Prior to forming The Midnight, Tyler Lyle and Tim McEwan were both established musicians. Lyle was an indie-folk singer-songwriter based in the state of Georgia and gained initial notability with several self-released titles, becoming regionally and nationally known. McEwan was a drummer and producer based in Denmark, later becoming a member of the Danish production group Deekay who has written and produced songs for many popular artists.
The pair met for the first time in 2012 at a songwriter’s workshop in North Hollywood organized by Katie Donovan, Lyle’s A&R representative at the time. Prior to meeting, McEwan had listened to some of Lyle’s previous work and liked Lyle’s folk sound. Despite differing musical backgrounds, they bonded over a mutual love of 80s rock and began to write songs together. After initially struggling to define their sound, McEwan suggested that they compose songs in the synthwave style. McEwan had prior exposure to the burgeoning genre and was inspired by the movie Drive. The first song they wrote together as a duo was WeMoveForward, which was included on their debut EP Days of Thunder.
STYLE AND WORKFLOW
For most of their career, The Midnight has created a strong and distinct synthwave sound in their music - Tim McEwan once described the band's early albums “as if Miami Vice had a baby with a John Hughes movie”. However, McEwan has continuously expressed a desire to evolve the synthwave genre and not be confined by it. Tyler Lyle has stated several times that the band's philosophy when composing is “combine, not confine”. Influences of genres such as lo-fi, soft rock, trance, and vaporwave can be heard on Monsters, and Lyle's musical background has brought influences of indie folk and Americana to the band's sound as well. Regarding the merging of their individual talents and styles, Lyle has said:
It’s rock and roll with synthesizers. Tim has a keen ear for production, and I can write songs that fit comfortably within the tradition of 20th century classic pop songwriting. Somewhere in the middle things get interesting.
McEwan employs various digital synths in his production, including Serum, Diva, TAL-U-NO-LX, Spire, and Roland Cloud's Jupiter 8 and Juno 106. In mid-2020, he mentioned that his favorite synth to use at the time was U-He's emulation of Prophet-5, known as Repro 5. McEwan has stated that he commonly begins with presets and then tweaks them to his liking. KONTAKT is used for sampling.
Both McEwan and Lyle use Logic Pro on macOS as their primary Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).Universal Audio interfaces are used to capture their sounds, which are then processed using UAD plugins. Using the same utilities makes it easier for them to share session files as a significant amount of their work is done remotely, due to living in different areas of the US. However, they will usually get together in the same room a few times during a release's production and will often write and record together while on tour. A release's sound and overall direction are generally created by the two bouncing ideas off each other - McEwan will send Lyle a rough track or beat, which Lyle will then think of lyrics and a title that would go good with the beat, after which McEwan will further build and produce the track. McEwan has stated that the production of a typical The Midnight album takes around three to six months, “from the early gestating part to finish”.
Production and drums are handled by McEwan, with Lyle providing guitar, lyrics, and vocals. Lyle has stated that he writes on a daily basis, and many lyrics come from a large number of fragments he keeps stored in Evernote. Most of the remaining instrumentation is digital, but on occasion songs (including most with saxophone and guitar solos) will at first have digital instruments that are then outsourced to other musicians to play live on the track. Thomas Edinger has been the primary saxophone player for The Midnight's releases, and McEwan's brother Oliver has frequently played bass for the band as well.
For live performances, various setups have been used by the band. Lyle stated that the Spring 2019 tour utilized an Ableton rig, with McEwan using an SPD SX sampling pad and MIDI controller. Lyle ran his guitars through a Kemper profiling amp, and he also used an OP1 for certain synth moments and pads.
