In my second musical post, I'm transitioning away from the singer-songwriter genre to something with a little more ... energy. This song landed in my playlist 2 years ago as I scoured Apple Music for new artists that made "simple" rock music, more akin to the mid to late 90's era of Gin Blossoms, Collective Soul, or even punkier stuff like Greenday or Everclear. I wondered if there were any musicians out there (other than the Foo Fighters) that still produced this brand of stripped down American rock, and not over-produced alternative-indie like Imagine Dragons. Don't get me wrong, I like modern alt-rock too, but I was just looking for something a little more...pure...in its musical aspirations.
And I found it.
The Menzingers are a three-piece punk band out of Scranton, PA, that produce modern takes from a throwback genre. And this song, "America (You're Freaking Me Out)", hits all the right spots, as it's both angsty and emotional, yet simple and instantly catchy. In addition, there couldn't be a more fitting song title or subject matter for our current political moment than what's contained in this 3:35 powerhouse punk/indie anthem.
The first thing I'll say about the lyrical content of this song is that it's most assuredly coming from a political perspective that doesn't align with the typical reader of this site. It's pretty evident, based on what I know of their broader work and a few videos they produced, that they have a significantly left-leaning worldview. The crazy thing is, when you take this particular song under the microscope, you'd find it pretty difficult to pinpoint what the underlying political bias is. And that's because America is so dang crazy right now, that BOTH sides of the political aisle feel freaked out.
And that's why I think this is an important piece to digest, but also one of the more interesting songs in my rotation over the past few years. The chorus booms:
To these sing-alongs of siren songs
To ooh's to ahh's
To big applause
With all of my anger I scream and shout
America, I love you but you're freaking me out
Certainly, the lyrics are poignant. They're both frustrated, but also reasonable and surprisingly not anti-American or unpatriotic (which is refreshing) in their undertone. The song is saying something that everybody on both sides of the political spectrum should be able to feel...there's something great here, but it's gone so far off the tracks that it's hard to even recognize what we once knew as America.
It's evident that this song was written from a liberal perspective. And that speaks to the true power and irony of these lyrics. Both sides of this country feel like they had something and have lost it. Both sides feel like the other side has lost their marbles and can't tell "truth from clever lies." And yet, regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, this song can have you singing along in no time. And that's the crazy thing about it.
In the 2nd verse, the lyrics turn to religion, which is also interesting.
Driving through the Bible Belt
Billboards claiming how Jesus felt
Oh, how'd His words confuse themselves?
With cranks for Christians in powerful positions
I recognize the band is not approaching this issue from the same worldview as myself or many of the readers here, but I still think the lyrics are meaningful. Regardless of whether you feel like Trump and Mike Pence were the cranks (as this band seems to), or if you're simply a Christian that recognizes there are many dangerously deceitful men/women that purport themselves to be Christians in leadership positions in government, universities and churches, these lyrics sting.
I understand that this song may not be for everybody, and you may have to be open to listening to music from a different perspective in order to appreciate it, but that's alright. Most music is made by people that don't agree with everything you believe, and that's ok. Regardless of its original lyrical intent, this is a stingingly relevant song that's also incredibly catchy and perfectly performed. It was in heavy rotation for me throughout the entire 2020 election, and I hope you can find it even more relevant today as we've officially launched into the "moderate radical" era of American politics.
Also, I couldn't find an appropriate embeddable version of this song, so you'll have to deal with clicking a link if you want to hear it. Enjoy!
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Click here to stream the full song on Youtube
Below is a preview of the song with a link to Spotify:
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As a side note, this is not the best song on the album. I'd give that distinction to the similarly catchy song, "Strangers Forever," which I'll link to below.
Click here to stream Strangers Forever on Youtube
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All of the songs mentioned in this article, and all entries into my Song of the Moment series, can be found as a public playlist on Spotify. Check it out!
