Switchfoot - Happy Is A Yuppie Word

The third song from Switchfoot's latest, Nothing Is Sound, is called Happy Is A Yuppie Word. Here's the thoughts on the song from Switchfoot:

A year ago I had a late night talk with a friend who stated the quote: "Happy is a yuppie word." I stayed up after he left, turned off the TV war and wrote a song about our happy, yuppie world. Turns out, Bob Dylan was the one being quoted.

"In 1991, when Rolling Stone interviewed Dylan on the occasion of his 50th birthday, he gave a curious response when the interviewer asked him if he was happy. He fell silent for a few moments and stared at his hands. 'You know,' he said, 'these are yuppie words, happiness and unhappiness. It's not happiness or unhappiness, it's either blessed or unblessed.'”

For me this song is the heart of the record, pumping blood out to the limbs and fingers and mouth and such. And maybe every lyric on the record might be needed and true, still this song has kept everything alive for us. We had the privilege of opening for Wilco a few years past- I would like to dedicate this song to the incredible music that they have given all of us down through the years.

As of today (9/14/05) this is my favorite song on the album. It's truly nothing like Switchfoot has ever done. I'd first heard it live a few times and it didn't really click until I saw them perform it in May. At that point I "got it". The name of the album comes from the key lyric of the song and is truly pivotal and a bit prophetic. As I see news of hurricanes and am reminded of September 11, "nothing is sound" rings so true. The highlight of the album is near the end of the song when Jon Foreman is belting out "nothing is sound!" over and over and you can't help but want to scream with him. This is a song that sounds like it would be a downer but the the contrast to "nothing is sound!" is the lyric "i'm looking for the kingdom coming down".

As I listen to this album over and over I can't help but just love it. It's the best thing in rock music for quite a while and is worth buying. Get the DualDisc though for the extra DVD.

The lyrics are below:

everyone dies
everyone loves a fight
nothing is sound
nothing is right side right
the evening comes
when the sun goes down in red
nothing is new
when will all the fighting end?
when will all the fighting end?

happy is a yuppie word
nothing in the world could fail me now
as empty as an argument
running down the life that won't cash out...cash out

everything fails
everything'll run its course
a time and a place
[for all of this] nothing war
everything [buys]
[cause] everything's got a price
nothing is new
when will all us failures rise
when will all the failures rise, rise

happy is a yuppie word
nothing in the world can fail me now
as empty as an argument
running down a life that won't cash out
everything is meaningless
i want more than simple cash can buy
happy is a yuppie word, word

i'm looking for an orphanage
i'm looking for a bridge i can't burn down
i don't believe in emptiness
i'm looking for the kingdom coming down
everything is meaningless
i want more than simple cash can buy
everything is meaningless
happy is a yuppie word
happy is a yuppie word
happy is a yuppie word
happy is a yuppie...

nothing is sound!
nothing is sound!
nothing is sound!
nothing is sound!
nothing is sound!
nothing is sound!
nothing is sound!

happy is a yuppie word
happy is a yuppie word
nothing in the world can fail me now
happy is a yuppie word, word.

Courtesy of OurMusic.

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Posted by Tim at September 14, 2005 08:09 PM