Okkervil River - Another Radio Song

[river750777]

If there was a better song to tell you about, I would tell you about It, but i can't

Best song ever....

[gunnersview]

I like this version better vocally, but I dearly miss the lyrics to 'for the captain', especially the 'we have fallen/bless the birth of him/the chapel he was killed in' -- either way, though, this is absolutely my favorite song. So excited to see them this June in Tucson!

[Brookie666cookie]

Great song.... Just.. Great.

[camras]

Black Sheep Boy Appendix: a great EP or the best EP? Signs point to the latter...

[eta315]

2:20 on = goosbumps

[unmemorablehero]

This is the first song I heard from them, and is still my favorite.

I hope some day in the future, people will look back at this, and realize that this was the best music of our time, and I'll be sitting back telling my kids all the times that I have seen them live.

Thank you okkervil for being amazing.

[unmemorablehero]

Oh....and by the way....you can hear every bit of spit particle slamming onto the microphone just like in For Real. Amazing. Epic. There are no words.

[unmemorablehero]

This is the first song I heard from Okkervil River, and I think it will always be my favorite. Just a perfect song that builds and builds and builds until you are blown away by the perfect display of Scheff's incredible lyrics and daunting voice, that leaves you breathless after a perfect crescendo of unrealistic music matching the tone of voice that Scheff seems to pull out of nowhere. One of the best moments in music history for me.

[shredGNARonguitar12]

i love to just scream this song out as loud as i can. especially in the car.

[billhicks8]

Very nice, the vocals are reminiscient of Robert Smith from The Cure, which works surprisingly well with this sort of neo-folk (? I dunno) style...

[wasabihansen]

@billhicks8 humm, i'll call it alt-country

[dontmesswithpandas]

i love this song but all the comments sound like non social losers wrote them

[gauchopride07]

for the captain is another song by them, they sound the same but the lyrics are different.

[farahdarlingg]

I always thought this song was called "For the Captain"...? Oh well I love it, second favorite after "A Stone" :)

[57laura1]

Don't have a clue, what you are talking about. I saw them live last year and they were immense! Love them, possibly my favourite band, still have the set list!! Great song!!

[MikeDaMuddah]

Wow! Big fan, but never heard this version. Can't stand their live performances, but love, love, love the music.

[SoutHOE11]

2:12 to 4:00

just amazing, love this song :)

[robfry100]

other version is much better,

[tequilaplease]

I discovered them a few weeks ago and since then I listen to them every day as goog as arcade fire I like them very much but unfortunatly I can`t find any dates for concerts here in germany...

[Manaforever]

How I love Okkervil river...

[mountaindewslave]

does this song ever get old? no, I don't think so! Such a rarity to have a great song like thiss....

[icemelter00]

Wow... This is why I hate youtubers, so much space wasted that you could be discussing music. So time to talk about the music this seems to be a very dark album from what I've heard of it so far I like it though.

[canadiansurfwax]

ahahahah! its fantastic. You guys both keep making spelling mistakes in your rebuttals to each other. You angry youtube geeks are so cute

[DarthPazuzu6]

It's fantastic. You forgot to put an apostrophe between the t and the s. Have a good one and thanks for playing!

[LiduenKvaedhi]

I love you for saying that :')

[dfro29]

this is a rewrite of a much older song of there's recorded on an album that is damn near impossible to find cause it is not sold anymore..the song is called "for the captain" and the album is stars too small to use.. if u can find it let me know how cause i scratched my version and would love another... but i digress... not taking anything away from this version but for the captain is much more raw and less produced give it a listen

[CathalWhite92]

That is amazingly good!!

5 stars

[stewartyp]

Heard this song in an Irish bar in paris last week and did everything to get the name and artist of the track. its the only thing i'v listened to since i got home lol,

i think its unbelievable.

[Syst3m04]

Personally I hope this song or any other Okkervil River song for that matter ever makes it to the radio. I don't think I could bear to listen to people who don't really love music talk about how much they love this band. My roommate heard me playing Sigur Ros and now tells all his friends about this "crazy icelandic" band he loves. Then he goes and turns on Kanye West and My Chemical Romance. I know it's selfish but I don't care, good music is meant for a select few not the masses.

[ilmmad]

If you were secure enough in your taste you wouldn't care. If you see your music as an expression of your intelligence you are looking at it wrong.

