City Middle

Album: Alligator (2005)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The National's vocalist Matthew Berninger pulls a lot of his lyrics from literature. This song includes an allusion to Tennessee Williams's play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, where the main character named Brick states he has to drink until he feels "the click", and that once he does he feels peaceful.

    I think I'm like Tennessee Williams, I wait for the click; I wait, but it doesn't kick in.

    Unlike Brick, Berninger keeps drinking, but the click "doesn't kick in."
  • Berninger admitted to Artist Direct that his source was the 1958 movie version (featuring Paul Newman as Brick) rather than the original play. "I haven't read that much Tennessee Williams, but I do know enough," he said. "I know more about Paul Newman than I know about Tennessee Williams, let's put it that way, so that line from that song just stuck with me because of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and it is probably because of Paul Newman more."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Petula Clark

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.

80s Music Quiz 1

80s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

MTV, a popular TV theme song and Madonna all show up in this '80s music quiz.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Jonathan Cain of Journey

Jonathan Cain of JourneySongwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."