Here at EMPT, we talk about a lot of things in our posts. In an effort to relate to you, the reader, I often find myself discussing dance and happy vibes, sometimes delving into the artist’s background if it is worth mentioning. Here’s the reality: while listening to certain tracks after experiencing a mass amount of stress or anger, I find myself reacting so genuinely happy that I cannot possibly put it into words. It’s a matter of honesty, when I say that this track has done exactly that. After what felt like the worst day of the summer, stressful for stupid reasons and stupid for stressful reasons, I came across this track. I was in the wrong place of course, at work, because I was forced to contain my excitement. Although anyone who walked by me saw the goofiest and dumbest grin on my face, which probably left them confused because merely minutes before, I had been sulking with my brows furrowed. I waited until 4:30. As I walked out the door, I pressed play on my iPod and prepared to embark on a dance journey down Broadway towards Houston (less crowded on Houston, more room to dance) only to receive a phone call that totally halted my plans and forced me to continue in sulky stress all the way home.
It was only when I finally made it home two hours later (after the gym where I couldn’t properly enjoy the song because let’s face it — gym dancing doesn’t feel the same when everyone around you is working on their buff index), that I greeted the silence and emptiness of my apartment with an iPod in speakers and the play button begging to be pressed on this song.
I danced like I’d never danced before. Mind was completely disconnected, as if I was in a yoga class focusing only on my inhales and my exhales, except in this case, it was my legs and my arms. My thoughts centered around how I could extend further, kick higher, sway longer, and reach up to the sky. The grin stayed planted on my face, and I danced in the christmas lit euphoria of my apartment alone, secretly hoping but not really caring that I wouldn’t wake up a potentially sleeping baby next door. I grabbed an imaginary dance partner and let him sway my hips while I rocked a hard knuckle pounding guitar based fist dance, inspired by the title of the track of course.
The best part of this song is every part. But if you want to know where I lost my cool, it was at the spot where the guitars start to crescendo and climb up a repetition of arpeggios that taper off at multiple drops. And guess what? I’m listening to it right now and I’m almost nervous that I’m going to lose it all over again because I’ve been so taken by this song for the past twenty four hours. There’s something about the spacey vocals combined with the extreme attention to detail, the overlapping guitars that remind us of Prince and the even spacier computer created sounds that enter every once in a while, like a space ship taking off. Not from Earth, but maybe from Mars. Headed to Venus. Maybe that’s why I feel like I’m on a totally different planet right now.
The biggest coincidence about this track is it’s content, lyrically. We associate white knuckles with clenched fists, or holding onto something for maybe just a little bit too long. It’s all too comical that I discovered this song while all I wanted to do was clench my fists and pound a wall. But the chorus is hilariously relevant as well.
White knuckles
Maybe it’s not so bad
So let your hair down now.”
OK GO – White Knuckles (Static Revenger Club Remix)