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My Gen X Playlist: Somewhere Only We Know – Keane

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I was driving back from downtown Los Angeles. It’s a one hour drive without traffic. It can be close to two with. I hadn’t used the CD player in years (yes, my car is older). Turns out I had three CDs in my disc changer. I pressed play.

The first to come on was the Beastie Boys – too loud after a long day working. Plus I didn’t want to be influenced into road rage sitting in gridlock on the 5 freeway.

Second was a Japanese pop band that I picked up while living in Japan for a year. I wasn’t in the mood for that one either. I don’t speak the language and wanted something to sing along to.

Last chance. One left.

Thank the Lord. The Cure. One of my favorite Cure songs is A Letter to Elise. I listened to that on loop all the way home. If I wasn’t in the mood for nostalgia then, I certainly was at the sound of the first verse. Funny how something so simple can make your day. I didn’t even mind the two hour drive home. I can never get tired of that one or the feelings it evokes.

A Letter to Elise already made playlist long ago. I’m trying to avoid duplicates, but I’m finding it’s getting difficult to do so. The other day I mistakenly added Zombie by the Cranberries a second time. Too soon for another dupe, so I searched for another song for the playlist.

I asked AI for songs about nostalgia and found a good one I hadn’t heard in a while. Keane released Somewhere Only We Know in 2003.

“Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane is a song about nostalgia, longing, and the search for a place of comfort and belonging. It explores the desire to escape current circumstances and find a familiar place, whether geographical or emotional, where one can feel at peace and find solace. The lyrics convey a sense of looking back at a simpler time and yearning for a connection.

AI

I’m not sure how or where I heard this song before. I did the math. In 2003 I was 35 and in the throes of my career. I worked ungodly intense hours and recall listening to music less and less. But the tone and sadness of the song would have fit back then. Me, knee deep in adulting and wishing for my carefree twenties back. Yeah, a simpler time, indeed.

Funny, how there are different shades of nostalgia. A Letter to Elise makes me feel warm and good. The trigger not found in the lyrics, but rather the melody that transports me to the feeling of being in my twenties again.

Somewhere Only We Know, on the other hand is a mood song. The tone drips of longing and sadness. Can there be nostalgia in that, too? One would think the two would be divergents, instead of walking hand in hand. But whoever said feelings have to make sense. They rarely do. I think there is a time and place for different shades, different moods. And yes, sometimes there is a tinge of comfort in the most unexpected feelings. Who knows. Maybe one day while stuck in traffic after a long, hard day, this song will appear on the radio at just the right moment, interrupting just the right thought, latching me to that certain kind of nostalgia. Who knows. Maybe. Could happen.

Three, four

I walked across
An empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand

I felt the earth
Beneath my feet
Sat by the river, and it made me complete

Oh, simple thing
Where have you gone?
I'm getting old, and I need something to rely on

So tell me when
You're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin

I came across
A fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me

Is this the place
We used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh, simple thing
Where have you gone?
I'm getting old, and I need something to rely on

So tell me when
You're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything

So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know

Oh, simple thing
Where have you gone?
I'm getting old, and I need something to rely on

So tell me when
You're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything

So why don't we go?
So why don't we go?

Ah
Oh

This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go

Somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know
Somewhere only we know

18 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Somewhere Only We Know – Keane”

  1. I have to admit, I am drawn to sad, nostalgic songs. So, I prefer “Somewhere Only We Know.” But, I can see how the tone of “A Letter to Elise” is brighter and happier. I also love The Cure’s sound.

    Wow, a two-hour commute? I would definitely need good music to endure that!

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  3. I’m beating this one to death with everyone I know this week, and I don’t know if you’re a reader or not, but if you haven’t read “The Dead” by James Joyce I recommend it. Doesn’t seem to relate, does it? A simple story about simple people written in 1914? Well, I would say it relates one hundred percent for all of us. Especially when you talk about life, and nostalgia, and what it’s all for. Check it out if you want, you’ll be the better for it.

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  6. Wow, CDs! My car had one (a 2011 Subaru Outback with 135,000 miles and still going strong), but I can’t remember the last time I played one. I went through the painful process of adding all my CDs to my Mac. That’s a horrible commute, but I guess it could be worse.

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    1. Haha! Yes, a CD player, I know. I recently bought a discman because I retrieved my CDs from storage. Which makes no sense, because I also listen to Spotify and that seems to be easier and more efficient. Sadly, I’m going to retire my old car. The past five years I’ve worked from home so it lasted longer than I normally drive one. In fact, it still runs fine today, but it’s time.

      Subaru Outbacks are great cars. You still have a lot of mileage to go.

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      1. You mentioned a Discman, so I had to Google it. I can’t believe they’re still selling those, but it’s a good thing for those of us who still have CDs around. Yes, the plan is to give my Outback to my son once he gets his license so he can keep putting miles on it. I’ll probably get another Subaru because they’re absolutely excellent cars.

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      2. A few friends have Subarus and love them. I was reading Subaru just came out with a hybrid Forrester. I might have to check it out.

        And yes, I was surprised about the disc man, too!

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  7. my car (2010) has a CD player, and i have a leather case filled with CDs stashed under the seat, but have not recently played any CDs. i need to go look what i have and maybe see if the player still works. if i had a 1 hour commute, i’d def know if it was still working. 😉 … i know for sure i have at least one Cure cd in my car, and am 99.9% sure i also have Prince and Counting Crows. … speaking of which, i could def listen to sullivan street for an hour on replay.

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    1. Oh man… Sullivan street is so good. I’m the same. I can listen to that one every n replay, too.

      Speaking of the counting crows… A few years ago I discovered August and Everything After. Although it was the title of their first album. The actual song never made the cut. They released it a few years ago on YouTube and were accompanied by an orchestra. If you like Sullivan street, you’ll like this one, too.

      Glad I’m not the only one with a cd player in my car…

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