The lights fade in the distance
As we travel away from the city, the city lights slowly disappear in the distance, and we step into nature's darkness.
Drivin' away from the skyline
We're driving away from the horizon, leaving the bright lights behind, and heading towards the vast, open land ahead.
We've got the world in our headlights
As we drive through the night, the beams of our headlights illuminate the world in front of us.
Everything will be alright
With a sense of hopefulness, we reassure ourselves that everything will turn out to be better than we initially anticipated.
Until the sun is up
We'll keep moving forward until the sun rises with unwavering persistence.
Until the gas is gone
We will keep driving forward, and our journey will come to an end when we run out of fuel.
Until the pills wear off
We'll use these energy boosters until they wear off, and then we'll have to rely on our bodies to keep going.
Until we come undone
We'll keep forging ahead, pushing our limits, and eventually come to a moment of physical and mental exhaustion.
We could stay up all night
Just like every other night, we could stay up all night long, cherishing the joy of the experience and the memories we created.
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JAMES HARRIS, JAMES HARRIS III, JANET JACKSON, TERRY LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind