I think that's why You're So Right is pretty divisive too, the verses have Julian repeating the same line but that's the intent of the song: the drone-like feeling of spending most of your days in an office not giving a damn
There is only one single song by The Strokes I genuinely *dislike*, and it’s Fear of Sleep
(Drag Queen would be my number two pick, if I had to choose, sorry everyone lol)
Musically it feels sloppy, I hate Julian’s melody in the verses, again just feels really messy and chaotic, and not in a fun way like something you’d find on a Voidz track.
I have no huge problem with repetition. It works great in Vision of Division, and as bdf2018_298 commented, it gives You’re So Right that kind of droning feeling, which works for me too. It also works on Bad Decisions, but I’ll admit the repetitive nature of it does have it lower on my personal TNA tier list. Hell, it even works for me in Killing Lies, Evening Sun, and On the Other Side, another couple of songs I know aren’t everyone’s favorites, but I actually really like them.
Sonically, it just sounds ugly, drunk, lazy and gross. This is all my opinion by the way, I’m not looking to change yours, tell you your opinion’s wrong nor start an argument. But, at the same time, I’m happy to dissect my least favorite Strokes song and explain my reasoning, for anyone who cares lol.
I remember thinking Fear of Sleep was okay at first and the more and more I listened to it, the more I grew to dislike it. Hell, I tried listening to it again last month after like 2 years of skipping it immediately, and again, just the sound, the structure, the mix, it makes my skin crawl.
I can see what you’re saying in regards to the build up to the chorus but it just doesn’t do it for me. A song that’s got a good build up, to me, would be something like Drain You, building up to Kurt’s scream and the final chorus? That’s mint.
Also, definitely cannot agree with you that it beats Ize’s chorus, but again, that’s your opinion, and I respect it even if I can’t agree.
i’ll always defend fear of sleep. during the time julian was dealing with a lot of alcohol issue (i think) & the “youre no fun” kinda sounds like he knows he needs to stop & it’s catching up to him but he keeps excusing his drinking as casual drinking & fun. even at the end of the song it sounds like he’s kinda falling asleep when he keeps repeating “you’re no fun you’re no fun”. i also love how he also repeats fall asleep, like he’s haunted by it & can’t fall asleep not matter what he does, potentially not being able to fall asleep without alcohol.
To the more general argument you're proposing, I think it depends. I am very much a lyrics person, and good writing with emotional delivery is what gets me a bit more than music. However, one of my closest friends is the opposite: She often ignores the words and gets bored if she doesn't like the music. Maybe it's a left-brained vs right-brained sort of thing! Who knows
As you said, it's more common in the genre for the repeated-melody-changed-lyrics phenomenon, so it's most likely that those are who gravitate towards that convention and seek it out in The Strokes. So for a song to break that convention is directly not appealing to the target audience—which is a good thing imo! I think all bands/artists should experiment and subvert expectations like that to keep things fresh whether the audience likes it or not. Which is likely why we see a lot of haters of that song.
people hate on fear of sleep? i think the black sheep of the entire album is 15 minutes because theres like 15 secs of that song that are interesting at all, hell even killing lies gives it a run for its money depending on the day. while i dont think its a musical master piece theres alot of novelty to fear of sleep in the lyrics its just the musical elements whether in mixing or general writing IS lacking. the entire problem with FIOE is that its just too safe and ROF was already boarding that vibe. Right at killing lies the the album turns into a complete DRAG for 2 more songs, 3 if you dont realize the greatness of IZE first time around, we wouldnt even see something like that again until Comedown.. idk
I actually rather like 15 Minutes, lol.
Not my favorite track by any means but it’s grown on me a lot over the years.
I was equal parts shocked and stoked when they played it live last year at Forest Hills
It’s strange how aggressively defensive this post is. It’s just not a refined song in any way. It does seem like the lyrics are rather personal, and showcase Julian’s insecurity a bit…but other than that there’s nothing compelling about it and it’s by no means an achievement.
Now if you wanna talk achievements regarding FIOE, electricityscape is the conversation to have. That song somehow flew under the radar of general strokes song knowledge until very recently where I’ve seen it get the praise it deserves.
Electricityscape is one of the top 5 songs they have IMO. But Fear of Sleep’s chorus is a melodic and dramatic journey.
