The Gaslight Anthem Band • Page 46

Great Expectations
Handwritten
Here Comes My Man
Here's Looking At You Kid
Howl

 

Great Expectations (10) vs. Halloween (0)

Handwritten (8) vs. Have Mercy (2)

Helter Skeleton (2) vs. Here Comes My Man (8)

Here's Looking At You, Kid (5) vs. High Lonesome (5)

Hold You Up (1) vs. Howl (9)

 

Halloween
Have Mercy
Here Comes My Man
Here's Looking At You, Kid
Howl

I know I'm the odd man out on Halloween, but I love that song. I've also never understood the love for Great Expectations. I like the song but it certainly never stood out to me as great album opener.

 

I was about to state my shock that Halloween hadn't gotten a vote yet haha

 

Have you HEARD Great Expectations?!

 

Great Expectations (10) vs. Halloween (1)

Handwritten (8) vs. Have Mercy (3)

Helter Skeleton (2) vs. Here Comes My Man (9)

Here's Looking At You, Kid (6) vs. High Lonesome (5)

Hold You Up (1) vs. Howl (10)

 

It IS a top-tier Gaslight song of course, but Halloween is pretty great as well (the 2012 demo version I mean).

 

Great Expectations
Handwritten
Here Comes My Man
Here's Looking At You, Kid
Howl

This is absolutely brutal. The song Halloween I love so much (lyrically), but there is no recording I love. The demo version and him playing it live acoustically I prefer to the Get Hurt version.

 

yeah agreed, no released version demo or otherwise have I enjoyed listening to. I think the GH version is actually awful.

 

Great Expectations, what an opener. Everything great about this band in the first song many will ever hear of theirs.

Handwritten. Really tough choice but for me, Handwritten just edges it out. Not actually that huge on Handwritten. and Have Mercy is the best on that album, but I'll still go for Handwritten, just.

Here Comes My Man. Always loved the story behind this song and how he only realised it was written from the perspective of a woman halfway through writing it. Super love the backing vocals on the chorus.

Here's Looking At You, Kid. One of the most perfect, nostalgia driven songs this scene has ever thrown up. Amazing from front to back. One of those songs that is by no means short, but leaves you wanting it to carry on forever.

Howl. Don't think Howl is anything special but it's simply the better song.

 

I'm in the same boat. The demo version is great, plus them playing in D Standard suits their sound better i think.

 

Great Expectations (12) vs. Halloween (1)

Handwritten (10) vs. Have Mercy (3)

Helter Skeleton (2) vs. Here Comes My Man (11)

Here's Looking At You, Kid (8) vs. High Lonesome (5)

Hold You Up (1) vs. Howl (12)

 

The Handwritten/Have Mercy match-up would be toughest for me because the song Have Mercy crushes me, but the video for Handwritten is so emotional, and well-directed. The song itself is alright, but the video is what really made that song click for me.

 

Same. Have Mercy could be my favorite song on Get Hurt, but it is tough as Handwritten is my favorite Gaslight song.

 

Great Expectations
Have Mercy
Helter Skeleton
Here's Looking At You, Kid
Howl

 

Howl is so good lyrically, and it’s one of those songs that makes me wish it was longer.

 

Great Expectations (13) vs. Halloween (1)

Handwritten (10) vs. Have Mercy (4)

Helter Skeleton (3) vs. Here Comes My Man (11)

Here's Looking At You, Kid (9) vs. High Lonesome (5)

Hold You Up (1) vs. Howl (13)

 

Howl is a lowkey nod to Thunder Road IMO

Do you still hear the sound of the thunder while you lie up by yourself?
Like you waited on his call and made your plans for great escapes
And there used to be a movement in the way your dress would wave

See if you wanna, you can find me on the hood under the moonlight
Radio, oh radio, do you believe there’s still some magic left
Somewhere inside our souls?

"show a little faith there's magic in the night"
"mary's dress waves"
"the only redemption I can offer is beneath this dirty hood"

 

"Howl" reminds me of a girl I was seeing around the time that album came out. She always wore sundresses, so the line "And i love the country movement in the way your dress would wave..." always reminds me of that summer.

 

It seems to me like Brian wrote the sequel the Thunder Road, with the main character reflecting back on Mary some time later, obviously it didn't pan out the way he had hoped. Maybe Mary went off to school, travelled, and he never left his hometown.

music is so good, man.

 

"Here Comes My Man" has always been my least favorite on Handwritten.

 

Great Expectations
Have Mercy
Here Comes My Man
High Lonesome
Howl

 

Here’s where my adoration of Get Hurt’s perfect B-sides starts to show.

Halloween
Have Mercy
Helter Skeleton
High Lonesome
Howl

This was the hardest one so far but god dammit I’ll be the one to stump for Get Hurt if no one else will.

 

The first half of the song is alright, but the bridge and the big, bombastic final chorus are great.

 

Stand up for what you believe in, damn it!