The Posies began as a set of informal home recordings by Stringfellow and Auer, but soon became a full-fledged band. Those early demos were released as the album Failure (1988). Mike Musburger and Rick Roberts joined soon after, allowing the band to play its first live shows in Seattle and Bellingham. The four then moved into a house in Seattle's University District. The band's first full album was their major-label début Dear 23 (1990). It was produced by John Leckie and features lush orchestrations for the songwriters' literate, clever, melodic pop with occasional hard-hitting guitars.
The Posies' guitars hit even harder on their third and fourth albums, 1993's Frosting On The Beater and 1996's Amazing Disgrace. These two albums are the band's most succesful and are still widely regarded as classics in indie rock and 'power pop'.
The band's rhythm section underwent many changes over the years. During the recording of 'Frosting', Roberts left and was replaced by Dave Fox. During the 1994 European tour, Musberger left (new bassist: Joe Howard a.k.a. Joe Skyward), whole Brian Young took over on drums
The 'Amazing Disgrace line-up' also recorded album #5, Success (1998), which failed commercially. The Posies went on hiatus while the members concentrated on outside projects, including solo albums (Stringfellow, Auer) and projects such as Lucky Me, Skyward and Chariot, while Brian Young played drums in Fountains of Wayne. From 1997 to 2001, there was only sporadic Posies activity, although two live albums saw the light of day: an 'electric' one (Alive Before The Iceberg, 1999) and an 'acoustic' one (In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In, 2000).
After a satisfying tour as a duo, Auer and Stringfellow brought the band back to active service, now with Darius Minwalla on drums and Matt Harris on bass. The new line-up recorded and released the studio albums Every Kind Of Light (2005) and the particularly well-received Blood/Candy (2010).
From 1993 onwards, Auer and Stringfellow also joined Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens as band members of 'power pop' legends Big Star, playing on many tours as well as the Big Star studio album, In Space (2005).
The years 2010-2016 were a particularly dark time for The Posies. Ayer and Stringfellow's association with Big Star came to an abrupt end when Alex Chilton died in 2010. The Posies' 2014 incarnation included Darius Minwalla on drums and Joe Skyward on bass, but disaster would strike: on May 21, 2015, Darius Minwalla died suddenly in his home in Vancouver, from unknown causes. On March 26th 2016, Joe Skyward passed away after a battle with cancer.
The Posies, however, re-emerged with a new album (their 8th), Solid States, set for an April 2016 release.
Any Other Way
The Posies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I dropped my head and hid my tears with laughter
(you know that) life's never been a great mystery to me
It begins, then crawls slowly to the end
And I've no problems if you wish to join my views
Just add your name to the list of superficial friends
It (funny how these things work)
All seemed like it was too good to be true
Was and soon it came time to play my dues
So came the day when she had had enough
She kept home and I wasn't asked to stay
She said, "you don't have to blame yourself, you know"
But I wouldn't have it any other way
I wouldn't have it any other way
Don't feed the hand that bites you
Just learn to starve
Don't fight for change in your time
Just swallow your depression
And say you're happy that it's rotten out today
And who wouldn't have it any other way
No, you wouldn't have it any other way
She left me alone, claiming we'd run out of things to fight about
I was crushed of course, but at least I've something I can write about
I guess I'm just some kind of malcontent
Who gets paid for having nothing good to say
And even though it doesn't pay the rent
You know I wouldn't have it any other way
I wouldn't have it any other way
I wouldn't have it any other way
I wouldn't have it any other way
I wouldn't have it any other way
The song "Any Other Way" by The Posies is a contemplative and melancholic reflection on a failed relationship. The lyrics describe the moment when the singer realizes that the relationship has come to an end, with his partner dropping his hand and refusing to continue. The singer hides his tears with laughter, acknowledging that life is not a mystery to him and that it simply begins and ends. He welcomes his partner to join him in his views, asking her to be added to his list of superficial friends. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been in this situation before and is not surprised that things did not work out.
