The Atlanta, Georgia-based American indie rock group Manchester Orchestra was founded in 2004. The current lineup of the band consists of drummer Tim Very, bassist Andy Prince, lead guitarist Robert McDowell, and lead singer and songwriter Andy Hull.
“The Gold” is the second track off of Manchester Orchestra’s album, “A Black Mile to the Surface,” released in 2017. This song is a well-written track with a beautiful story, full of metaphors and imagery that all relate to mine shafts and gold. In this song, the singer is portraying the wife of a miner, whose relationship is failing, and caving in like a mine shaft after it’s abandoned. This song also discusses topics of rocky relationships with family, specifically the singer’s father who’s suffering from a heart attack. The artist had said, ““The Gold” was the last track written from the album. It is sung from a woman’s perspective. It was the final piece to the record that we were missing. The song takes place in the early 1900s in the mining town of Lead, SD.'” on the Genius page for this track. (Manchester Orchestra: “The Gold” – Genius) As someone who primarily listens to music that is very light, fun, and pop-central, this song was something that took me for a run. The messages in this song drew me in so close though, I cannot even describe how hard it HIT as soon as I finished my first listen.
I have to give this song the credit that it deserves, especially since this genre is not something I regularly listen to. I was so shocked by how much I loved this song, and will definitely be checking out more of their stuff!
Some of my favorite lyrics of this track are:
- “You don’t have to hold me anymore/Our cave’s collapsing”
- “My old man told me/”You don’t open your eyes for a while/You just breathe that moment down.”
- “I believed you were crazy/You believe that you love me”
- “You and me, we’re a day drink/So lose your faith in me”
With this week’s edition of “Buzz Beats,” this song was recommended through our survey by Ms. Caturano. When discussing why she enjoys this song so much, she mentioned,
“[This] song is pretty perfect for rolling down your car windows and blasting the angsty, folksy melodies into the wind. The cave and gold metaphor feel like a perfect summation of how it feels when you’ve outgrown someone. The lyrics do a great job of sharing that as well… Particularly the repeated chorus: “I believed you were crazy. You believed you loved me.””
— Ms. Caturano
After giving the song a few more listens, I agree with everything. It’s also a beautiful song to sit in your room and cry over. I genuinely found myself getting emotional listening to the song, especially over the messages hidden within the lyrics. This song has admittedly been added to my playlist of songs I’m obsessed with, and I would recommend this to someone who wants to explore a new sound.
If you’re looking for an Alternative/Indie Rock song full of beautiful metaphors and imagery, you should check this song out.
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Buzz Beats: Album/Song Recommendations
Find “The Gold” from Manchester Orchestra’s album, “A Black Mile to the Surface” on streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and more.