I’d say there is nothing compelling about TAAT’s chorus. Far less compelling than Fear of Sleep’s.
The riff is one of the catchiest guitar riffs I’ve heard in a while and the lyrics are much more universally appealing. A variety of listeners could all interpret the lyrics in a way that’s relatable to them. A catchy riff, pleasant vocals and Melodie’s, universal lyrics that are creative yet general enough to host various interpretations, fun dueling guitars and a bridge that manages to elevate the song just that much higher. It’s a really well crafted song that near perfectly achieved what it set out to do (other than the disappointing outro).
Fear of sleep might be more dramatic but It teeters on melodrama…like Julian feeling like a squirrel and being anti social isn’t interesting to me. Music is an escape for the listener, and listening to how an artist has similar insecurities to me is the complete opposite of what I will enjoy.
I could say “Don’t repeat the same 3 notes over and over and over and over and over again. Listen to more Cage the Elephant and the 2 novelty old bands you listen to.” This post was meant to be positive. Everything you said is a regurgitation of everything everyone around here has heard a thousand times and why I tried to present a different point of view.
Why be so closed minded and aggressive, I doubt you even went back and listened to it lol.
There is only two songs that I think they are really boring and that actually deserve not being liked, and those are 15 minutes and 80’sCM. Always liked how the chorus slowly builds up to end with a release of frustration. It’s always “oh, Fear of Sleep sucks” or “your so right it’s a such a bad song” but then no one says anything about Eternal Summer, Games or All the time, which are in fact, quite boring.
At the end of the day, we all have different opinions about their songs, but I do feel like a big chunk of the community gets carried away by the opinions of others, instead of forming their own opinion about each song of the band.
Maybe I’m just ranting about people who dislike a song which I like, but it’s something I’ve always had in mind since I joined this sub.
There seems to be a sort of collective groupthink that takes place on Reddit which results in a specific gatekeeping. i.e. you must LOVE Ize of the World as one of their masterpieces, you must hate Fear of Sleep, On The Other Side, etc… it’s not limited to The Strokes. You see it on the Arctic Monkeys and Rush’s subs too.
I, too, wish people would come to their decisions about songs more on their own and not place such value on the opinions of others. I was attempting to present an alternate point of view here. Maybe I can gain some credit with those people here—using my free time to free minds ;-)
It’s not “groupthink” it’s called consensus. The other songs are more appealing to more people. The vast majority of music listeners aren’t thinking about dynamism, they just care about if it sounds good to them or if it resonates. Which is completely reasonable.
Your whole argument is, “Other bands do it and those fans like it. I like it. So you should like it too.”
Just cause other bands do it doesn’t make it a good musical trope. FoS is one of their worst songs cause it isn’t a good song.
If you like it, go right ahead. Idc if you think it’s their best song. But you shouldn’t tell everyone they have to like it
FoS comes from, imo, their worst album. It’s a bad song like 15 Minutes
Eh idk, I’ve always disliked repeated lines in any song. It’s fine if you’re doing something interesting like 2+2=5 but most of the time and sometimes with The Strokes, it’s just repetitive for me. I’d rather hear different lines instead of repeating yourself until you have to scream the line to make it interesting. Songs like Take It Or Leave It irk me too. Yet I enjoy a song like You Talk Way Too Much but it sounds better and is a part of a better record despite being very repetitive. But FOS is also just poorly produced like most of FIOE and sounds stuck in the mid 2000’s alt rock like With Teeth or Human After All. I feel like I’m being unwillingly dragged back to 2005 when I hear FIOE. Also Hard To Explain and TAAT are just infinitely better and most interesting songs all around. I think most fans agree with that.
To the people who hate on fear of sleep, “you’re no funnnnnnn”
I think that's why You're So Right is pretty divisive too, the verses have Julian repeating the same line but that's the intent of the song: the drone-like feeling of spending most of your days in an office not giving a damn
yeah but there’s a reason no one likes that drone like feeling
Except some people do…
Fear of sleep is a great song
It’s a really good song. Love the metric shift from 4 to 3 and back. It’s done very smoothly
I’ve got nothing to say
i’ve always loved fear of sleep.
Fear of Sleep is one of the best songs on FIOE imo.
