The other night while driving home I was listening to the radio. As a part of the radio experience, I was changing stations. Not surprisingly, I came across "We Are Young" by Fun featuring Janelle Monae.I entered into the track right after the first time the chorus is sung. The lead singer Nate Ruess's voice was the focal sound at the time. In about a note or two, the rest of the band came in. Nate then declares "Tonight, we are young". In that moment of pure vocal bliss, it dawned on me that I now struggle to remember a time before this song. A time before that declaration was one made by so many of my peers in unison with the track. Normally when such a characteristic can be attributed to a pop song, my skin crawls about a quarter of an inch. But for me, this is more than a pop song. Sure it is played on local pop stations 93.3, 92.3, and 104.1, but it can also be found on the alternative stops of 95.5 and 92.9. It stampedes through all musical territories, leveling all walls which stand as boundaries, thus creating landscape for it to freely move across.
All that movement has fostered a surplus of sentiment being attached by youths of all ages. In particular, there was a surge of sing-a-longs this past spring semester. I remember an avalanche of facebook statuses quoting the chorus of the song. It became a rallying cry for youth. As someone who does not believe in surrendering his youth so quickly, I was pleased in the celebration of our collective age. However, in my opinion, that is not a 100% accurate reading of the song's lyrics. I do not fault people for understanding the song in such a fashion, but I focus more on the relationship between the singer (Ruess) and his love that he addresses in the opening verse. I enjoy the song as one about two former lovers who run into each other one night at a bar. To this chance meeting, they both bring old feelings and a new found fondness for one another. I feel that Ruess is attempting to communicate a lasting sense of caring that he has for his old love. He also acknowledges that is cannot work and that both parties have moved on. One my favorite moments in the song is when he snarly states "Now I know that I am not all that you've got". Overall, this story within a story warms my writer's heart. I find it to be both clever and original. Ruess could had easily written a song about missing someone, but he put it into a social situation that anyone could find them-self in in. It gives it new life in a song new to the musical landscape.
However, I do not believe that "We Are Young" will be going anywhere any time soon. Sure as new pop and alternative songs are recorded, it will be played less on the stations I named above, but I feel that it will stay close to all of hearts of so many because of how big it was to us in this year. In post to be written, I plan to reflect on who would be playing in the opening ceremony of the Olympics if there were to hosted in The United States. For one,both Fun and Janaelle hail from America. Also, given the current significance of this song, I feel that a rendition of it would be included in the festivities. In particular the way that this song was significant means something. For so many, it was a declaration of their age; a time they will never want to forget. For me personally, it stands a poem I would have never thought to write but certainly enjoy. While hearing it on the radio that time, I had an image in my head of being a middle aged man turning the radio dial and coming across the song. When the canon of "classic" songs from our era forms, I feel that this one will be added. We can only hope.
Please enjoy,
Nick Howard
