Daniel Tashian, lead singer and chief songwriter of … Read Full Bio ↴THE SILVER SEAS
Daniel Tashian, lead singer and chief songwriter of Nashville-based quartet The Silver Seas, claims that the inspiration for the bittersweet pop songs on the group's Cheap Lullaby debut didn't come from a romantic breakup, some unrequited love or any of the typical catalysts for tunes like these, which teeter thrillingly between hopefulness and heartbreak. Tashian says it was sitcoms.
"I was wishing someone would hear one of my songs and pick it up for a sitcom theme," Tashian confesses, "so I got into that mode of writing for a while. There is something about that music – songs from The Odd Couple, Laverne and Shirley, the Pink Panther cartoons –that got ingrained in my brain. The Odd Couple theme is the perfect form of music for me because it's minor chords, but it's not sad. In fact, there is song on High Society, 'Tativille,' that tips its hat to The Odd Couple."
Opening track "Country Life" is an upbeat, fish-out-of-water story – a hipster city slicker's version of Green Acres, if you will – that could indeed double as a jaunty sit-com theme. But the title track, which follows, is its darker, yearning flipside. With tunes about outsider guys longing for girls who are just out of their reach or their income bracket, High Society has remarkable emotional depth, even if the arrangements --which boast layers of harmonies from all four band members, jangly 12-string acoustic guitar solos, and shimmering keyboard touches - - have such an easygoing feel.
Tashian, who'd been reading Evelyn Waugh and P.G. Wodehouse while he wrote these songs, is decidedly more Tin Pan Alley than Music Row. He's got a knack for creating instantly memorable melodies to pair with often plaintive lyrics, though he's no show-off; his craftsmanship seems effortless, as if he just dashed off these sneakily addictive numbers in his spare time. Says Tashian, "My lyrics and melodies are straightforward, but I think it's harder to do these kinds of pop songs than, say, a heavier ballad." Any one of them would surely be AM radio-worthy – the cocktail-hour croon of "We'll Go Walking," the country rock of "Catch Your Own Train," the breezy romanticism of "Imaginary Girl," which, come to think of it, would have made a great theme to the classic '60s sitcom The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis.
Grammy-winning producer, arranger and keyboardist Jason Lehning doesn't polish these songs to perfection because they sound gorgeous in nearly naked form. Lehning points out that Tashian constructs his songs in an appealingly weird fashion, generally avoiding bridges for a verse-chorus, verse-chorus approach or, in the case of "Miss November, "it's just three verses and then it's over. There's such an interesting structure to it." And it works, conveying the urgency of a narrator pleading with a centerfold for a date, a time-honored rock and roll scenario; harmonies piled on ELO-style help to sweeten the plot.
"We're a good team," says Lehning. "We bring to each other what the other one doesn't have. Daniel's an incredibly spontaneous person and I'm an incredibly pragmatic person. When we work together, we get to be ourselves in a really good way. That makes a nice balance and it's really enjoyable for me."
High Society was recorded in two days at Sound Emporium Studio A in Nashville, which played host to R.E.M, when they were making Document, as well as many country, folk and indie-rock artists. Along with Tashian and Lehning, The Silver Seas feature John Deaderick on electric bass and David Gehrke on drums. After the foursome had rehearsed and gigged enough to get comfortable with the new material, Lehning gathered his band-mates in one large room at the studio to cut these tracks live. Admits Lehning, "We didn't have any money, so this was designed for us to get done fast." He later added home studio overdubs and cut some more vocals. For the most part, though, the resulting album reflects one inspired weekend's worth of intense recording.
Both Tashian and Lehning were raised deep within the Nashville music scene. Tashian's dad Barry was lead singer of the Boston-based, mid-sixties cult combo the Remains and subsequently toured with Emmylou Harris' Hot Band. Lehning's dad Kyle is a well-respected country music producer and the former president of Asylum Records Nashville. While the young Lehning apprenticed behind the boards, Tashian was developing into a formidable singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He signed with Elektra Records in New York City and, in 1996, released his solo debut, Sweetie, produced by T-Bone Burnett.
Lehning and Tashian first met briefly by chance before choosing to work together. Recalls Lehning, "I remember a foggy night in a Nashville bar called the Iguana, right after Daniel finished his Elektra record. I talked with him for a couple of hours, and then he disappeared for about two more years." Tashian laughingly says he had "an allergic reaction" to Lehning, but something about their exchange stuck. Lehning continues, "Daniel called me out of the blue one day with his idea for the band, saying 'I have this sound in my head, and I know who I want to be a part of it. Would you help me get started?'"
Tashian says, "Jason came over to my house and I played him 'Message From the Birds' and 'Sea of Stars'" – both of which appear on the group's 2004 debut, Starry Gazey Pie, self-released under its former band name, The Bees (U.S) –"and he said, 'Yeah lets do it.' Then I told him I always wanted to do something with the drummer David Gehrke, and we got him in, and we were off and running."
Upright bassist Robbie Harrington was part of the original lineup and played on the debut CD; then electric bassist Deaderick stepped in. Starry Gazey Pie garnered airplay on stations like Boston's WFNX and L.A.'s KCRW and critical kudos from the press. For a time, the self-pressed disc was so hard to find that original copies were fetching premium prices on eBay. High Society began to circulate in a similar fashion, but a tour with Guster and lots of local gigs, praised by publications like Nashville Scene, brought the group a wider following and a record deal.
