Album: Illiterature
Year: 1993
I honestly don’t even know very much about Adam Schmitt, or how this song even came into my life. I think maybe he was recommended by one of my social media Replacements friends on Prodigy, and was probably a used CD I found during one of my weekly trips to Ragin’.
And as a matter of fact, I’m not even sure this song – full of overscrubbed guitars and glistening synth solos – is something that I’m “supposed” to like. I remember resisting it in 1993 even as it stuck in my head, because it reminded more of a Boston song than a Replacements song. And no way was an indie-rock snob like me going to like a fucking new Boston song in 1993!!
But 20 years later means I’m 20 years less cool, so, yeah, I’ll admit I’ve always loved this song, even if I’m still not sure why.
Maybe it’s the 6/8 time, something for which I’m always a sucker. Maybe it’s the circular melody, slowly unfurling over and over again in a million different ways. Maybe it’s the words about finally realizing you’re growing up and there’s nothing you can do – “bored of growing older” – which resonated so deeply to a 30-year-old with no real plan for the rest of his life.
And now, because, this is the first song on my first playlist on the 160GB iPod in my car, it’s always the first thing that comes up when that iPod reboots. Which is fine by me.
“Flow” on Spotify
My Certain Songs Playlist on Spotify