Hanging Tree

Album: Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by frontman Adam Duritz and guitarist Dan Vickrey, this is the second track from the band's fifth studio album.
  • According to Duritz, the lyrics have a dual meaning: they both chronicle the angst that he felt after losing his grandmother, and they also describe the way that we all drift away from others on an everyday basis to the point where it no longer seems noticeable.
  • Just like several other songs on the same album, like "Sundays" and "Insignificant," the lyrics contain imagery pertaining to the Greek myth of Icarus: "I got a pair of wings for my birthday and I’ll fall down through the sun this evening," is just an example.
  • The discordant sound heard at the very end of the song was made by tossing a harmonica into some piano wires.
  • Duritz once said that he would have much rather have had either this or "When I Dream of Michelangelo" be the lead single off of the album, as they better represent the album thematically, as opposed to "You Can't Count On Me." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alec Thorp - Yorktown Heights, NY, for above 4

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Yacht Rock!

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.

Song Cities

Song CitiesMusic Quiz

Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.

Gavin Rossdale of Bush

Gavin Rossdale of BushSongwriter Interviews

On the "schizoid element" of his lyrics, and a famous line from "Everything Zen."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.