Get Lyrical: The Hundred Days' "On My Head"

posted in: Features • Rock

We’re not surprised that The Hundred Days have been climbing the Best Of charts on OurStage”the quartet’s haunting and moody melodies make them hard to ignore. But while they seem poised for success, the group’s lovely lyrics have us a little mystified, especially on tracks like “On My Head.” So we asked The Hundred Days’ Jonathan Smith to take a break from getting ready for SXSW and tell us the story behind the cryptic words of the band’s Interpol-esqe track.

According to Smith, “On My Head” is a tale of struggle and triumph. “I think in this song there was a mixture of imagery which sought to juxtapose strife and hardship during the verse (biting metal in the snow, standing on your head) with success and escape (“try and catch me now!”) at the end of the song,” he says. It’s addressed to the listener; Smith knows that they’ll relate to the feelings of frustration and loneliness the song’s imagery invokes. But it’s not so bleak as all that, because he also knows “that they have also felt the relief and exhilaration of overcoming that challenge.” He says that he’s daring people to catch him, as they run beyond the limits they had previously set for themselves.

If you’re wondering about the line “it’s titanic,” which closes out the chorus, Smith says it refers to the size and scope of the listener’s challenge. “It’s larger than the listener,” he says. “All of the things which have forced him/her out of themselves, to become themselves, these are forces which they cannot control. Forces frighteningly huge and unrelenting. This could be going to school for the first time, or being on stage for the first time, or falling in love for the first time. Or overcoming an addiction.”

Check out “On My Head” below and see if you can relate to The Hundred Days’ plight!

Have an interesting story behind your lyrics? Let us know at pr@ourstage.com!