LogFAQs > #954289368

211. Arcade Fire Wake Up (2004)
from the album Funeral

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJRPPUr1yic

Key lyrics:
Were just a million little gods causing rain storms
Turning every good thing to rust
I guess well just have to adjust

Deciding between Rebellion (Lies) and Wake Up as the better song off Funeral is an impossible task. These songs are two extremes of the same piece, eternally linked together in my mind. Wake Up is the big spiritual cleanser, soon chased by Rebellion (Lies) as the next step forward. But I give Wake Up the slightest edge, as it truly exists on a singular level. Funeral is all about crescendos, and this one hits the highest level. It carries this richly bittersweet feeling, capturing a sense of both loss and wonder in many ways, the same feeling I get from the best Sigur Ros songs.

Yet the dominant feeling I get from Wake Up is hope. The lyrics carry a certain amount of angst, but only to acknowledge past failings as a way of moving on. And like Rebellion (Lies), the last minute shifts focus. It becomes something like gospel, but with a drumbeat forcing a higher energy. The final line is a cathartic shout, the instruments winding to a poignant stop seconds later. Everything about this song feels bigger than life. If Rebellion (Lies) served as a familiar invitation, Wake Up is the payoff that revealed Arcade Fire as a truly unique voice in music.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/