The Progressive Song List: Calling All Angels by Train

One day, using that wonderful high speed Internet at college, I started watching music videos on YouTube and Aol Music. Having been used to a 56k modem, the concept of being able to watch music videos without a half an hour wait of download time was exciting. I immediately looked up a long-time favorite and saw the music video for the first time.

[I'm trying to post a link to the video but it doesn't seem to be working yet. Sorry for technical difficulties]

In case you’re not familiar with the song, it’s called Calling All Angels and it’s done by a band called Train. You’ve probably heard it on the radio repeated any number of times. In the song, the singer pleads that an angel come down to help with the worlds problems.

I had high expectations that weren’t met by the music video. The animation used in the video was too cheesy, and I had been hoping for something a little less cartoonish, but it redeemed itself with some impressive images. The eagle, and the transition from bleak browns and grays to bright, sunshiny colors seems to fit perfectly.

What I think the song means to point out is that we can’t hope for some unseen entity to solve our problems for us. Technically, we got ourselves into this mess, and we need to find the strength to find the solutions to those many problems. Instead of the magic solution, we need to work at what we want.

And there’s something else worth mentioning. In the lyrics, you’ll see a verse that’s in bold. That’s my favorite, most progressive section of the song. The last line is especially good. We live in a world where “what we want is only what we want until it’s ours”. Think it over, because it’s almost a confusing tongue-twister of a phrase. I translate it to this: We are blind to the good things we already have. Any number of times, someone will say they’ve taken advantage of something all their life, whether it be the availability of food or a loving relative. We always think ahead to what we still want: No more racism, better schooling, an improved economy. Yet, if you think about it, we’d hardly know how lucky we were if we already had those things. Of course, you can’t always worry about the here and now. Living in the present is about as productive as untying your shoes while running a marathon. Still, it’s an interesting thing to consider.

Below are the lyrics to the song, as well as a link to the music video. Make your own observations on it and see if you come up with anything different.

Lyrics:
I need a sign to let me know you're here
All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere
I need to know that things are gonna look up
'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup

When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head
When you feel the world shake from the words that are said

[Chorus:]
And I'm calling all angels
I'm calling all you angels

I won't give up if you don't give up [Repeat x4]

I need a sign to let me know you're here
'Cause my TV set just keeps it all from being clear
I want a reason for the way things have to be
I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me

[Chorus]

When children have to play inside so they don't disappear
While private eyes solve marriage lies cause we don't talk for years
And football teams are kissing Queens
and losing sight of having dreams
In a world that what we want is only what we want until it's ours

[Chorus x2]

Calling all you angels [Repeat till fade]

As always, comments and ratings are very much appreciated by my fellow bloggers.