Song: "Pop Song For Us Rejects"
Artist: Silverchair
Album: "Sounds Like Teen Screaming"
Year: 1996
"Pop Song For Us Rejects" appears to be a song about dealing with someone in your life who is dealing with addiction. It appears that in order for the vocalist to move on in his own life and achieve the goals that he wishes to achieve, he must first sever ties with the addicted person who has been nothing more than an anchor to him. You get the sense he still feels for the person, as in the second verse when it seems that he is happy that the person is starting to do better, yet he still can't get too close. The roller coaster ride of addiction is too much, even for those who are close to the person who is trying to fight his demons. This version of the song was taken from a bootleg that was put out there back in 1996. The song was recorded live in Amsterdam on March 5, 1996. "Pop Song For Us Rejects" would see an official release almost a year later on 1997's "Freak Show". Silverchair formed as a band back in 1992. The three Australian schoolmates, guitarist/vocalist Daniel Johns, bassist Chris Joannou, and drummer Ben Gillies would win a national competition with their song "Tomorrow". "Tomorrow" would be the song that garnered interest in the band and would get them their very first recording deal. In 1995, at the tender age of 15, Silverchair released their debut album, "Frogstomp". Early on, they were lumped in with the grunge movement and like many bands that came out after the Seattle giants, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains, Silverchair would have to live with the constant comparisons and especially the hard aspect of trying to be just as great as those bands, very hard for any band, let alone a group of teenagers to go through. While "Freak Show" saw the band stay in that post-grunge/alternative rock phase, it was their third album, 1999's "Neon Ballroom" that saw Silverchair evolve a bit with their sound. While still having heavy elements, the band began exploring the use of keyboards and orchestration, giving them a more grown up sound. By the time of Silverchair's next recording, 2002's "Diorama", experimentation was in full force. Some saw this album as extreme growth for the band while it left a lot of the early fans of the band feeling somewhat alienated. Silverchair took a bit of a hiatus during the years between 2003 to 2005 where the members all worked on side projects. The band got back together in 2005 for a fund raising concert called Wave Aid which benefitted those affected by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. It was during this show that the band felt the undeniable chemistry that made them a band in the very first place. Eventually, in 2007, Silverchair released their fifth studio album, "Young Modern" which contains, what I feel, is one of their best songs to date, "Straight Lines". If you were looking for a "Tomorrow" or a "Freak" on this album, you definitely came to the wrong place. The band was still very much in experimental mode on this album. While the band's popularity in the United States probably reached it's height after the band's first three albums, their success never waned in their native Australia, where they have been one of the most successful bands in that country. Where in the U.S., they are somewhat of an afterthought, in Australia, all five of their albums have peaked at number one on Australian rock charts. In 2009, the band began to work on what would be their sixth album. After two years of off and on work, the band decided to go on what they would label an "indefinite hibernation". Currently, the band members of Silverchair are all working on solo projects and it appears that they may only get together to perform at benefit shows and stuff like that. After twenty years together, the book may be officially closing on Silverchair.
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