The Silver Seas cram a lot into the 35-or-so minutes of High Society and even offer, with "Broadway Lights," a slightly wistful but nonetheless happy ending – for now. Stay tuned for the next episode. -- Michael Hill
For more information, please contact Samantha Tillman at samantha@tellallyourfriendspr.com
Another Bad Night's Sleep
The Silver Seas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No-one likes to cry,
No-one likes to be mistreated,
I′m the one who's lying here awake for half the night,
Expecting history,
Not to be repeated.
Baby I need a long walk,
Couldn′t drink enough,
To make the world disappear.
A good friend, a bitter enemy.
But I could stay with you,
Get another bad night's sleep.
There were too many suspicions,
Drunken apparitions,
You allowed yourself,
The luxury,
I've been taking this granted.
I′m becoming disenchanted,
With the subject,
Of your documentary.
Baby I need a good talk,
A short shock.
Couldn′t think enough,
To make the situation clear.
A quick end to this misery,
But I could, stay with you,
Get another bad night's sleep.
No rest for the loveless,
No rest for the loveless,
No rest for the loveless.
No rest for the loveless.
No-one likes to worry,
No-one likes to try,
No-one likes to be defeated,
I′m the one who swore in another argument denying,*
That history,
Will always be repeated.
Baby I need a long walk,
Off a short pier.
Couldn't drink enough,
To make the whole world disappear.
A good friend, a bitter enemy.
But I could stay with you.
But I could stay with you,
Get another bad night′s sleep.
Get another bad night's sleep.
Get another bad night′s sleep.
Get another bad night's...
No rest for the loveless tonight.
The Silver Seas' song "Another Bad Night's Sleep" delivers a powerful message of love struggling in the face of uncertainty and disappointment. The lyrics open with lines that express the universal human fear of being hurt and mistreated but also the hope that things will change for the better. The song's narrator says he lies awake half the night, waiting for something that has happened before not to happen again. He feels exhausted and unhappy in his relationship, yet he cannot let go. The singer's apparent contradiction--he wants things to change but stays in the situation--hints at the complexity of human relationships and how hard it is to break free from patterns of behaviour.
The song continues with the singer's plea for some relief, to walk away or disconnect in some way from the situation. In saying that he could "stay with you/Get another bad night's sleep," he acknowledges the pull of his love interest and how hard it is to break away completely. The lyrics touch on themes of addiction and dependency as well. The singer drinks to try to make the world disappear, but it doesn't work. He feels that his love interest is both a good friend and a bitter enemy, a toxic combination.
The final refrains of the song focus on the theme of restlessness. The singer repeats the lines, "no rest for the loveless," emphasizing how difficult it is to find peace in a loveless relationship. The restless, unsettled feelings that the singer expresses throughout the song culminate in the final repetition of the phrase, "get another bad night's sleep." The song ends abruptly, leaving the listener with the sense that the cycle will continue.
Line by Line Meaning
No-one likes to worry,
Everyone wants to live a peaceful life without worries.
No-one likes to cry,
Nobody wants to shed tears, everybody wants to be happy.
No-one likes to be mistreated,
Everybody likes to be treated with respect and dignity.
I'm the one who's lying here awake for half the night,
The artist is losing sleep, worrying about the possibility of history repeating itself.
Expecting history,
Anticipating that the past will repeat itself.
Not to be repeated.
Hoping that the mistakes of the past won't be repeated in the future.
Baby I need a long walk,
The singer needs some time to clear their head and think things through.
Off a short pier.
Wanting to escape from their problems and go somewhere they can be alone.
Couldn't drink enough,
The artist is trying to drink away their problems but it doesn't seem to be working.
To make the world disappear.
Hoping to forget about their problems and make everything around them disappear.
A good friend, a bitter enemy.
Describing the complicated relationship between the singer and their significant other.
But I could stay with you,
Even though they know it might not be good for them, the artist is willing to stay with their significant other.
Get another bad night's sleep.
Knowing that staying with their significant other will lead to another sleepless night.
There were too many suspicions,
The singer had many doubts about their significant other.
Drunken apparitions,
The singer's significant other might have been cheating on them while under the influence.
You allowed yourself,
The artist's significant other gave in to temptation.
The luxury,
It was a temptation the artist's significant other couldn't resist.
I've been taking this granted.
The singer has been taking their relationship for granted and now they are paying the price.
I'm becoming disenchanted,
The singer is losing faith in their significant other and the relationship.
With the subject,
The topic of their significant other's infidelity.
Of your documentary.
Comparing their relationship to a documentary that is being filmed for others to see.
Baby I need a good talk,
The artist needs to have a serious conversation with their significant other.
A short shock.
The singer hopes that this conversation will be a wake-up call for their significant other.
Couldn't think enough,
The artist is overwhelmed by their emotions and can't think clearly.
To make the situation clear.
The singer wants to clear up the confusion in their relationship.
A quick end to this misery,
The singer wants to end their suffering and the relationship if necessary.
Get another bad night's sleep.
Despite their problems, the singer is willing to stay with their significant other and suffer through another sleepless night.
No rest for the loveless,
The artist is lamenting the difficulties of being in a loveless relationship.
No rest for the loveless tonight.
Knowing that tonight will be just as miserable as every other night in their loveless relationship.
No-one likes to worry,
The chorus repeats the idea that everyone wants to live a peaceful life without worries.
No-one likes to try,
Nobody likes to put in effort and not see any results.
No-one likes to be defeated,
Everybody wants to win and be successful.
I'm the one who swore in another argument denying,
In previous arguments, the artist had refused to acknowledge the possibility of history repeating itself.
That history,
The past.
Will always be repeated.
Now the singer is realizing that history can and will repeat itself if they don't make changes in their relationship.
Contributed by Tyler R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.