Written by:

Curtis M Goodman

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This post will examine three songs on friendship by three different musical artists.  The goal is to better understand each song’s contribution to the discussion of friendship.  This post will predominantly focus on analyzing lyrical content in an effort to understand each song’s message about friendship.  The three songs and artists to be examined are: “Friends” by Led Zeppelin, which provides context from the 1970s era of mainstream English rock and roll music; “One of these Days” by Neil Young, which provides representation from Canada and a slice of country-folk song writing of Nashville from 1992; and “Bro Hymn Tribute” by Pennywise, that represents a Californian independent punk-rock context from 1991 and 1996. In addition to examining lyrical content, this post will also briefly analyze the melodies and harmonies of each respective song.  The main goal is to find meanings of friendship within the music.  The lyrics of the song will be provided before the discussion of each song.  To add to the experience, listen while you read, remember: if you like the songs be sure to buy them at your local music store.

Led Zeppelin – “Friends”

Bright light, almost blindin’

Black night still there shinin’

I can’t stop, keep on climbin’

looking for what I knew

Had a friend, she once told me

You got love, you ain’t lonely

Now she’s gone and left me only

lookin’ for what I knew

Ah-ahh, ah-ahh, ah-ah-ahh, ah-ahh

Mmm, I’m tellin’ you now

the greatest thing you ever can do, now

is trade a smile with someone who’s blue, now

It’s very easy, just-a

Met a man on the roadside cryin’

Without a friend, there’s no denyin’

you’re incomplete, there’ll be no findin’

lookin’ for what you knew

So anytime somebody needs ya

don’t let them down, although it grieves ya

Someday you’ll need someone like they do

lookin’ for what you knew

Ah-ahh, ah-ahh, ah-ah-ahh, ah-ahh

Mmm, mm, I’m tellin’ you, now

the greatest thing you ever can do, now

is trade a smile with someone who’s blue, now

It’s very easy, just-a, oh, yeah

Ah, nah, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, yeah

I’m tellin’ you, now

the greatest thing you ever can do, now

is trade a smile with someone who’s blue, now

It’s very easy, it’s very easy

It’s very easy, it’s easy, easy, yeah, yeah

The Led Zeppelin song “Friends” is about the inherent necessity of others for a full life.  The song asks what would happen without friends.  It answers that a person is incomplete and will never truly find what they are looking for in life without a friend.  Constant tones allude to the elements of karma and kindness in human relations, which makes listeners aware that friendship is a full circle activity.  Whereby being kind unto others, those same others will be kind to you.  In this way, Zeppelin makes it obvious that the idea of ‘friends’ is about awareness of more than just oneself.  To be a friend a person must open their conscious perception to include those within their immediate surroundings, “The greatest thing you ever can do now | is trade a smile with someone who’s blue now…” This lyric in the song makes it clear that a person has a duty to those around him to elevate each other.  If you make a point of smiling to others and giving a helping hand when you can, there is a good chance someone will be there to give you a hand up when you need it most.  In a karmic way – mutual recognition and respect for each other allows each life to become better off.

The idea that friendship is a type of love that overcomes despair is obvious in Zeppelin’s song.  The lyric “you got love, you ain’t lonely” indicates that if someone actively practices love they cannot be lonely.  Although being a friend may not always be easy, Zeppelin admits that by trying to be a friend you will help someone who will one day help you, “So anytime somebody needs you, don’t let them down, although it grieves you | Someday you’ll need someone like they do, looking for what you knew…“  The last line of that lyric seems to indicate that the singer was once contented with a friendship (based in love) and when the feeling was gone he truly knew what was lost.  Perhaps the singer was once dejected and had a friend to pick him up out of the gutter, or helped him find the happiness he once knew.

The melody of the song is very catchy and is repeated throughout the entire song.  This, along with progressive rhythm and harmony keeps listeners engaged through the four-minute song.  The acoustic chord progression seems to build over the entire song.  The mood of the song could be described as dark and mysterious with overtones of brightness.  The darkness is found in the muffled and indistinct lyrics; while the brightness is found in the unique power the background violin creates.  There are tinges of eastern influence found throughout the song, which add to the mystique of the song.  Together, the harmony, melody and progressive rhythm work to build a unique song about taking the time for friends.

