According to singer Sameer Gadhia, "My Body" was conceived at the end of a frustrating day for the band. "Why don't we just jam something out, like the most ridiculous thing you could imagine?" Gadhia recalled the discussion. "It doesn't even have to make sense. Just yell it out, because it means you're releasing your tension." Ten minutes later, he said, "the entire song had been created." Guitarist Eric Cannata, in a separate interview, echoed Gadhia's remarks that the song "started just as a quirky joke" to help relieve stress. Cannata added, "The dynamic between tension and liberation came from the very basic literal interpretation of the struggle we experienced directly before the creation of the song. It was a stroke of inspiration, and later appreciated insight, that cut through a relatively frustrating time for us as writers."
Gadhia told Spinner.com that the song "really embodies Young the Giant: a combination of youthful energy and slightly naïve but optimistic determination. It captures a sense of passion, urgency and excitement that we've felt throughout the writing and recording process."
"My Body" was released onto the internet in July 2010 in advance of the band's debut album, which was released digitally in October. The song entered the US Alternative Songs chart in January and peaked at number 5 in April. Five months later, the song reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song also peaked at number 54 in Canada and number 56 in the Netherlands.
Billboard's Ryan Reed complimented Gadhia's vocals and wrote that the song "is representative of the group's charms, offering an infectious mix of stainless steel electric guitars, beefy drums and mammoth hooks." In a review of the album, Caitlin Meyer of Consequence said, "with a danceable, building beat and an explosive anthem of a chorus, it's truly difficult not to put this song on repeat, sing along, and forgo listening to the rest of the album." Chris Conaton of PopMatters compared the song's drumbeat to that of Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People", and said "My Body" is "one of the better tracks on the album". Drowned in Sound's Alex Yau said the sound of the song's guitars is reminiscent of that on the Kings of Leon album Come Around Sundown. Pitchfork's Ian Cohen described the song as "rank Cold War Kids karaoke". The song has been covered by the Danish heavy metal band, Volbeat on their album Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies.
The song featured in the fifth episode of the final season of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. The song is featured in the sixth episode of the third season of The Vampire Diaries.
Young the Giant performed "My Body" on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Fuel TV's The Daily Habit in January 2011, and then the BBC's Later... with Jools Holland in May. In August, they performed "My Body" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. The band invited 300 fans from their hometown of Irvine, California onstage for the performance. The appearance resulted in a 220 percent increase in digital downloads for the song during the following week.
My Body
Young the Giant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The train is riding
Down to the station where you lived
When we were school kids
Hey!
The rails are caught now
And I am falling down
Round this town of steam
My body tells me no!
But I won't quit
'Cuz I want more, 'cuz I want more
My body tells me no!
But I won't quit
'Cuz I want more, 'cuz I want more
Stop
The train is riding
Down to the station where I lived
When I was a cool kid
Hey!
Is it my fault that
The fallen embers burn
Down in a spiral
Round your crown of thieves
My body tells me no!
But I won't quit
'Cuz I want more, 'cuz I want more
My body tells me no!
But I won't quit
'Cuz I want more, 'cuz I want more
And it rides out of town
Oh,
It's my road
It's my road
It's my road
It's my road
It's my road
It's my road
And it's my war, it's my war,
It's my war, it's my war
His eyes are open
His eyes are open
Hey, hey, hey
My body tells me no!
But I won't quit
'Cuz I want more, 'cuz I want more
My body tells me no!
But I won't quit
'Cuz I want more, 'cuz I want more
It rides out of town
The lyrics of Young the Giant's "My Body" are quite intriguing and multi-faceted. The song begins with a command to "stop" and a description of a train that is riding "down to the station where you lived / When we were school kids." It seems as though the singer is describing a journey back through time to a place where they once felt free and alive. They continue to describe how "the rails are caught now" and they are "falling down." This repetition of falling and spiraling motions suggests a loss of control and a sense of being trapped in the past. The town they are in is described as a town of steam, which could symbolize a place that is oppressive and suffocating.
The chorus of the song is quite catchy and powerful, with the repetition of "My body tells me no! But I won't quit / 'Cuz I want more, 'cuz I want more." This seems to suggest a struggle between what the body wants and what the mind knows is right. The singer is torn between the desire for more of what makes them feel alive and the knowledge that they should stop and move on. This conflict is compounded in the second verse where the singer describes going back to their old neighborhood and feeling a sense of "coolness" that has now faded away. They wonder if it is their fault that things have changed and that the "fallen embers burn / Down in a spiral / Round your crown of thieves." This imagery of fire and destruction suggests that the singer may feel responsible for the loss of what was once good and valuable.
The song ends with a repetition of the line "And it rides out of town" and a final statement about the road and the war being "mine." This final stanza suggests that the journey is one that the singer must make alone, and that they are determined to take ownership of it. Overall, "My Body" seems to represent the struggle to move on from the past while still holding onto the things that made it meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
Stop!
Let's pause for a moment.
The train is riding
The train is moving forward.
Down to the station where you lived
The train is heading to the station where the person being addressed used to live.
When we were school kids
This is a reference to a time in the past when the artist and the person being addressed were in school together.
Hey!
A call for attention.
The rails are caught now
The singer is caught up in a situation, perhaps a metaphorical one.
And I am falling down
The singer feels like they are losing control or descending into chaos.
Fools in a spiral
People are spinning out of control and making poor decisions.
Round this town of steam
This could be a literal or metaphorical description of the town, where steam represents activity and energy.
My body tells me no!
The artist's instincts are telling them to stop.
But I won't quit
Despite their instincts, the singer won't give up.
'Cuz I want more, 'cuz I want more
The artist is driven by a desire for more - experience, success, fulfillment, etc.
Is it my fault that
The singer is questioning their responsibility for a situation.
The fallen embers burn
Something that used to be powerful and bright is now fading away and causing pain.
Down in a spiral
The situation is getting worse and worse and the people involved are losing control.
Round your crown of thieves
This could be a reference to a corrupt or dishonest authority figure, or it could be a metaphorical description of someone's head.
And it rides out of town
The train is leaving and the situation is coming to an end.
Oh,
Expressing surprise or realization.
It's my road
The singer is taking control of their own life and decisions.
And it's my war, it's my war,
The artist is taking responsibility for their own struggles and conflicts.
His eyes are open
The artist is aware and alert.
Hey, hey, hey
An exclamation of excitement or enthusiasm.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ERIC MATTHEW CANNATA, FRANCOIS PAUL COMTOIS, JACOB JOHN TILLEY, PAYAM REZA DOOSTZADEH, SAMEER GADHIA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@leoqueen46
I listened to this song while getting clean from methadone, 10 years clean and sober today!!
@dgrad2776
That's awesome, congrats on being 10 years sober.
@danwest3825
Stay strong
@danwest3825
Congratulations mate, hang in there
@sierraridgereaper
Congrats that is awesome, hope to find you are doin well.. 🙏
@juniorharmon4517
Keep up the good work.
One day at a time.
It's funny what u remember to connect with moments in your life.
@JohnMushitu
For anyone suffering from depression, addiction, illness, or any ailment...this is for us
@MikeG42
I definitely agree with you on that 🙂
@halligraf9131
I'm suffering from a deep depression and anxiety disorder. I lost my son to suicide last yr and my best friend on the same day. I'm not sure if I'll ever get any better. I'm so lonesome and I want them back.💔💔
@JohnMushitu
@@halligraf9131 I'm sorry to hear about your great losses 💔💔. I do hope it gets better for you. May not be immediate, but it will eventually ❤️