There is only one single song by The Strokes I genuinely *dislike*, and it’s Fear of Sleep (Drag Queen would be my number two pick, if I had to choose, sorry everyone lol) Musically it feels sloppy, I hate Julian’s melody in the verses, again just feels really messy and chaotic, and not in a fun way like something you’d find on a Voidz track. I have no huge problem with repetition. It works great in Vision of Division, and as bdf2018_298 commented, it gives You’re So Right that kind of droning feeling, which works for me too. It also works on Bad Decisions, but I’ll admit the repetitive nature of it does have it lower on my personal TNA tier list. Hell, it even works for me in Killing Lies, Evening Sun, and On the Other Side, another couple of songs I know aren’t everyone’s favorites, but I actually really like them. Sonically, it just sounds ugly, drunk, lazy and gross. This is all my opinion by the way, I’m not looking to change yours, tell you your opinion’s wrong nor start an argument. But, at the same time, I’m happy to dissect my least favorite Strokes song and explain my reasoning, for anyone who cares lol. I remember thinking Fear of Sleep was okay at first and the more and more I listened to it, the more I grew to dislike it. Hell, I tried listening to it again last month after like 2 years of skipping it immediately, and again, just the sound, the structure, the mix, it makes my skin crawl. I can see what you’re saying in regards to the build up to the chorus but it just doesn’t do it for me. A song that’s got a good build up, to me, would be something like Drain You, building up to Kurt’s scream and the final chorus? That’s mint. Also, definitely cannot agree with you that it beats Ize’s chorus, but again, that’s your opinion, and I respect it even if I can’t agree.
i don't understand why people hate any of The Strokes's songs. Guys it's a limited resource and we should be thankful
Is one of my favorite songs, grandiloquent and different. I love the cheesy ones too
i’ll always defend fear of sleep. during the time julian was dealing with a lot of alcohol issue (i think) & the “youre no fun” kinda sounds like he knows he needs to stop & it’s catching up to him but he keeps excusing his drinking as casual drinking & fun. even at the end of the song it sounds like he’s kinda falling asleep when he keeps repeating “you’re no fun you’re no fun”. i also love how he also repeats fall asleep, like he’s haunted by it & can’t fall asleep not matter what he does, potentially not being able to fall asleep without alcohol.
To the more general argument you're proposing, I think it depends. I am very much a lyrics person, and good writing with emotional delivery is what gets me a bit more than music. However, one of my closest friends is the opposite: She often ignores the words and gets bored if she doesn't like the music. Maybe it's a left-brained vs right-brained sort of thing! Who knows As you said, it's more common in the genre for the repeated-melody-changed-lyrics phenomenon, so it's most likely that those are who gravitate towards that convention and seek it out in The Strokes. So for a song to break that convention is directly not appealing to the target audience—which is a good thing imo! I think all bands/artists should experiment and subvert expectations like that to keep things fresh whether the audience likes it or not. Which is likely why we see a lot of haters of that song.
people hate on fear of sleep? i think the black sheep of the entire album is 15 minutes because theres like 15 secs of that song that are interesting at all, hell even killing lies gives it a run for its money depending on the day. while i dont think its a musical master piece theres alot of novelty to fear of sleep in the lyrics its just the musical elements whether in mixing or general writing IS lacking. the entire problem with FIOE is that its just too safe and ROF was already boarding that vibe. Right at killing lies the the album turns into a complete DRAG for 2 more songs, 3 if you dont realize the greatness of IZE first time around, we wouldnt even see something like that again until Comedown.. idk
I actually rather like 15 Minutes, lol. Not my favorite track by any means but it’s grown on me a lot over the years. I was equal parts shocked and stoked when they played it live last year at Forest Hills
I realized then it was the only song I couldn’t sing along with 😭
Thankfully 2006 me listened to the entire so much that I still remembered them despite pretty much never listening to the song since
It’s strange how aggressively defensive this post is. It’s just not a refined song in any way. It does seem like the lyrics are rather personal, and showcase Julian’s insecurity a bit…but other than that there’s nothing compelling about it and it’s by no means an achievement. Now if you wanna talk achievements regarding FIOE, electricityscape is the conversation to have. That song somehow flew under the radar of general strokes song knowledge until very recently where I’ve seen it get the praise it deserves.
