Song of the Moment: Future Days

[IlluminEddie]

Did Ed talk directly about this song anywhere?

Unless he did, why does everyone assume it's about his wife? Maybe it's about his kids? Maybe it's about the band? Maybe it's about fans? Maybe it is part of a conceptual album, and about the afterlife? Maybe it's about all of the above?

I think there's a lot of assumptions being made here.

Yes, my friend, you were correct to bring up this point.

[ABNorman]

I'm gonna come right out in support of this song, but then I like Wishlist, Just Breathe and Thin Air, so what do I know?

that you like 2 really good songs

2 outta 3 ain't bad.

Plenty on here would disagree.

[ABNorman]

"Ever closer became us" is one of Ed's clunkiest lines.

[Angus]

I love this song.

There. I said it. I love it!

[harmless]

I love this song.

There. I said it. I love it!

[ABNorman]

I love this song.

There. I said it. I love it!

I'm right there with you. Got no problem with this kind of sentiment/prettiness in a song.

But even I balk at the book-ending piano.

[harmless]

The most annoying thing is that you've got to at least tolerate the piano to enjoy the song. And if you can't, you're screwed.

[ABNorman]

The most annoying thing is that you've got to at least tolerate the piano to enjoy the song. And if you can't, you're screwed.

I dunno, the piano slaps me in the face initially, then I forget about it, then it sucker punches me in the nuts at the end. Sounds pretty easy to cut it out without messin' with the main song.

[dimejinky99]

I love the song.

But the piano sounds like one of the music that plays over in xfactor when someone's telling a big sob story about their life

[harmless]

The most annoying thing is that you've got to at least tolerate the piano to enjoy the song. And if you can't, you're screwed.

I dunno, the piano slaps me in the face initially, then I forget about it, then it sucker punches me in the nuts at the end. Sounds pretty easy to cut it out without messin' with the main song.

Yeah, I've got to the point that I don't mind it, there are some nice little effects going on in it, but I'm still feeling sorry for the people who hate it because I get that. I love how you talk about it like a wrestling match, Hogan. "Well, that part was a bitch, but I got up and all was good for a while, even great, but then... WAM! At least I'm still alive."

[ABNorman]

The most annoying thing is that you've got to at least tolerate the piano to enjoy the song. And if you can't, you're screwed.

I dunno, the piano slaps me in the face initially, then I forget about it, then it sucker punches me in the nuts at the end. Sounds pretty easy to cut it out without messin' with the main song.

Yeah, I've got to the point that I don't mind it, there are some nice little effects going on in it, but I'm still feeling sorry for the people who hate it because I get that. I love how you talk about it like a wrestling match, Hogan. "Well, that part was a bitch, but I got up and all was good for a while, even great, but then... WAM! At least I'm still alive."

Brother, every match I have, I'm glad to be alive at the end.

[Juvenal]

I love this song.

There. I said it. I love it!

Brecht... what the fuck?

[harmless]

I've just listened to this album through for like the 5 billionth time, and I didn't even notice the keyboard on this song. Maybe I'm even getting to like it. Someone hold me.

[stip]

Bump for new poll

[harmless]

So this track is growing on me, schmaltzy keyboards and all, and I'll explain why. It's growing on me not just as a cute (overwrought) love song, but as a pseudo-Christian worship song. Religious schlock was always what the overbearing production and instrumentation reminded me of, a religious "love song" to the our best buddy the Lord. Bear with me: I look back to the artwork, to the two lovers standing and holding hands covered in branches, and I once thought creepy effigies. There might be an element of that, but now I'm thinking of Adam and Eve. Then it occurred to me that maybe "Future Days" is working in tandem with "Getaway" as bookends to the album: whereas one was "I've got my own way to believe" (anti-fundamentalist / creationist), this one is "We've got our own future days (or "end times", "latter-days", "eternal life"). This one could be anti-apocalyptic. So, cheesy production, instrumentation and all, at least for me it's become like a pseudo-hymn, and really works on that satirical level in context with this particular album (and I have to wonder whether it would've been mixed differently on a different album). It doesn't matter whether anyone meant it that way, sometimes the best elements of a piece of art are accidental. And I'm sure "Future Days" will be embraced by the Christian radio listeners as well, which is good commercially for the band, and a pretty good chuckle for us. You have to wonder whether part of the new intent is to sell songs against different contexts, and for different demographics. And I don't mind that this particular song might be really good at it, for all the right reasons.

Edit: the bridge of "Swallowed Whole" is also playing with the Christian escatological hymn idea, this looking forward to the end of time. So these three songs could work together.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

This song is not at the bottom for me, im liking it quite a bit on the album, and while im not ready to try and rank the whole album yet, there are probably at least 2 songs below it but let the records play won't be one of them

[Jorge]

stupid song


i hate you song

[HardTI]

My brother said Ed talked about this song last night and it being about family. Pretty obvious, but he was talking about his daughter and then transitioned to this song.

[HardTI]

This song might be the only time I wished they used organ instead of piano.

[harmless]

This song might be the only time I wished they used organ instead of piano.

The weird thing is that they use organ throughout the song. The only time the piano appears is on the beginning and the ending (well, and the bridge). Bizarre decision.