Fast-forward to the spring of 2002: Moorhead and Schroll met through mutual friend Tracy Bonham, and bonded after forming a hard-edged rock band with a volatile singer-songwriter. Creative differences quickly led to the bandโs demise, but the partnership forged between Hannah and Terrah became the foundation for what would become The Twenty Twos. โWe were determined to work together because we knew how great our chemistry was,โ explains Moorhead. โWe wanted to form a band of musicians who shared our chemistry, but also our passion and vision.โ
The girls began writing songs in a makeshift bedroom studio in Schrollโs Astoria apartment. Songwriting came quickly and easily, thanks to a shared aesthetic and obsessive-compulsive work habits. When it came time to recruit a guitar player who could sing, Hannah and Terrah made a conscious decision to avoid the humiliation of cattle call auditions. โIf we build it, they will comeโ became their mantra โ and it worked. Within less than a month, the songwriting sessions at Schrollโs Astoria apartment included Jenny Christmas, a highly regarded guitarist and singer-songwriter unofficially known as the hottest bartender in the East Village. โI first met Jenny when she was bartending at The Continental,โ recollects Schroll. โI handed her a CD of some ideas that Hannah and I had come up with, and in exchange she gave me a free Jack and Coke! Needless to say, we hit it off right away.โ
Intensive songwriting and a rigorous rehearsal schedule yielded palpable results. By the end of the summer, the band lineup included ex-Spacehog drummer Jonny Cragg, a wily British import with a reputation for being one of the best drummers for hire in New York City. The only thing was, Cragg was never hired by The Twenty Twos. After agreeing to attend a rehearsal with the sole intention of poaching Moorhead for one of his myriad other projects, Jonny was so moved by the bandโs sound and vision that he immediately ditched his scheme and pledged lifelong allegiance to Jenny, Hannah and Terrah. According to Cragg, the decision was simple: โThey were way better-looking than anyone I was playing with at the time.โ
The lineup complete, success came swiftly for The Twenty Twos. Their unprecedented blend of driving rhythms, vintage synth noise and disquieting lyrics attracted the attention of British spaz rock act Supergrass, who invited The Twenty Twos to open for them in early 2003 at New York รผbervenue Irving Plaza. By the fall of 2003, The Twenty Twos found themselves on an extensive tour of the UK supporting fellow New York art rockers Stellastarr*. 2004 brought more US tour dates with Supergrass, and by the end of the year the band was finally ready to lock themselves in the studio and start recording an album. A five-song EP will be released in June to support The Twenty Twosโ participation in the 2005 Vans Warped Tour, and a full-length LP will be available in September.
While The Twenty Twosโ sound is far from sugar-coated, their songs display a sophisticated pop sensibility that can alternately induce you to get a lump in your throat or steal your next-door neighborโs Camaro and drive cross-country really, really fast. Cragg and Moorheadโs rhythm section is suffocatingly tight, deftly switching from punk to spacey pop in songs like โAll Made Upโ with the contained fury of an electrical storm. Christmasโs guitar playing is uncommonly resourceful, almost to the point of being economic โ she has an extraordinary gift for knowing exactly how much to play without ever losing momentum or going overboard. โI moved to New York with dreams of being the next Jimi Hendrix, but I could barely play,โ laughs Jenny. โThen when I discovered the Stooges, I realized that I didnโt have to be a great guitar player to make great music.โ Her vocals, on the other hand, are refreshingly unhinged โ feline to be sure, but heartbreakingly human in their range of emotion. Her growls, yelps, belts and hisses on the albumโs centerpiece, โTouch And Go,โ draw you into a world thatโs terrifying yet familiar, tragic yet seductively sweet. โWhen I play music, nothing matters,โ explains Christmas. โIt's complete freedom โ from my own mind, my anger, my frustrations.โ
Schrollโs vocal style manages to mix seamlessly with Christmasโs while remaining distinct enough to carry breathtaking leads on darker numbers like โRadio.โ Her arsenal of vintage keyboards is in many ways The Twenty Twosโ secret weapon, providing lush, neo-prog soundscapes that lend the bandโs radio-ready pop songs a refreshing unpredictability and at times epic scope. With influences as diverse as The Cure, The Clash, Stevie Wonder and Yes, itโs not surprising that The Twenty Twos sound like nothing youโve ever heard before.