Neil Young, “One of these Days”

One of these days,

I’m gonna sit down

and write a long letter

To all the good friends I’ve known

And I’m gonna try

And thank them all

for the good times together.

Though so apart we’ve grown.

One of these days,

I’m gonna sit down

and write a long letter

To all the good friends I’ve known

One of these days,

one of these days,

one of these days,

And it won’t be long, it won’t be long.

And I’m gonna thank,

That old country fiddler

And all those rough boys

Who play that rock ‘n’ roll

I never tried to burn any bridges

Though I know I let some good things go.

One of these days,

I’m gonna sit down

and write a long letter

To all the good friends I’ve known

One of these days,

one of these days,

one of these days,

And it won’t be long, it won’t be long.

From down in L.A.

All the way to Nashville,

From New York City

To my Canadian prairie home

My friends are scattered

Like leaves from an old maple.

Some are weak, some are strong.

One of these days,

I’m gonna sit down

and write a long letter

To all the good friends I’ve known

One of these days,

one of these days,

one of these days,

And it won’t be long, it won’t be long.

One of these days,

one of these days,

one of these days,

And it won’t be long, it won’t be long.

The song “One of These Days” could be considered a signature Neil Young piece.  His raw nasal tone, shrill guitar and highly personal lyrics blend to create the Young sound known to everyone.  The sound of the song comes across as being unique to Young’s repertoire where the listener can feel and appreciate his acquired smooth and beautiful voice.  This song is simply about maturity and the reflection that occurs as one gets older.  The song meanders, bouncing almost lazily along in a folk-country acoustic style, through a timeline of warm highlights and memories of friendship.

“One of these days” is a lyric repeated most often in the song, which indicates the singer wants to act on emotions that have been bottled up for some time.  It is as if he has thought about putting a letter together to send to his friends for quite some time, but has since never got around to it.   He remembers meeting people along his life’s journey and knows the personal impact each has had on his life.  Perhaps the best lyric is “I never tried to burn any bridges | though I know I let some good things go,” which indicates some regrets in his past actions towards friends.  This confessional tone makes the song very personal and relatable for listeners. It almost speaks between the lines – do not burn bridges because you never know what you have lost until it is gone.

The nostalgia of Young’s song writing is found in the ruminations of a somewhat regretful 46-year-old man.  It speaks to the passage of time, the fondness of days past and the need to reconcile.  Although it is questionable as to why the singer would write a letter and not use a telephone.  Perhaps because a letter is more personal; an endeavour that takes time and effort to create something that is truly unique and intended for one particular person.  Recognizing each friend as unique and deserving of a personalized letter is apparent in the lyric, “My friends are scattered | Like leaves from an old maple | some are weak, some are strong.” The comparison of friendship to a tree is interesting.  If the tree is thought of as an individual and the leaves as the many friends, there are many connotations that can be associated: Friendship is alive only when a connection exists the same way a leaf lives only when connected to the branch. Friendship is constantly changing with the seasons and conditions, similar to leaves falling in autumn and re-growing in spring. Friendship can be based on symbiotic or parasitic relationships, the many forms accommodate different types of friends from insects to birds. Like a tree friendship takes time to become strong but should always be flexible.  In this way, Neil Young personifies a tree into a symbol of friendship whereby each person is a tree within a forest of other trees.  The lyric “Though so apart we’ve grown,” reaffirms the symbol of friendship as a tree that can grow in many different directions.

Most importantly Young knows the need to maintain contact with even lost friends, “And I’m gonna try | and thank them all | for the good times together.”  Which indicates the singer wants to reconnect because of the importance of reminding each other of the good times past and the potential to reconnect and create new time together.

Overall, Neil Young’s song is steeped with nostalgia and comes across as being sweet without being overly sentimental.  The song simply hums along with a steady rhythm and no real progression in sound.  This may assert that good times have come and gone but regardless life is always moving forward at a steady and constant pace.

