Flobots

Today was my first real day home in over a week. I spent the day running a bunch of errands, driving my car from place to place, listening to the radio along the way. On the return leg to my house, one of my favorite songs from 2008 came on: Flobots Handlebars

I’ve included the music video here:

I was a huge fan of the song when it first came out, first enjoying the similarity between the vocals in Nada Surf’s Popular, and later for the mix of instrumentals. When I purchased the album, I really started to listen to the lyrics, ultimately loving the song for them. Most people (including me) initially focus on the “ride my bike with no handlebars” chorus and enjoy humor within the song. A deeper look reveals a song with so much more. It’s one of the reasons I included the music video in this post. The song is (at least in the way I see it) about the one-up-nature that we tend to do as people. We lose sight, focusing on our ability to be better than doing what is right. We fail to celebrate those around us as we acquire more things. Of course this isn’t everyone. We, like the characters in the music video, have a choice as to which path we are going to take.

Yes, you can ride your bike with no handlebars, but which path will you walk?

(I truly would recommend the whole FIGHT WITH TOOLS album by the FLOBOTS. After hearing Handlebars on the radio, I tossed it on again and have been enjoying it for the rest of the day)