Explorers
The Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the Everest climbers
To the castaways
To the midnight riders
To the spark igniters
I am on my way
Let it be said, and let it be known
The path before us
The world behind us
I'll wait for you there
I am on my way
I am on my way
To the lost ark raiders
To the lion tamers
To the stowaway
To the white tide chaser
To the black flag raiser
I am on my way
Let it be said, and let it be known
He who is free is never alone
The path before us
The world behind us
I'll wait for you there
I am on my way
I am on my way
I am on my way
I am on my way
There's a song that sailors know
Lost, alone and far from home
Golden gallions
Golden guns
And find that place under the sun
There's a song on the Sahara wind
That lifts you to your feet again
That dances on the clockwork stars
That pulses through a beating heart
I am on my way
There's a song that sailors know
Lost, alone and far from home
(I am on my way)
Golden gallions
Golden guns
And find that place under the sun
(I am on my way)
There's a song on the Sahara wind
That lifts you to your feet again
(I am on my way)
That dances on the clockwork stars
That pulses through a beating heart
(I am on my way)
In “Explorers” by The Midnight, the song picks up the pace and the lyrics build an uplifting and anthemic celebration of adventure and exploration. The song is a kind of tribute to those who seek out adventure and embrace the uncertainty and risk of the world around them. In the first verse, the lyrics address “freedom fighters,” “Everest climbers,” “castaways,” and “midnight riders,” and more, who all share in the pursuit of something greater. The chorus repeats the mantra of the song, “let it be said, and let it be known, he who is free is never alone” urging those who listen to embrace their own path and their own sense of freedom.
Musically, the song has an energetic synth-led melody that constantly moves forward, building and expanding as it goes. The lyrics are uplifting and poetic, full of vivid imagery that really captures the spirit of adventure and exploration. The chorus is the standout moment of the song, with its big harmonies and powerful drumbeat that really reinforces the message of the lyrics. Overall, “Explorers” is a celebration of the human spirit and the call of the open road, urging the listener to embrace life and all its opportunities.
Line by Line Meaning
To the freedom fighters
To those who fight for freedom
To the Everest climbers
To those who climb Everest
To the castaways
To those who have been stranded or lost at sea
To the midnight riders
To those who ride or travel during the night
To the spark igniters
To those who inspire or ignite others
I am on my way
I am making progress towards my goal
Let it be said, and let it be known
This is a statement that should be widely known
He who is free is never alone
Those who are free are never truly alone
The path before us
The journey ahead of us
The world behind us
The past we leave behind as we move forward
I'll wait for you there
I will meet you at the destination
To the lost ark raiders
To those who seek treasure or artifacts
To the lion tamers
To those who bravely face danger
To the stowaway
To those who hide away for safety
To the white tide chaser
To those who pursue adventure and excitement
To the black flag raiser
To those who embrace rebellion or piracy
There's a song that sailors know
This is a well-known song among sailors
Lost, alone and far from home
Lost and far from their familiar surroundings
Golden gallions
Ships filled with treasure
Golden guns
Weapons of great value or rarity
And find that place under the sun
And discover a place of comfort and joy
There's a song on the Sahara wind
This is a well-known song carried on winds of the Sahara desert
That lifts you to your feet again
That inspires you to keep going despite hardship
That dances on the clockwork stars
That moves in sync with the celestial bodies of the universe
That pulses through a beating heart
That resonates within one's soul and spirit
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Tim McEwan, Tyler Lyle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@futaris
To the freedom fighters
To the Everest climbers
To the castaway
To the midnight riders
To the spark igniters
I am on my way
Let it be said
Let it be known
He who is free is never alone
The path before us
The world behind us
I will wait for you there
I am on my way
I am on my way
To the lost ark raiders
To the lion tamers
To the stowaway
To the white tired chaser
To the black flag raiser
I am on my way
Let it be said
Let it be known
He who is free is never alone
The path before us
The world behind us
I will wait for you there
I am on my way
I am on my way
I am on my way
I am on my way
There is a song singers know
Lost alone and far from home
Golden galleons, golden guns to find their place under the sun
There is a song on the sahara wind that lifts you to your feet again
The dance is on the clockwork stars
The pulse is through a beating heart
I am on my way
There is a song singers know
Lost alone and far from home
I am on my way
Golden galleons, golden guns to find their place under the sun
I am on my way
There is a song on the sahara wind that lifts you to your feet again
I am on my way
The dance is on the clockwork stars
The pulse is through a beating heart
I am on my way
@user-od9xb7eo6k
To the freedom fighters
To the everest climbers
To the castaways
To the midnight riders
To the spark igniters
I am on my way
[Chorus]
Let it be said, and let it be known
He who is free is never alone
The path before us
The world behind us
I’ll wait for you there
I am on my way
I am on my way
[Verse 2]
To the lost ark raiders
To the lion tamers
To the stowaway
To the white tide chaser
To the black flag raiser
I am on my way
[Chorus]
Let it be said, and let it be known
He who is free is never alone
The path before us
The world behind us
I’ll wait for you there
[Bridge]
I am on my way
I am on my way
I am on my way
I am on my way
[Verse 3]
There’s a song that sailors know
Lost, alone and far from home
Golden gallions
Golden guns
And find that place under the sun
There’s a song on the Sahara wind
That lifts you to your feet again
That dances on the clockwork stars
That pulses through a beating heart
I am on my way
[Verse 3]
There’s a song that sailors know
Lost, alone and far from home
(I am on my way)
Golden gallions
Golden guns
And find that place under the sun
(I am on my way)
There’s a song on the Sahara wind
That lifts you to your feet again
(I am on my way)
That dances on the clockwork stars
That pulses through a beating heart
(I am on my way)
@brumbrumbrum4097
[Verse 1]
To the freedom fighters
To the everest climbers
To the castaways
To the midnight riders
To the spark igniters
I am on my way
[Chorus]
Let it be said, and let it be known
He who is free is never alone
The path before us
The world behind us
I’ll wait for you there
I am on my way
I am on my way
[Verse 2]
To the lost ark raiders
To the lion tamers
To the stowaway
To the white tide chaser
To the black flag raiser
I am on my way
@ajsky1066
One word to describe the 80's = MAGIC !!!
