Never Meant
| "Never Meant" | |
|---|---|
| Song by American Football | |
| from the album American Football | |
| Released | September 14, 1999 |
| Recorded | May 1999 |
| Genre | Midwest emo, math rock, post-rock, indie rock |
| Length | 4:28 |
| Label | Polyvinyl |
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Kinsella |
| Composer(s) | Steve Holmes |
| Producer(s) | Brendan Gamble |
Never Meant is a song by American emo band American Football. The opening track on the band's critically acclaimed eponymous 1999 debut LP, it is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential emo songs of all time.[1][2][3]
Never Meant is built around a highly recognizable 12/8 math rock riff played by two electric guitars in FACGCe tuning. The song's notoriety has even led it to become an internet meme, where videos are remixed so its beginning riff will unexpectedly play.[4]
Release[edit]
American Football's self-titled debut album was released on Polyvinyl Record Co. on September 14, 1999[5]. Initially, fans of the band were mostly fans of Cap'n Jazz[6], a short-lived emo band with a cult following that included American Football singer Mike Kinsella on drums. With minor success on college radio and positive word of mouth[7], the album formed a solid cult following in the local emo scene. Nevertheless, by the next year, the band members' college courses had ended[8], they no longer lived in the same city[9], and the band amicably disbanded.
As an inactive band with a narrow body of work, it would not have been surprising for the hype around the music to have fizzled out. However, with the advent of the internet, American Football would grow to a larger audience than Cap'n Jazz ever had. Their debut album greatly influenced the modern sound of Midwest emo music, and helped popularize it from a regional genre, into an international one. Features such as their twinkly math rock riffs, arpeggiated melodies, and distinctive open tunings are now some of the most defining features of the genre.
Reception[edit]
Retrospective reviews have been laudatory. Variety magazine and pop culture website Vulture both ranked Never Meant as the #1 greatest emo song of all time,[1][2] with American pop culture website The Ringer ranking it as the greatest emo song of 1999.[3]
Music videos[edit]
On June 5, 2014, a music video was released for "Never Meant".[10] Directed by Chris Strong, the video was filmed inside and around the house that features on the album cover artwork.[11] The video was set in Urbana, Illinois, around 1999.[11] Strong revealed that the storyline was "about a brief relationship occurring between two characters at the end of their college experience".[11] In December, a live video was released for "Never Meant", filmed in October at New York's Webster Hall.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Cohen, Ian (2020-02-13). "The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ a b Shafer, William Earl,Angelique Jackson,Emily Longeretta,Pat Saperstein,Ethan Shanfeld,Katie Reul,EJ Panaligan,Maane Khatchatourian,Thania Garcia,Katcy Stephan,Ellise; Earl, William; Jackson, Angelique; Longeretta, Emily; Saperstein, Pat; Shanfeld, Ethan; Reul, Katie; Panaligan, E. J.; Khatchatourian, Maane (2022-10-18). "The 25 Best Emo Songs of All Time". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Cohen, Ian (2022-07-25). "The Best Emo Songs of Every Year, 1985 to Now". The Ringer. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ "Never Meant". Know Your Meme. 2020-04-27. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ "American Football CD". Polyvinyl Recording Co. Archived from the original on January 19, 2001. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ CMJ New Music Report 1999, p. 17
- ^ Montesinos-Donaghy, Daniel (May 29, 2014). "Spotlight: American Football - S/T". Clash Magazine. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
- ^ Goggins, Joe (June 5, 2014). "Not So Emotional?: American Football's Mike Kinsella on reflection, reminiscence and resurrection - The Line Of Best Fit". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ Gormely, Ian (May 6, 2014). "Tim & Mike Kinsella". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
- ^ Gordon, Jeremy (June 5, 2014). "American Football's "Never Meant" Video Released 15 Years Late". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c Gotrich, Lars (June 5, 2014). "American Football, 'Never Meant'". NPR. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
- ^ Adams, Gregory (December 24, 2014). "American Football "Never Meant" (live video)". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.