[Syst3m04]

I am secure in my music taste, if I wasn't I'd be listening to nickleback. Music is (among other things) an expression of intelligence and should be seen as such. If you don't listen to music intelligently it just becomes mind a mindnumbing conglomeration of sounds that anyone could produce. When a song has the power to leave you speechless or spontaneously break down crying, then you have found a masterpiece that should be cherished and protected as not to let others ruin it.

[ilmmad]

You misinterpreted basically everything I said, but I'm not going to get into an argument about this. But let me clarify that I did not say "don't listen to music intelligently." I said "don't use your music as a symbol of your intelligence." Because it isn't. Look, we both agree that Okkervil River is amazing. Both of us have been left speechless by the band. But at the same time, I can enjoy NWA, or Paramore, and still feel secure that my taste is my own, despite who else listens to what I do.

[Syst3m04]

I did misinterpret what you were saying, thought you were saying the music shouldn't be intelligently written, sorry. I do agree that popular bands can be enjoyable, just in a mindless sort of way. It's just when someone knows the lyrics to "Two Headed Boy" by Neutral Milk Hotel and can sing them without any emotion in their face, that's what makes me angry. That song tears me apart and for people to treat it like a pop song kills me, that's what I was tryin to say. Love your input btw, thx.

[usamericanz]

"I am secure in my music taste, if I wasn't I'd be listening to Nickleback."

What's wrong with Nickleback?

[Syst3m04]

In all honesty I don't have a problem with Nickleback, although I dislike their music I don't think they are a horrible band. My problem with Nickleback is the fans and how they can sing every word in a song and not know the meaning of said song. I'm guilty of this myself with some radiohead songs, okkervil river, sunset rubdown, neutral milk hotel, ect. The difference is I'm just failing to interpret properly where as NB fans don't try.

[usamericanz]

How do you know NB fans don't know what the songs mean? It seems awfully arrogant to me to suggest fans of one band or even one genre of music are somehow less intelligent or think less about their music than you do, simply because you listen to bands no one listens to or cares about except snobby music critics. Radiohead is the most overrated band in the history of popular music, IMHO - and I've heard Okkervil...I'd rather hear fingers on a blackboard.

[Syst3m04]

Radiohead is anything but overrated, and insulting Okkervil River just shows me that you only appreciate music if it has a catchy chorus and mindless verses. Here's a fun fact Radiohead fans scored higher on their SAT's than any other music type with the exception of Classical. Radiohead and OR, as well as numerous other bands are loved not because the simplicity of their music, rather the complexity. OR is beautifully written poetry put to music.

[Syst3m04]

The fact that I can look set of lyrics in any song by NB, Kanye, Rihanna, or any of the lame ass american idol songs that come out and tell you what the song is about in a matter of minutes means they put very little thought into writing it (if they wrote it all which is fairly rare). When you sit down and listen to a song that is so poetic that you cry, or in the case of Neutral Milk Hotel enter a state of deep depression, that's when you've found a masterpiece.

[Syst3m04]

See below first-

In order to understand this song fully you have to listen to the entire album Black Sheep Boy. Granted I could write an entire novel on my interpretation of this song, I'm going to try to summarize. I believe it's about trying to cope/recover from one's guilt of previous experiences.

The entire song up until "Scream all this window dressing" Is his reflection on his past, at this point he accepts it and is able to move on. "Radio is a metaphor for brain/head"

[usamericanz]

Radiohead is absolutely the single most overrated band on the planet, and here's another fun fact for you - Radiohead fans might score well on their SAT's but musically, most of them are mind-numbed Radiohead robots - trying to reason with a Radiohead is akin to trying to reason with a Scientologist...they don't like to be confused by facts. And don't get me started on Okkervil - OR is just another band you indie types like because they have a dumb name and no one else has ever heard of them.

[Syst3m04]

Once again, say what you want about radiohead but atleast we love music. The reason I love OR isn't because of how obscure they are, but how insanely beautiful there lyrics are. If you don't like OR dont listen to them, unfortunately I'm cursed with being forced to listen to shitty music every time I walk into any store. Not to mention Nickelback sounds the same of every song they sing.

[usamericanz]

But the problem is - OR's lyrics are not beautiful at all...they are horrible, in fact. OR lyrics come off like some cliched, angst-ridden school girl diary entry. "Photos show no tears And her eyes, all those pretty years gone by..." Oh, PLEASE! God, I hear crap like that and I want to stab both my ears with an ice pick. At least NB doesn't come off like pussifed wussies.