5 Years
The Twenty Twos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I know, baby, that you get around
Looking at the best thing that I've ever seen
I don't think that there's enough in between
Take a look at what your love can do
Five years breaking hearts in two
Still I don't want nobody else
Too busy thinking 'bout myself
Well, you and your lips they taste just right
Like candy to my mouth
Oh, when you're dressed up to the nines
Boy you make me just want to howl
How do you ever leave my mind?
'Cause when you pick me up and spin me 'round
Oh, you make everything alright
Yeah yeah, alright
Put on the smile you used to wear in better days
And forget about the words then say them anyway
Just get straight and baby you could have it all
'Cause I think that everything's worth fighting for
You tear me up 'til I've got nothing to say
But these tears are gonna give me away
Wish I could go back to the start
And come to you with open arms
And tell you all my lonely heartaches
Instead I sit here waiting on my own
For someone who's never gonna come home
Still I don't want nobody else
Too busy thinking 'bout myself
Too busy thinking 'bout myself, yeah.
In "5 Years," The Twenty Twos sing about a complicated relationship where they love and desire the other person, but also feel like they are too busy focusing on themselves to fully commit. The first verse discusses how the other person is about to "hit the ground," suggesting that they are not stable or reliable, and that the singer knows they have a history of getting around. Despite this, the singer finds themselves drawn to this person and unable to find someone else, as they have spent the past five years breaking hearts in two.
The chorus reinforces this confusion - the singer both wants and doesn't want the other person, as they are too busy focusing on themselves to fully commit. They acknowledge that the other person has a powerful effect on them, but ultimately cannot break through their own self-interest. The second verse continues this theme, with the singer describing how much they enjoy the other person's company and how they make everything feel alright, yet they still cannot let go of their own self-absorption.
The bridge is a plea to the other person to come back and try again, to forget about the past and begin anew. The line "I think that everything's worth fighting for" suggests that while the relationship has been rocky and difficult, the singer still believes that it's worth trying to make it work. Yet even here, they cannot escape their own self-centeredness, wishing they could go back to the start and avoid the mistakes they made rather than fully acknowledging and apologizing for them.
Line by Line Meaning
I think you're about to hit the ground
I believe you're about to face a downfall
'Cause I know, baby, that you get around
Because I know, darling, that you're promiscuous
Looking at the best thing that I've ever seen
Observing the most attractive thing I've ever laid eyes on
I don't think that there's enough in between
I don't believe there's enough distance between us
Take a look at what your love can do
Observe the impact of your affection
Five years breaking hearts in two
Causing heartbreak for five years
Still I don't want nobody else
Yet, I don't desire anyone else
Too busy thinking 'bout myself
Too preoccupied with self-reflection
Well, you and your lips they taste just right
You and your lips taste perfect together
Like candy to my mouth
Similar to consuming a piece of candy
Oh, when you're dressed up to the nines
When you're dressed in sophisticated clothing
Boy you make me just want to howl
You make me want to howl with pleasure
How do you ever leave my mind?
How is it possible to stop thinking about you?
'Cause when you pick me up and spin me 'round
Because when you lift and twirl me
Oh, you make everything alright
You make everything okay
Put on the smile you used to wear in better days
Wear the grin you donned in happier times
And forget about the words then say them anyway
Don't worry about the words you say, just speak them anyway
Just get straight and baby you could have it all
Get sober and you could acquire everything
'Cause I think that everything's worth fighting for
Due to my conviction that everything is worth pursuing
You tear me up 'til I've got nothing to say
You distress me to a point of speechlessness
But these tears are gonna give me away
But these tears will expose my true emotions
Wish I could go back to the start
I desire to return to the beginning
And come to you with open arms
And embrace you willingly
And tell you all my lonely heartaches
And inform you of my melancholic woes
Instead I sit here waiting on my own
Instead, I sit here alone and wait
For someone who's never gonna come home
For someone who will never return
Still I don't want nobody else
Yet, I don't desire anyone else
Too busy thinking 'bout myself
Too preoccupied with self-reflection
Contributed by Levi T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@paulson3lt
Still love the 22s
@T0nN9th
Why all the Songs from Elektra: The Album are such an underrated song....๐ข
@liquidstone14
dude... it's not high school musical. i'm a guy and i dig them. too bad they split up before they could blow up...
@TheAdoboMaster69
ok. that makes sence
@TheAdoboMaster69
is it bad if your a guy and u like this song? cuz i like it and im a guy lol