Album: Louder Now (2006)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lead singer Adam Lazzara mentioned on his Formspring account (one of many social networks of the 2000s that didn't survive) that this was his favorite song from past albums that he had written. It is speculated that the song is about his former alcohol/drug abuse that got particularly bad while he was staying in Miami. The lyrics, "You have to, you just have to trust me, who ever I was then I could never be again" refer to how he has since recovered and changed as a person.
  • Taking Back Sunday were trying to shed their emo image by making a sprawling rock album for their major-label debut. As a result, Louder Now (2006) fearlessly goes against the grain of what was popular on mid-2000s emo records, with "Miami" going for a new wave '80s production inspired by The Cure. Fred Mascherino, whose shredding guitar solo defines the track, told The Aquarian in 2006:

    "The song 'Miami' was totally produced differently than anything in our genre. We put the drums in the smallest room in the studio and that gave it an '80s, tight sound, not a 'big room' sound. For the guitars on the choruses, we wanted it to sound as much like The Cure as possible, so it's all clean guitars."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

Movie Stars In Music Videos

Movie Stars In Music VideosSong Writing

Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis and John Malkovich are just a few of the film stars who have moonlighted in music videos.

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.