The Strokes...nuff said

There is a time when we all fail Some people take it pretty well Some take it all out on themselves Some they just take it out on friends Oh, everybody plays the game And if you don’t you’re called insane - “I’ll Try Anything Once” by The Strokes

The Strokes. Wow, where do I even begin. I don’t know. I have grown such an attachment to this band. It could be that THEY were the gateway band when it came to this genre. It also could be they were in my life, during the pivotal moments. I fell in love with Julian’s voice, along with the unique sound the group made. To this day, they are still THAT BAND for me. I still wear out their albums. I still franticly search every month to see if they are coming out with a new album (FYI: they aren’t. Julian said maybe next year, but who knows he said that last year) However, it is this song that is my favorite. A song that is, in fact, a demo.

At this point, I was already pretty deep into The Strokes discography. While I was looking up movie trailers on YouTube, I stumbled upon the new Sofia Coppola movie titled “Somewhere”. I was intrigued. I clicked on the link and was brought to the trailer.

There are roughly 20 words said in the trailer. Even typing it out, I feel like I am being generous with that number. This is something that draws me to S. Coppola films. Her movies seem to embrace silence, because when it is silent, it seems as if you pay attention more to the details around you. You are able to sit with your thoughts and process. The trailer first starts off with Phoenix’s “Love Like Sunset, Part 1″. A piece of dialogue then cuts through the middle of the trailer. Then the mood shifts with the assistance from “I’ll Only Try Anything Once.”

When I first listened to the song I was immediately drawn to it. It sounded old. If nostalgia could be a song, it would be this one. It is surprising to think this song was created in 2006.

Then, without warning, I began to sing the song. It was almost as if I knew it, had heard it before. It was a surreal experience. I repeated that section of the trailer countless times. I held onto to it so tightly.

After hearing it for the fifth time, I decided to look up the lyrics to the song. This was always the best way to find songs and since I had listened to it the whole afternoon, I knew them pretty well.

I, soon, then discovered that the song was indeed a demo. The demo, ultimately became “You Only Live Once” by The Strokes. I listened to the studio recording, recognizing the bits and pieces of the original version.

I loved them both. Each one, brought something new to the table. The first one is more intimate. The song talks about the struggles of life: moments when we fail, relationships coming and going and ultimately, the power of fate that guides us to make decisions or in some instances, control our lives even if we don’t know it. Along with this the question that resonates with me the most is in the song: Why not try it all, if you only remember it once?

At first glance, the song tells me to try everything I want to; that doing it, I will remember to look back on it fondly. However, I have seen this lyric in a different way over time. It is almost a question said sarcastically. Why do we try stuff that in many instances, we will only remember one time?

The second one, the studio version is more of an alternative rock song. The intimacy is a little lost and replaced with a harder exterior. The song mostly talks about the highs and lows of starting a relationship. The lyrics have changed to fit more with this theme but the chorus is untouched. It is so interesting to see the process that goes into songs like this, but it makes me think (Wow, I have been asking myself a lot of questions during this piece)....how many great songs have only been demos?