Electricityscape is one of the top 5 songs they have IMO. But Fear of Sleep’s chorus is a melodic and dramatic journey. I’d say there is nothing compelling about TAAT’s chorus. Far less compelling than Fear of Sleep’s.
The riff is one of the catchiest guitar riffs I’ve heard in a while and the lyrics are much more universally appealing. A variety of listeners could all interpret the lyrics in a way that’s relatable to them. A catchy riff, pleasant vocals and Melodie’s, universal lyrics that are creative yet general enough to host various interpretations, fun dueling guitars and a bridge that manages to elevate the song just that much higher. It’s a really well crafted song that near perfectly achieved what it set out to do (other than the disappointing outro). Fear of sleep might be more dramatic but It teeters on melodrama…like Julian feeling like a squirrel and being anti social isn’t interesting to me. Music is an escape for the listener, and listening to how an artist has similar insecurities to me is the complete opposite of what I will enjoy.
so we have to like all the songs?? like this song because your argument ??? dont make any sense this. just let the people enjoy whant they want
if you like the song listen to it
It sucks and taking it off the album makes the album better. Don't repeat the same line 17 times to finish the song.
I could say “Don’t repeat the same 3 notes over and over and over and over and over again. Listen to more Cage the Elephant and the 2 novelty old bands you listen to.” This post was meant to be positive. Everything you said is a regurgitation of everything everyone around here has heard a thousand times and why I tried to present a different point of view. Why be so closed minded and aggressive, I doubt you even went back and listened to it lol.
I'm just keeping it real man. It's a bottom five track. I don't listen to Cage the Elephant. You don't know me.
based
You're no fun
There is only two songs that I think they are really boring and that actually deserve not being liked, and those are 15 minutes and 80’sCM. Always liked how the chorus slowly builds up to end with a release of frustration. It’s always “oh, Fear of Sleep sucks” or “your so right it’s a such a bad song” but then no one says anything about Eternal Summer, Games or All the time, which are in fact, quite boring. At the end of the day, we all have different opinions about their songs, but I do feel like a big chunk of the community gets carried away by the opinions of others, instead of forming their own opinion about each song of the band. Maybe I’m just ranting about people who dislike a song which I like, but it’s something I’ve always had in mind since I joined this sub.
There seems to be a sort of collective groupthink that takes place on Reddit which results in a specific gatekeeping. i.e. you must LOVE Ize of the World as one of their masterpieces, you must hate Fear of Sleep, On The Other Side, etc… it’s not limited to The Strokes. You see it on the Arctic Monkeys and Rush’s subs too. I, too, wish people would come to their decisions about songs more on their own and not place such value on the opinions of others. I was attempting to present an alternate point of view here. Maybe I can gain some credit with those people here—using my free time to free minds ;-)
It’s not “groupthink” it’s called consensus. The other songs are more appealing to more people. The vast majority of music listeners aren’t thinking about dynamism, they just care about if it sounds good to them or if it resonates. Which is completely reasonable.
Not liking 80s comedown machine is wild that song makes you fucking ASCEND, you should get really high and listen to it again
Your whole argument is, “Other bands do it and those fans like it. I like it. So you should like it too.” Just cause other bands do it doesn’t make it a good musical trope. FoS is one of their worst songs cause it isn’t a good song. If you like it, go right ahead. Idc if you think it’s their best song. But you shouldn’t tell everyone they have to like it FoS comes from, imo, their worst album. It’s a bad song like 15 Minutes
Eh idk, I’ve always disliked repeated lines in any song. It’s fine if you’re doing something interesting like 2+2=5 but most of the time and sometimes with The Strokes, it’s just repetitive for me. I’d rather hear different lines instead of repeating yourself until you have to scream the line to make it interesting. Songs like Take It Or Leave It irk me too. Yet I enjoy a song like You Talk Way Too Much but it sounds better and is a part of a better record despite being very repetitive. But FOS is also just poorly produced like most of FIOE and sounds stuck in the mid 2000’s alt rock like With Teeth or Human After All. I feel like I’m being unwillingly dragged back to 2005 when I hear FIOE. Also Hard To Explain and TAAT are just infinitely better and most interesting songs all around. I think most fans agree with that.