[Syst3m04]

Your not seriously starting this again are you... It all comes down to the fact that NB and OR are two completely seperate types of music. NB is short, pointless, catchy songs that people like for a few months and move on. OR is poetic, usually depressing, painfully addicting stories that usually take a few weeks before you even like song much less album.

[Syst3m04]

The song your referring to by the way is called Savannah Smiles and is about the porn star Shannon Wisley. She commited suicide in the early 90s and the song is written from the point of view of the father after he discovers his daughter is dead. The parents blamed the adult film industry while the industry blamed the parents. If you would actually pay attention to the lyrics you'd realize most of Will's songs are about real people/events. I'm done talking to you.

[Uprisingdownfall]

Give it a rest. Okkervil River music is about the lyrics. It's for a more intelligent group of listeners. Don't get riled up because people don't comprehend what the songs are about. Just enjoy it. :)

[usamericanz]

Talking to Okkervil River fans is like talking to a bunch of goth high school students who, when asked why they all dress in black, say ernestly "to be different." Yeah, you're all 'different'....and you all LOVE Okkervil River because you're unique, intelligent listeners of music while people who listen to other bands like Nickelback are stupid. Give me a break. You're no more intelligent than anyone else, and most you OR fans seem to have genuine self-esteem problems.

[usamericanz]

i know what the song is about, thanks - it still sucks, no matter who's point of view it takes. the lyrics are contrived and cliched and that's why the song doesn't work. most of OR's songs don't work for the same reason. hey, you can run from the fact that OR sucks, but it doesn't change a thing - they still suck.

[Uprisingdownfall]

I find it pretty amusing that you get so riled up over this. I find it even funnier that you're so bent on convincing people into your way of thinking. Obviously, this crusade is the purpose of your life, so continue on! Fight the good fight!  You will be the next great leader to make a difference in our world! I pray the best for you and hope you succeed in your valorous crusade!

[usamericanz]

dude, no reason to get hysterical about it....it's just a conversation about music, man. if you want to be a sheeple and do what you're told, be my guest. i'm just saying don't follow the crowd...be an individual. think for yourself.

[Uprisingdownfall]

That entire response was ironic in multiple ways.

[usamericanz]

and yet you couldn't name a single one.  lol

[Uprisingdownfall]

1. You expressed that I was being hysterical when in fact I was being sarcastic. That in itself is not ironic. What is ironic is the fact that your entire conversation with system as well as with me has been aggressive, if not hysterical. Thus, by calling me hysterical when I was not only not being hysterical but you were expresses it as thus.

[Uprisingdownfall]

2. You told me to think as an individual. In a previous post you mentioned that people like Okkervil River only because no one has ever heard of the band. With that logic, does it mean that people are only allowed to like music if it is popular, such as Pink Floyd or Rush? If that is the case, would it not then be a paradox to like any band because at some point all bands are small?

[Uprisingdownfall]

3. You described this whole argument as being a conversation. In relation to the first post of your irony, you have been incredibly aggressive, and admittedly I, as well as System have been aggressive in our ways as well. Thus, referring to it as a conversation makes it ironic.

[Uprisingdownfall]

4. In relation once again to 1 and 3, (Im noticing a lot of points of aggression against you) instead of arguing with you in the previous manner you had with system, I instead used sarcasm. After a post or two, you then decided to change tactics as well, acting as if I was the one being irrational in the conversation.

[Uprisingdownfall]

5. You referred to Okkervil River fans as Goths because they think that they are unique and different for listening to an unheard of band. Then, you proceed to tell me to think as an individual. Would someone who listens to an unheard of band then be more unique than someone who liked a bandwagon band? Even if said person were simply liking a band because it was different and unheard of, that would make them more of an individual.

[Uprisingdownfall]

6. You believe that by bashing a group of people who like a band that you do not, you will display yourself as an individual. In simply doing such, you are showing a desire to show yourself as different amongst a group who is already different. In that sense, there are two explanations, the first being that you would rather bash a smaller band than a bigger band for hope of less support for the band.

[Uprisingdownfall]

The second reason is that you truly dont like the band and find a need to let everyone there know as well as use your insecurities by telling them how terrible it is and hoping that others agree with you to get that special feeling inside of you.

[Uprisingdownfall]

7. You claimed that you were as smart as on Okkervil River fan, and yet you could not decipher sarcasm from hysteria. Not saying that that has anything to do with being an Okkervil River fan, but it displays your credibility.

[Uprisingdownfall]

I was hoping I wouldnt have to explain and you would understand on your own, but here, hope you had fun reading through it.

