This is one of those songs. I like just about everything Switchfoot has done, but if you’ve never heard this one, listen to it. If for nothing I’m about to talk about, for the creativity throughout the entire song. All the wonderful noises are so darn cool and work together well to give the mindset(s) I’m about to ramble on about.
The way I look at this song is that it’s the mindset(s) of a person. The words are just the thoughts going through his head; maybe something someone else said to them, or just a thought. The first mindset is a very abstract, pensive mindset. The song opens with this. All those cool, ambient, spacey noises going on scream surreal. Looking at the words alone is a tough thing to do. It’s a very simple, powerful message. Are you who you want to be? If you thought yes, you’re living a fantastic, inspiring life, or you have a bad idea of what your life should be (or you’re lying). It’s really tough realizing you aren’t who you want to be because if you aren’t, it’s on your shoulders. This feeling that the instruments and crazy sounds bring out in this mindset look to the past. Think about the verses. They are thoughts of what has been, of what took place. They are thoughts that take form in a person who is dwelling in the past. History can teach us a lot, but how could we ever move on if we can’t let go of something that went wrong in the past. “Don’t close your eyes. This is your life, and today is all you’ve got now.” This is where the person starts getting it. The music still suggests a thoughtful place, but the words lead into the transition into the next mindset.
This next canvas is painted with simplicity and power. The chorus is very simple musically and lyrically, yet it’s just too cool. I believe this is sort of the awakening moment, the realization, the revelation, the taking of an idea and realizing what that actually means. I can know all I want that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, but I just don’t think I could bring myself to fully believe that if I ran at a lake I’d go right over it. This is an extreme example, but if ever in my life I can fully convince myself that I can run on water, there will have been a transition moment from knowing to knowing and believing. In the chorus, this hypothetical person seems to have hit that moment. He’s not just thinking anymore, he’s thinking the right thing and living it.
From learning the rockin bass part to this song, I discovered that the bass part to the 1st chorus is different from the rest of them. My theory is that the person sort of loses sight again (hence the second verse) and comes back stronger in the second chorus. The only difference (that I notice) between chorus 1 and 2 is the bass line. It makes the second chorus like 8 times awesomer. I think this guy got 8 times awesomer at living out the idea that we should be living for who we want to be and not settling for less… ever.
Then there’s the bridge. This could just be a cool bit of music tossed into an awesome song. For the sake of trusting in Switchfoot’s awesomeness, I’m gunna make it work and hope it’s how they intended it. This is in the first mindset, but I get a different vibe from the whole thing. It seems more like reflection that dwelling on the past. My thought is that it’s a final stepping-stone to making this difficult and important idea posed by this song into a permanent reality. Notice the fantastic build up to the exciting final chorus. This one is a little different vocally, and to me it’s along the same idea as when the bass line upgraded. The vocals are just a bit cooler. Then the song fades out with that cool, catchy bass riff that the song began with. This song for me embodies the musical transition Switchfoot had from their previous album (Learning to Breathe) to this one (Beautiful Letdown). It’s when they started exploring more than just guitar, words, bass, and drums. They did add a 4th member for this album who plays like everything, but whatever the case, this song for me was the beginning of something I have come to love.
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