{"id":410,"date":"2015-04-01T09:53:08","date_gmt":"2015-04-01T14:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lyreka.com\/blog\/?p=410"},"modified":"2023-12-20T10:58:29","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T15:58:29","slug":"want-to-know-a-fun-fact-about-riptide-by-vance-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lyreka.com\/blog\/want-to-know-a-fun-fact-about-riptide-by-vance-joy","title":{"rendered":"Want to Know a Fun Fact About “Riptide” by Vance Joy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Riptide<\/strong><\/a> by <\/strong>Vance Joy<\/strong><\/a> is one of the current (pun not intended) high-charting hits, and another example of indie music hitting the mainstream. Lyrically, the song seems to be about a love story from the point of view of a boy just discovering what love is. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vance<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s scared of dentists and the dark<\/q> and pretty girls and starting conversations,<\/q> and his friends fantasize about her being the magician\u2019s assistant in their dream.<\/q> All of these are common childhood fears and fantasies, and they reflect the author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, most songs seem to be biographical. For instance, one of the lyrics involves the singer saying Is this movie that I think you’ll like\/This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City\/This cowboy’s running from himself.<\/q>  This is referring to a movie Vance saw called Midnight Cowboy<\/strong>. Another example is that he compares the girl to Michelle Pfeiffer, an actress who was big in the 1990s. Being born in 1987, it\u2019s fitting that Vance as a child would compare the girl to Pfeiffer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about the chorus, which has a few interesting lyrics. Lady, running down to the riptide\/Taken away to the dark side.<\/q>  This could be referring to the girl transitioning to an adult, and changing into something the singer doesn’t want her to be. This is made more evident when a few lines later, it says I love you when you’re singing that song and\/I got a lump in my throat ’cause\/You’re gonna sing the words wrong.<\/q> Growing up, we all have fallen in love with someone who changed for the worst as time went on, yet we still desired them for what they once were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not the deepest song, Riptide\u2019s lyrics<\/a> do make you think quite a bit, which is a refreshing break from most hits, which spoon-feed you the lyrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK! Here is the Fun Fact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Riptide” is the name of a motel Vance visited frequently as a child. However, Vance says lyric-wise, it\u2019s referring to an ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riptide by Vance Joy music video<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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