Bro Hymn – Pennywise

To all my friends, present past and beyond

Especially those who weren’t with us too long

Life is the most precious thing you can lose

While you were here the fun was never ending

Laugh a minute was only beginning

Canton, Colvin, Nichols, this one’s for you

Ever get the feeling you can’t go on

Just remember whose side it is that you’re on

You’ve got friends with you till the end

If you’re ever in a tough situation

We’ll be there with no hesitation

Brotherhood’s our rule we cannot bend

Whoa oh oh oh oooooooooooooooooooooh

When you’re feeling too close to the bottom

You know who it is you can count on

Someone will pick you up again

We can conquer anything together

All of us are bonded forever

If I die you die that’s the way it is

Whoa oh oh oh oooooooooooooooooooooh

To all my friends, present past and beyond

To all those who weren’t with us too long

Life is the most precious thing you can lose

While you were here the fun was never ending

Laugh a minute was only the beginning

Canton, Colvin, Nichols, this one’s for you

Whoa oh oh oh oooooooooooooooooooooh

Finally, “Bro Hymn Tribute” is a tragic song that could be considered an anchor of the group Pennywise to their true roots.  The song was originally found on the first full-length self-titled debut and is about a tribute to old friends.  In fact, the song was written in tribute to three friends of the band: Tim Colvin, Carlos Canton and Tom Nichols, all of whom passed away.  The song became more important to the band in 1996 when the bass player Jason Thirsk committed suicide after prolonged depression related to alcoholism.  Pennywise rerecorded the original song and re-released it in his honour – which truly makes this a special song for the band.

The song is presented in a catchy anthem-ic punk style that is simple enough for first time listeners to sing-along to.  The beat is constantly upbeat and the rhythm repeats the same progression.  The main message of the song is no matter what happens in life a true friend will be there, standing beside you in your times of need.  It establishes friendship as a form of family, which is governed by a universal law, “Brotherhood’s our rule we cannot bend.” While listening to the song, especially the live version, it is easy to imagine oneself hearing public declarations of friendship exchanged between half-drunk friends at a high school grad party.  In this way, the song is unforgettable and allows listeners to relate to the message of friendship.

The singer recognizes this song is for all the friends from the past, present and future.  It declares that “Life is the most precious thing you can lose | While you were here the fun was never ending.” This is a shout-out to Plato’s Republic whereby it recognizes that sacrificing one’s life for another is the highest good one can perform.  This song, however, does not reference a friend’s life lost at battle for the betterment of society, which was Plato’s original point.  Although, the song does establish that friends are what make life worthwhile, a conclusion that Aristotle contended.  It also expresses that through friendship “We can conquer anything together | All of us are bonded forever | If I die you die that’s the way it is.”  This seems to indicate that friendship is a bond that is eternal and is able to overcome any obstacle in life.

The emotion expressed in “Bro Hymn Tribute” is a reminder of the love that exists in friendship.  It is almost a call to attention of what friendship really means.  It makes clear that when a friend dies a little piece of yourself dies with them.  Where a true friend is considered family and that death does not diminish the bond but it does change it.  Originally, “Bro Hymn” was written by Thirsk, who would later commit suicide despite having close friends in the band who would have shared a similar bond as described by the song.  It makes me wonder how strong the bond of friendship really was for it to have such a tragic ending.  Perhaps this provides an implicit message of the song: sometimes you need to shout out to your friends; to communicate in a direct anthem exactly what you think and feel about your friends.  Sometimes such a declaration is the all the difference a friend needs to make life worth living.  By the end of the song, the listener is left with goose bumps and an enlightened sensation of exactly what you would do for your friend.

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All three songs recognize the importance of friendship in life.  However, each artist provides a unique perspective on friendship.  Led Zeppelin sings of friendship as kindness through self-awareness and awareness of those around you.  There is a message of karma in the need to lift those around you higher – the need for recognition and respect to overcome despair in life.  Neil Young sings of the friendship as a living entity, like a tree.  There is an implicit and nostalgic need to connect with friends as a means of keeping such relationships alive and well.  While Pennywise present a view of friendship that is rooted in the idea of family.  Friendship is law-like and eternal.

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