[usamericanz]

wow, it appears that in addition to not being able to recognize your own hysteria, you can't articulate a thought in less than 7 separate posts. i take it you're a public school graduate? and no, i didn't refer to OR as "goth" - you can't read, either. i said i find it funny that the goth kids in HS who all dressed in black thought they were being unique...much like OR fans do, even though they are just following the "if it's obscure, it must be good" crowd.

[DarthPazuzu6]

Start your sentences with a capital. And what's with the,"..." in your sentences? So much for you not being a public school graduate. It is amazing just how willing you are to present your self as an ass hole to the rest of the world. I could definitly understand why he or she had alot to say to you. He or she can definitly write better than you.

[usamericanz]

this not a formal fucking letter, it's the comments section of a video for chrissakes, so thanks, but i'll format my comments however the fuck i want. and these "..." are called ELLIPSES, dumbshit...most of us learned what they were in grade school. what i find amazing with music snobs is that it never fails...when you can't argue a point intelligently, you almost always resort to silly name calling or better yet, you become spelling and punctuation cops. get a life, fucktard.

[DarthPazuzu6]

I wasn't the one trying to mock someone's education. You were. If you're going to do that then write properly and without the,"....." all the time. Again start your sentences with a capital letter.

[usamericanz]

a clear sign of a LACK of intelligence is to become a spelling and punctuation cop when you realize you can't respond to something in an intellectual, thoughtful manner. obviously this is your problem, and considering you rode the short yellow bus to school, i'm not sure there's a solution. i think you are destined to just remain stuck on stupid. good luck.

[DarthPazuzu6]

Like I said big guy, I wasn't the one insulting someone's intelligence intially. You were. Shall I quote you or will you be mean enough to review your comment and man up?

[usamericanz]

i know what i said, and i know in what context i said it. did you think i was denying anything? my point to you is and remains that if the best you got in a discussion about music is the ability to put on the spelling and punctuation cop badge, you have more problems than your realize. do yourself a favor - try to actually analyze the discussion before you and respond in some sort of rational, analytical fashion rather than like a blustery child. just a thought.

[DarthPazuzu6]

I read your comments and you are as ignorant as it gets. You act as if what you say about music is the standard around the world. Anything that differs from your vision of music isn't music at all. From what I can see judging by your comments, you dislike OR. Then why would you search for this band just to hate on them?

Probably the most embarrassing comment of yours was saying that OR fans are goths who dress in all black to be different. That says it all about you.

[usamericanz]

DarthPutz, not only are you ignorant about music, you can't read either. I never said OR fans are goths who dress in black to be different. Go back and read what I said again, junior. Perhaps there's someone there with at least a GED who can explain it you. Good luck.

[DarthPazuzu6]

Ignorant about music? I wasn't even trying to criticise music. My comments were aimed at YOU. And I've read what you said. It makes no sense to even search an OR video and attack them. What were you trying to achieve here guy? You attack a band you don't like and troll around to piss people off. I'm the ignorant one? Spare me.

[oldgregg74]

wonderful. Heard it for the 1st time a couple of weeks ago and i've fallen in love with this. Majestic

[w3stfa11]

Look up "Black Sheep Boy #4". It's from the same album and is just as great as this song.

[mountaindewslave]

utterly Beautiful. Now please put this on the radio instead of plays 99% of the time, people won't know what to think.

[rmt1863]

Thank you so much for posting. I still remember the first time I heard thing some. Powerful stuff.

[denouement5]

First song to leave me utterly speechless, and unable to think. It's perfect.

[oldgregg74]

I'm in agreeance.....

[ilmmad]

It was some other Okkervil River song that did that for me, but Another Radio Song repeated the effect.

[martyjdionne]

for the captain would have had a greater impact on me than black sheep boy, but it seems like a theme they've gone with, still a well written song. goooood stufffff.

[Hroros]

I find the old verison better. Still Very good though!

[rents14]

Thanx a bunch!!! I was waiting for it!!

[fallintodarkness]

I love this song.

Which of their older songs is it a remake of?

[bambamanofir]

"For the Captain" (from "Stars to Small to Use"). I've heard it now, and it sucks... bad singing and such.

Thanks for the comment!

[fallintodarkness]

Cheers.

[bambamanofir]

I just read my comment a year later and I was too harsh with my criticism... Upon re-listening I notice that's it's quite good. Minimalistic in a positive way, but I still prefer Will's voice in this version.

[javahippo]

It's all right. People's musical interests change over time.