The song suggests that the singer is resigned to a state of melancholy or depression, urging the listener to not fight for change but rather to accept things the way they are. He suggests that one should learn to live with the rottenness of life without trying to change it. Despite feeling trapped in his own negativity, the singer asserts that he wouldn't have it any other way, implying that he is somehow comfortable in his own misery.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on the events that led to the end of the relationship, revealing that his partner left him because they had run out of things to fight about. The lyrics suggest that the singer is a malcontent, someone who is dissatisfied with life and always has something negative to say. Despite this, he acknowledges that he gets paid for having nothing good to say and that he wouldn't have it any other way. The song concludes with the singer repeating the line "I wouldn't have it any other way," reinforcing the idea that he is somehow comfortable and resigned to his own misery.
Line by Line Meaning
She dropped my hand and said, "I will go no further"
She made it clear that she was done with the relationship and did not want to continue any further.
I dropped my head and hid my tears with laughter
I was heartbroken but I tried to mask it by laughing and hiding my tears.
(you know that) life's never been a great mystery to me
I have always found life to be fairly predictable and straightforward.
It begins, then crawls slowly to the end
Life starts out with promise but eventually deteriorates and comes to an end.
And I've no problems if you wish to join my views
I have no issue with someone sharing my perspective on life.
Just add your name to the list of superficial friends
But if you do, you'll just be another shallow acquaintance in my life.
It (funny how these things work)
It's ironic how life can change in unexpected ways.
All seemed like it was too good to be true
Things were going well, but it didn't seem sustainable.
It (funny now it's always your fault)
Now that things have gone wrong, it's easy to place blame on someone else.
Was and soon it came time to play my dues
Eventually, I had to suffer the consequences of my actions.
So came the day when she had had enough
Eventually, my partner reached her breaking point and was done with our relationship.
She kept home and I wasn't asked to stay
She stayed home and didn't ask me to come over or try to reconcile.
She said, "you don't have to blame yourself, you know"
She tried to reassure me that it wasn't entirely my fault.
But I wouldn't have it any other way
Despite the pain of the breakup, I wouldn't want things to have gone differently.
Don't feed the hand that bites you
Don't give attention or support to someone or something that harms you.
Just learn to starve
Instead, learn to go without and not depend on those who harm you.
Don't fight for change in your time
Don't try to change the world around you because it is difficult and often unsuccessful.
Just swallow your depression
Instead, suppress your negative feelings and pretend to be happy.
And say you're happy that it's rotten out today
Even when things are terrible and the world seems to be falling apart, pretend to be happy about it.
And who wouldn't have it any other way
This sarcastic question implies that nobody would really choose to live this way, but many people often do.
She left me alone, claiming we'd run out of things to fight about
My partner left me, claiming that there was no substance left in our relationship to argue over.
I was crushed of course, but at least I've something I can write about
While I was devastated by the breakup, at least I found inspiration for my writing.
I guess I'm just some kind of malcontent
I realize that I am often dissatisfied with life and the status quo.
Who gets paid for having nothing good to say
Despite my negative outlook, my writing often earns me money and recognition.
And even though it doesn't pay the rent
While my writing success doesn't fully support me financially, it is still valuable.
You know I wouldn't have it any other way
Despite the challenges of being a writer and constantly fighting against the status quo, I wouldn't want to live any other way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JONATHAN PAUL AUER, KEN STRINGFELLOW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
EGirl62
For some reason, I just can't stop listening to The Posies right now.
Privy Sorrow
Such a great band to be stuck on. Dear 23 is so chill inducing it's unreal.
pinkfreud62
Great song along with Flood of Sunshine. They write clever lyrics too, imo.
Chad Goodell
Absolutely amazing.
Brittnay M.
One of my favorites.
Michelle Nachtigall
So underrated
Alternative FM 🔊
Ace T