Music Review: Fun. "Some Nights"
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Fun.
Some Nights
Album: Some Nights
Year: 2012
Nate Ruess has an identity crisis while away from home in the menial “Some Nights.”
Ruess’ showy vocals are acapella, setting a grandiose tone. In the chorus, he taps his fingers on the steering wheel, heading towards the traffic light As light switches to red, he slows down. A polite ding gets his attention and his engine light turns neon green. After a minute, he puts his foot on the the gas, hoping to make it the next three miles until he gets back home. He sighs, wondering how he’s going to pay for the latest repair. The day before was ok. On his job interview, the account executive and him seemed to really get along. He was relaxed and it seemed more like a great conversation. However, he was so excited he forgot to write a thank you note. Usually, he rambles, the words slithering around on the floor as the people jump to get away from them. Mostly, he’s quiet and conversations end up half-finished. (“ Some nights I stay up cashing in my bad luck/Some nights I call it a draw/Some nights I wish that my lips could build a castle/Some nights I wish they'd just fall off.”)
He continues to say that every morning he sees his ex-girlfriend’s shadowy image opening up the window. He questions his choice of leaving again. Is he a career-oriented person or a future family man? Each night he has a different answer. (“But I still wake up, I still see your ghost/Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for oh/What do I stand for? What do I stand for?/Most nights, I don't know anymore.”)
The job, although promising, is not what he wants to do. Wandering around, breaking free of the suburban responsibilities of 9-5 office jobs and a loving spouse with 2.5 children was his goal. He didn’t ever think it would make him happy. He makes it a point to be a bit theatrical in his gestures, playing up his mannerisms. Though, with every turn, people look him up down and walk away. Before long, he’s right back searching for something sensible. He sent in another resume and then found the closest bar. There, he found a generic blonde wearing a black cocktail dress and pointy, matching heels and brought her home. As they had sex, he forgot that he had become the child his parents mail some of their check to and the ex who made got too big for his britches. However, it’s only temporary. Things will work out. It’s not who he actually is. (“This is it, boys, this is war - what are we waiting for?/Why don't we break the rules already?/I was never one to believe the hype - save that for the black and white/Try twice as hard and I'm half as liked, but here they come again to jack my style/And that's alright; I found a martyr in my bed tonight/She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am/Oh, who am I? Oh, who am I?”)
In the second chorus, he maps out his way home, planning what to say everyone when he returns. At the bars, he talks to people but hasn’t befriended anyone. He checks his cell phone, wondering if his ex is thinking of him. However, one good night of possibility, gives him hope. (“Well, some nights, I wish that this all would end/Cause I could use some friends for a change/And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again/Some nights, I always win, I always win/But I still wake up, I still see your ghost…most nights, I don't know.”)
In the spoken bridge, he quit his job on the spot and stopped speaking to some friends he had since grade school to achieve his so-called dream. He wants to run home to his parents and give them a long hug. It doesn’t seem worth losing everything over anymore. The constellations don’t have a shape and he needs something to keep his spirits up. (“So this is it? I sold my soul for this?/Washed my hands of that for this?/I miss my mom and dad for this?/When I see stars, when I see, when I see stars, that's all they are/When I hear songs, they sound like this one, so come on/Oh, come on, Oh, come on, oh come on!”)
He pictures his future if goes back. It’s 6 pm. His kids are running to him, jabbering about their day and pulling him to the fort they made. His wife is making a quick dinner of macaroni and cheese, asking him over the din if he could let the dog inside. He realizes it’s an unpopular opinion and may seem to be a selfish decision. He had to live his life. He doesn’t want to turn out like his sister, living hand to mouth in her tiny apartment, relying on mom for babysitting her son. His nephew is a joy to be around, though. His sister sends of pictures of him all the time on his phone. (“Well, this is it guys, Daddy's home - five minutes in and I'm bored again/Ten years of this, I'm not sure if anybody understands/This one is not for the folks at home, Sorry to leave, mom, I had to go/Who the fuck wants to die alone all dried up in the desert sun?/My heart is breaking for my sister and the con that she call "love"/But when I look into my nephew's eyes/Man, you wouldn't believe the most amazing things that can come from/Some terrible nights.”)
In the final section, his ex girlfriend accompanied him to a weekly party in someone’s garage. After opening his eyes, he dialed her number but hung up once it started dialing. She probably doesn’t want to talk to him ever again. (“The other night, you wouldn't believe the dream I just had about you and me/I called you up, but we'd both agree/It's for the best you didn't listen/It's for the best we get our distance./It's for the best you didn't listen/It's for the best we get our distance.”)
Ruess’ stylized, overplayed vocals impersonate Freddie Mercury with silly faces and exaggerated line readings. However, he doesn’t have the confidence to be his own person. He helped co-write Kesha’s “Die Young” and had a hit single with Pink (“Just Give Me A Reason”). The talent exists, it’s not being utilized.
In the staged “Some Nights,” the dinner theatre showing of “Tribute to Queen” has a budget-tight production, sparking a few pyrotechnics (blink and you’ll miss ‘em) and featuring vapid leading man.