Carbon Leaf Countdown #31: Toy Soldiers
Jan 28
With something for everyone, #31 is sure to bring enjoyment to all sorts of music fans. It’s “Toy Soldiers!”
I really don’t know how anyone couldn’t enjoy “Toy Soldiers.” Sure, “The Friendship Song” may be too innocent for some and “Maybe Today” may be too bold for others. But “Toy Soldiers” is such a strong song that I think it’s hard to resonate in most people. It’s got everything you’d want from a song, especially Carbon Leaf. Pennywhistle? Check. Sing-a-long but unique chorus? Check. Strong Irish Influence? Check. Cool guitar part? Check. Fun lyrics? Check. What more do you want people? Starting it off right, the gentle guitar strum followed by the brash & bold electric guitar part gives the song a dark & mysterious tone. Who doesn’t like some mystery in anything they do? Even The Hangover had you guessing what really happened. Like I said above, the Irish influence here is unmistakable, but it’s also giving a fun twist to have that style being covered in a slightly distorted electric guitar that almost dances wildly over the song. Oh, I have to mention the drums here briefly too. When the guitar picks up, the drum beat is so filling and vast that it must have been perfectly mixed. As the toms are beat on, you just get that sense of urgency that almost gives the song a march-like feeling. Not too shabby for a song about soldiers.
Lyrically, the song is actually a mystery to me. There’s a stanza in there which makes me think the song is about the band giving a 100% go at their career, but the Christmas theme cannot be overlooked here at all. I don’t know. “Today I strike out on my own” has to be one of the strongest lyrics Barry Privett has written for a song and really sets the tone for the song. Hence my thought process for the band going after glory. Who knows though? It’s a little silly to sit here and go through what every song is about. This could be about anything. It doesn’t make the lyrics mean any less though and it really makes some of those lyrics that much more important. Mystery is a great tool; just ask Carly Simon. “Hi-diddely-o, didn’t ya know” we get another Easter egg here as they name drop their second album, the highly underrated Shadows In The Banquet Hall. Just another subtle joy you can gleam from Carbon Leaf.
Song: Toy Soldiers
Album: Echo Echo
Year: 2001
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Jan 31, 2012 @ 22:07:18
I get a rather darker, but no less the interesting for it, take on this tune. “I’ve learned that people come and go. I’ve learned that families break and grow.” [Yet another killer CL couplet btw]. It reads as a meditation on a family that is falling apart even as one of its younger (-est?) members is finally ready to leave the nest. The wrenching losses of the past only balanced by a grim determination to face the future (“Toy soldiers hold for better years.”)