The present generation might be having instant taxis, instant food deliveries, the internet, facebook and the promise of millions through guided entrepreneurship, but I think i'm so lucky to be born in 1981. There was a certain magic in the air during that decade. Women were so gorgeous, friends were so loyal, teachers were so angelic, cops on the street would smile and wave back when I waved at them, shopkeepers would treat everyone with politeness, movie halls were not seen by us as multiplexes, but as temples of rare entertainment. I still remember 5-6 Air-Hostesses cuddling me on a flight when I was 8 years old and started crying looking for my mom. How could they imagine an 8 year old peeping into their soft milky white bosoms.
Every sunday would be Street Hawk or GI Joe or Masters of the Universe on TV, with the whole family cousins huddled together.
We were allowed VHS rentals only once in 2 months. Back to the Future, E.T, Superman, Robocop, Indiana Jones, Rambo, Top Gun, Ghostbusters and Star Wars were released then.(All the franchises that are still the most profitable and which the studios are still trying to milk through remakes and the directors still try to emulate)
"What you looking at Butt-head?", "Hello, Anybody home?" became common phrases thrown around teasingly. We watched each and every scene with glued attention. Because if you slip, you had to rewind the tape. Sometimes the tape would get stuck and we would take out the head cleaner spray. Spielberg, Christopher Reeve, Michael Jackson, George Lucas and Eddie Murphy ruled the movies. The toys from He-Man and GI Joe were our badge of honor in school. The kid in school who had Castle Grayskull was considered the Master of the School's Universe. He would let us play with it and if he became good friends, he would let us take it home with us for just a day.
Every once in a while would be Michael Jackson's "Bad" album played with me jumping on the bed. His music was pure joy. Gorbachev became the USSR President. For some reason, he was liked by all us kids as the good uncle. The Berlin wall fell one night and there was sounds of loud cheering blaring from the TV. We had never seen the kind of euphoria and celebration before by so many people before. For us kids, we could't explain it, but it was as if the Second World War had ended............ And all of this as kid living in India. God knows the kind of bliss American kids were drenched in, every day and night.
THEN WE GREW UP, AND OUR HEARTS DIED.
But......REMEMBER, NO GOOD THING EVER DIES, HOPE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING EVER.
I always hoped that the 80's would come back. And it's coming back slowly.
Thank you Midnight and Thank you YouTube !
@Sophia-ue4gw
Love this track ❤
@lukasg7464
That track just gives you an enormous amount of hope and courage to look ahead, stand up and tackle your future open hearted without fear :)
@lions1729
Always look forward. ...Always. Good luck.
@c0smicpizza8
exactly!! like everything will be okay. ❤️
@michaelc.5809
❤️❤️
@Roug3e_Bunny
Your profile picture seems like it could use a update ik a thing or two about making that kind of art
@uberpwner48
The Lucky and Plucky Joestar Bloodline!
@Retro_Brewz
The nostalgia this song brings to me is beyond tangible. Happy tears.
“I am on my waaaaaaay...”
@saleembassadien7144
If the 80's could be described as an emotion, this song is that emotion.
@lucianofreire7745
Perfeito 🎵