Submitted by Definately_Fake t3_122u0q6 in television
I've watched this show maybe 8 times so far, but I've only now paid attention to the theme song. It's a bit unsettling.
Comments
Smocke55 t1_jdvz0vh wrote
never really thought of the show as sinister even though it gets dark at times
Dayofsloths t1_jdx7jzt wrote
What about the trampoline nazi?
Patruck9 t1_jdxofrf wrote
It's going to be a maze.
sedeyus t1_jds2omd wrote
Definitely becomes depressing as the show kept losing cast members and the final lyrics are "One by one they all fade away."
ThePoundingOfMyHeart t1_jdufids wrote
And it’s an extension of Jeff’s story. The study group slowly breaks up and he can’t accept this.
That last goodbye with Abed says it all when Jeff goes in for a second hug.
alexxerth t1_jdrsvf6 wrote
I mean it's explicitly about suicide. I always kinda thought it's about Jeff or Pierce, but really almost all the characters but Abed are at real lows in their life at the start of the show and might've been considering it.
OlafShvenski t1_jdtahjj wrote
And Puff the Magic Dragon was just about a dragon, man.
arthurbang t1_jdrt1sz wrote
The 88, the band that does the theme song had some amazing albums in the early 2000's. Highly recommended. There's also a full version of the Community theme out there.
ACardAttack t1_jdunsgl wrote
Totally agree, discovered them from this song and really like their stuff
SoylentCreek t1_jdu2k81 wrote
For the lazy:
Get me some rope
Tie me to dream
Give me the hope
to run out of steam
Somebody said
it could be here
We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year
I can't count the reasons I should stay
One by one they all just fade away
Reading_Rainboner t1_jds06od wrote
I always thought it was about suicide
Cheyenne_Bodi t1_jdtwevn wrote
Yeah I started singing along by like the third season and by the fourth I was like what the fuck are these lyrics.
D3monFight3 t1_jdup5aj wrote
Give me some rope, tie me to dream... I can't count the reasons I should stay, one by one they all just fade away...
[deleted] t1_jdt9h9c wrote
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wrecked_angle t1_jdtbrvr wrote
Get me some rope Tie me to dream Give me the hope to run out of steam
Somebody said it could be here We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year
I can't count the reasons I should stay One by one they all just fade away
Seems pretty obvious
Reading_Rainboner t1_jdthgpc wrote
“I’m tired of the wait and see’s I’m tired of that part of me. That makes up the perfect lie to keep us between. But hours turn into days. So watch what you throw away. And be here to recognize, there’s another way….”
Followed by several loud crash symbols that I’ve always felt were reminiscent of gunshots
GoodGoodGoody t1_jdtk1mr wrote
Watch what you throw away… there’s another way - seems like exactly the opposite of suicide.
Cymbals as several gunshots - what a crazy stretch and strange as one shot would usually be enough.
[deleted] t1_jdty3zl wrote
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[deleted] t1_jdth4m6 wrote
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GoodGoodGoody t1_jdtd9vw wrote
No it does not seem obvious. You’re just seeking that connection which raises concerns about you.
Tie to a dream - sounds pretty good.
Run out of steam - sometimes that happens.
Could be roped, dead in a year - make the most of it, glass half full.
Can’t say why I should stay - people move through stages in life, childhood, school,.. and reasons to prolong something wear thin
Not every mention of a difficult thing in life is about suicide or even depression. It’s a song about melancholy.
Forsaken_Cost_1937 t1_jdrqx1g wrote
It is a bit unsettling.
LRA18 t1_jdtc0ec wrote
Wait till you hear the M.A.S.H theme
PaulFThumpkins t1_jdtjq5s wrote
Hearing that melody all through childhood and then discovering the lyrics to it as an adult so you have words to put to the earworm is quite a trip.
flaker111 t1_jdt0oq9 wrote
for reference and the lazy
Small_Run_3575 t1_jdsgfzp wrote
Right?? Lol I first discovered the show years ago and literally never gave a second thought to the lyrics, if anything I thought the "one by one they all just fade away" line was in reference to the idea of *leaving* rather than staying--hence why I probably thought it was more upbeat than not. However, now knowing how Dan Harmon's style is, it's not surprising at all. It would actually be MORE unsettling to me if the song was, in fact, actually upbeat.
[deleted] t1_jdt0zsz wrote
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MikeBisonYT t1_jdurkac wrote
Dan did go to a community college after being fired from the Sarah silverman show. He was at a low point and that experience with a study group for a class he didn't even care about helped him give him the idea to write the show. The song probably resonated him deeply at the time and kept the song in his back pocket. The Song is perfect reflection of failure and success with the high up beat melody and the drab lyrics.
ACardAttack t1_jdunrav wrote
It is, but the 88 is a really awesome band, worth checking out
gendabenda t1_je3imdc wrote
I honestly think people are misconstruing the song to be about suicide when it's really about realizing you've found your place all along and learnt to live and enjoy it.
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Get me some rope
-
Tie me to dream
-
Give me the hope
-
to run out of steam
This is paralleling Jeff's life. He's basically saying he misses his former "dream" life (or that his dream life may be dying) and longs for it to return (and would do anything to hold on to it) and hopes that this longing will "run out of steam" so he can move past it.
-
Somebody said
-
it could be here
-
We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year
This speaks to the community college itself - that in Jeff's mind it is a depressing end and that he is resigning himself to mediocrity where he feels ultimately trapped and held hostage (because he is obligated to attend to re-assume his former life)
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I can't count the reasons I should stay
-
One by one they all just fade away
This is where it gets interesting because I feel it's more playing fast and loose with double negatives than anything else. Jeff has "so many reasons" why (enough that he can't count them) he should hold on to his old life and expectations that he couldn't possibly consider (or enjoy) an alternative. However, the last line shows that the charm of the school, of making real friends/family and finding actual purpose is slowly eating away at those expectations he set for himself and winning him over.
Jeff's arc in the actual show largely mirrors this inner turmoil and eventual acceptance and so I always assumed the song was designed deliberately to tell Jeff's story via a bit of foreshadowing.
ThomasVivaldi t1_jdw22bq wrote
I think of it as a sardonic way of expressing the desire to quit on a relationship. And in that perspective it makes a nice companion to the Sara Bellias "Gravity" song.
ldnjack t1_jdyiz49 wrote
show came to me ina dark spot in my life , thought the theme was great and upbeat. year slater i cant listen ot it
Magnet5150 t1_jdsowyg wrote
Maybe, idk I've never really thought about it
BitchAssWaferCookie t1_jdsli79 wrote
I wouldn't say that because I don't agree with what others say how the lyrics are sinister
The lyrics are entirely break-up but not even sad breakup. More like a goodbye, farewell xoxo
The suicide reference is entirely exaggerated for dramatic effect
Thing about this song is the lyrics are placeholder. It's the kind of vocal lines that belong in texture when singing, such that it lines up with feeling of the music.
Musically it's spot on , but I think most people find the song distracting. Even so , it grows on ya.
What was the question? Yes, it's kind of depressing.
Dayofsloths t1_jdrrha3 wrote
I think it was a deliberate choice to have a really upbeat sounding song with sinister lyrics. It very much matches the vibe of the show.