Song of the Year 2014

Like last year, I'm doing this early.

Song of the Year for 2014 will be "Somewhere in the Between" by Streetlight Manifesto.

I didn't give it much thought this year. I like the song. It works. And I like taking things in the ska direction.

Here's a video of the tune:


Here's a video of the lyrics with the tune (there is annoying background noise).


And just the lyrics:
"You were gone when we found you 
You were practically surrounded, you were trapped
But the opposition stalled, their blood ran cold
When they saw the look of love in your eyes
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
And everything else was part of the plan
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the alpha, omega, beginning and the end
And we all just idolize the dead
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
You had a love and that love had you
And nothing mattered, you were fine
If some will complain, they're just bitter, what a shame
They know that loving and losing is better than nothing at all
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
And everything else was part of our path
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the anthem, the slogan, the summary of events
And we all just idealize the past
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
(Instrumental Solos)
Yeah, the times we had, they were not that bad
And everything else, it was part of the plan
And we sang, "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the Alpha (Alpha!), Omega (Omega!), beginning and the end!
And we all just idolize the dead
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
And someday soon my friends, this ride will come to an end
But we can't just get in line again."

Here's the usual background:
Since I was 14 years old I've had a New Year's tradition of picking a song to represent the coming year. Sometimes it is a pessimistic song...sometimes it is an optimistic song. Sometimes I am not even sure why I pick the song...but they almost always end up...one year later...to have been an excellent representation of the previous year. 

The song is supposed to be the first song that I hear in the New Year (and the previous year's song is supposed to be the last song that I hear in the previous year). Of course, logistically this is not always possible, but usually it is.

Why do I do this? Who knows! But no sense in ruining a perfectly good tradition...

1985 Kids from Fame I Still Believe in Me 
1986 Go West Don't Look Down 
1987 Outfield Taking My Chances 
1988 Police King of Pain 
1989 U2 Where the Streets Have No Name 
1990 Erasure Hideaway 
1991 Aztec Camera Stray 
1992 Erasure Home 
1993 Kirt Kempter Standing on this Bridge 
1994 John Wesley Harding End of Something 
1995 Poi Dog Pondering Postcard from a Dream 
1996 Indigo Girls Watershed 
1997 Poi Dog Pondering Complicated 
1998 Michelle Shocked The Hard Way 
1999 Ani DiFranco Fuel 
2000 The Nields Giving it Back to Susan 
2001 Barenaked Ladies Falling for the First Time 
2002 The Nields This Town is Wrong 
2003 Fleetwood Mac Landslide 
2004 Barenaked Ladies Go Home 
2005 Barenaked Ladies For You 
2006 
2007 The Motor Primitives Favorite Dream 
2008 
2009 Barenaked Ladies Testing 1, 2, 3 
2010 Barenaked Ladies Maybe You're Right 
2011 The Breeders One Divine Hammer 
2012 Anna Vogelzang Heart Beat Faster
2013 The Breeders Huffer
2014 Streetlight Manifesto Somewhere in the Between