Seth Swirsky has written hit songs for dozens of artists, ranging from Rufus Wainwright (“Instant Pleasure”) to Al Green to Tina Turner, Taylor Dayne (“Tell it to My Heart”) among many others. (He’s also written three bestselling books about baseball and made a documentary playing in film festivals currently called “Beatles Stories”).
As a solo artist, his first album – Instant Pleasure – won for Best Pop Album at the 2005 L.A. Music Awards. His follow-up, Watercolor Day, won Best Pop Song (the title track) at the 2010 Hollywood Music and Media Awards.
Ruekberg’s indie credentials are rock solid: He spent the ’90s as writer and singer for Minneapolis-based pop heroes Rex Daisy, who recorded a CD for Geffen Records with producer Paul Fox. He also wrote the soundtrack for the indie cult film classic “Dummy”, which starred Adrien Brody, Milla Jovovich, and Vera Farmiga. Mike’s music has also been heard in other movies and on TV, as well as in football stadiums and blaring from audio greeting cards!
The two met in 2005 and hit it off immediately; both of them admiring each other’s songs, and sharing a taste for vintage pop.
So, they got together and started writing and recording songs. They found that Swirsky’s tuneful optimism balanced nicely with Ruekberg’s pessimistic but passionate style. Their first album “She’s About to Cross My Mind”, in 2007, was the result of those sessions.
After winning many “year-end” polls for Album of the Year with “She’s About to Cross My Mind” and being dubbed by the influential music Magazine SHINDIG! as the new “Power Pop Princes”, they are back with their second album of original material called “As Far As Yesterday Goes”, released on June 1, 2011.
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She's Going Down
The Red Button Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I don't wanna know
She's going down, going down
And she wants me to go
I waited round, waited round
For the weather to change
Still never found, never found
I was drawn to her red lips
Like a light in the darkness
How did I get into this?
She's going down, going down
And it's easy to see
She loves to frown, loves to frown
And she wants company
She just melts in the sunshine, yeah
Only lives for the bad times
No one's gonna change her mind
It's a shame I can't help her from feeling this way, oh
yeah
It's a game that I'm no longer willing to play
I was stung by her sweet lips
Everything turned to darkness
And the hole was bottomless.
The Red Button's song "She's Going Down" is a song about a relationship that is coming to an end, with one person going down while the other is trying to distance themselves from the situation. The song's lyrics describe a sense of entrapment, with the singer having originally been drawn into the relationship by his attraction to the woman, but now feeling like he wants to get out but can't. The repetition of the lyrics "she's going down" emphasizes both the sense of inevitability of the relationship's demise as well as a fixation on it.
The chorus of "she's going down, going down / and she wants me to go" suggests that the woman is aware that the relationship is ending but is trying to hold on by dragging the singer down with her. Despite this, the singer does not want to be involved in her downfall and is trying to distance himself from her, as seen in the lyrics "it's a game that I'm no longer willing to play."
The use of imagery throughout the song (such as "drawn to her red lips," "light in the darkness," and "hole was bottomless") evokes feelings of desire ("sweet lips"), confusion ("darkness"), and hopelessness ("bottomless") in the singer. Overall, the song is a melancholic reflection on the end of a relationship, with a sense of resignation and detachment.
Line by Line Meaning
She's going down, going down
She's headed for trouble or failure, and it's becoming more evident.
And I don't wanna know
I don't want to be involved or informed of her downfall.
And she wants me to go
She's trying to drag me down with her.
I waited round, waited round
I hung around, expecting things to change for the better.
For the weather to change
For the circumstances to improve or become more favorable.
Still never found, never found
But it never happened, and I couldn't find a good enough reason to stay.
Any reason to stay
I couldn't find a justification for staying in the relationship.
I was drawn to her red lips
I was attracted to her physically or sexually.
Like a light in the darkness
She was like a beacon to me, attracting my attention.
How did I get into this?
I question how I found myself in this situation or relationship.
And it's easy to see
Her negative outlook on life and love are evident and evident to others.
She loves to frown, loves to frown
She's always unhappy or unfulfilled.
And she wants company
She wants someone to share in her misery.
She just melts in the sunshine, yeah
She's only happy or content during fleeting, happy moments.
Only lives for the bad times
She's more comfortable in negative or chaotic situations.
No one's gonna change her mind
She's stubborn and won't accept help or advice.
It's a shame I can't help her from feeling this way, oh yeah
It's a shame I can't change her perspective or help her find happiness.
It's a game that I'm no longer willing to play
I'm no longer willing to be involved in her negative cycle or relationship.
I was stung by her sweet lips
I was hurt or fooled by her initially charming or attractive behavior.
Everything turned to darkness
But the relationship quickly became negative and harsh.
And the hole was bottomless
And the relationship was emotionally draining and unending.
Writer(s): Seth Swirsky, Mike Ruekberg
Contributed by Mackenzie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.