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Arkells - Fake Money

Arkells - Fake Money Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: High Noon
Released: 2014

Fake Money Lyrics

Fake Money Song Chart

The first track on Arkells third album, High Noon, is reminiscent of the song "Deadlines" that begins their critically acclaimed and commercially successful 2008 debut album, Jackson Square. In our interview with Arkells lead singer and guitarist, Max Kerman , he called "Fake Money" a "Deadlines: Part 2" because of their similar themes.

The band wanted to come out swinging with this tune on High Noon and showcase that at their core they are still a five-piece rock and roll band. "Fake Money" is Arkells first "protest song" and meant to be a fist-pumper.

The song is about people in the position of power such as business men and investment bankers who control money. They can sometimes act recklessly with other people’s money treating it like a fun game. They can behave like children with money causing disastrous outcomes rather than responsibly handling it. The opening verse of the song displays this meaning well:

Oh, you're just a boy
A little banker boy
Everything's a game
Now everyone's your toy

The title of the album was partly inspired by the 1952 western film High Noon starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly because of the cinematic theme of the album. The title was taken from a lyric in "Fake Money" when Kerman sings, "You're some cowboy at high noon."

In our interview with Kerman, he explained the meaning behind the title of the record, "I think at high noon there is a moment of complication and there should be some clarity after the fact. A lot of these songs are trying to provide that clarity."

Arkells - Come to Light

Arkells - Come to Light Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: High Noon
Released: 2014

Come to Light Lyrics

Ooh for a second there
I felt peace and calm
The underpass
Would keep us from harm
And the wipers moved
Like some waving arms
We were flashing headlights
At coming cars

But up in the distance
Even in the dead of night
If we can make it to the morning
We can get things right
It's been a tough go lately
I hate choosing sides
What we do in the darkness
Will Come to Light, alright

Ooh and in times of fear
You shelter me
And you hold me close
So tenderly
And with my headphones on
As I fall asleep
You're my barricade
From intruding dreams

But up in the distance
Even in the dead of night
If we can make it to the mornin'
We can get things right
It's been a tough go lately
I hate choosing sides
What we do in the darkness
Will come to light, alright

Will come to light, alright
Will come to light, alright

Ooh and then silence fell
When I picked up
Those words hit me hard
Like a one two punch
So I went home
To face the storm
And the thought of you
Keeps me warm

But up in the distance
Even in the dead of night
If we can make it to the morning
We can get things right
It's been a tough go lately
I hate choosing sides
What we do in the darkness (yeah)
What we do in the darkness
Comes to light

When every thing went wrong
You're keeping my head on
And in time
The things that hurt today
Will begin to fade away

Writer/s: TIM OXFORD, NICK DIKA, MAX KERMAN, MIKE DEANGELIS
Publisher: WORDS & MUSIC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Come to Light Song Chart

The first official single from Arkells third album High Noon is an Americana, driving type of song inspired by lead singer Max Kerman's love for sports.

Kerman reads a lot of sports journalism and loves the storylines that happen in sports culture. Arkells songs are often inspired by these stories - you can hear examples in "Kiss Cam" and "Agent Zero" from their 2011 sophomore album, Michigan Left.

"Come to Light" is another example. A line in the chorus, "What we do in the darkness, will come to light" borrows from a quotation from the mid-twentieth century African-American baseball player, Buck O'Neil. Kerman was reading a biography about O'Neil called The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's Life by Joe Posnanski. Kerman was moved by O'Neil's story about living in a time with segregation and having no luck going for him. Despite his struggles, O'Neil always had a positive attitude and treated people with compassion and respect.

Kerman explained in our interview the meaning of the song. "The general idea is just keeping your s--t together when you're going through a tough time," he said. "I was using the metaphor of being in the dark and just making it to the next day so you can sort everything out."

Arkells - Cynical Bastards

Arkells - Cynical Bastards Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: High Noon
Released: 2014

Cynical Bastards Lyrics

Cynical Bastards Song Chart

Arkells love for Hamilton, Ontario is a well-known fact as the band often makes references to the city in their music. Arkells formed in Hamilton in 2006 when they met while attending university and took their name from the street where they held their band practices. Arkells debut album in 2008, Jackson Square, was named after a decaying shopping mall that is located in the heart of downtown Hamilton. On Arkells third album High Noon, they have not forgotten about the place, as they mention it on the third track "Cynical Bastards" when frontman Max Kerman sings, "Jackson Square dropouts avoid the police."

Max Kerman explained in our interview that "Cynical Bastards" takes on the people who disparage Hamilton (many times without having lived there), often referring to it as the "Armpit of Ontario." As Kerman points out, the people who live in great industrial cities are not to blame for the circumstances of those cities. "Cynical Bastards" hearkens back to that old saying, "If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say it at all."

Kerman adds that the song salutes everyone who is working hard in Hamilton to make it better, "Who are pouring love into the city to make it a great place for me to live, which I'm extremely appreciative."

Arkells - Leather Jacket

Arkells - Leather Jacket Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: High Noon
Released: 2014

Leather Jacket Lyrics

Leather Jacket Song Chart

"Leather Jacket" was the most difficult song for Arkells to write for their third album, High Noon. Lead singer and guitarist, Max Kerman , explained in our interview that the band knew they had something there, but the song was just not clicking. It finally came together in the studio when they made a little pivot in the chorus.

"Leather Jacket" was inspired by the song "When No One's Watching" by the lead singer of The Hold Steady, Craig Finn. Max Kerman is a huge fan of the band and thinks that Finn has an incredible way of writing about the nightlife of young people in the city. Kerman wanted a song like that on High Noon, so "Leather Jacket" was his attempt at it.

Explaining the meaning of the tune, he told us: "The idea is that if you have a friend calling you at two in the morning from a payphone, the chances are that s--t isn't going well that day or just in general."

"It's about understanding where people are coming from and just being a supportive person," Kerman added. "I've been in that situation myself, too. I've been there before and I've had friends come bail me out."

Max Kerman revealed to the Huffington Post Canada the television show that inspired a couple of the lyrics in the song. "The 'southern accent' lyric is somewhat unrelated: a few years ago I watched Friday Night Lights while we were on tour, and ended up talking like Coach Taylor with fans after the shows. I don't think anyone really noticed," he said.

Arkells - Systematic

Arkells - Systematic Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: High Noon
Released: 2014

Systematic Lyrics

Systematic Song Chart

The closing track on High Noon was one of the last songs written for the record and ended where the first song, "Fake Money," began. It discusses smart people in power who can make their ideas fit whatever situation that suits them best. The tune explains the need to call those people out when it causes inequality.

The song started out as a '70s groove reminiscent of the Rolling Stones song, "Miss You." Arkells frontman, Max Kerman , asked their keyboardist, Anthony Carone, to write a strings arrangement for the tune. Carone came up with something that sounded a lot like "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai, so "Systematic" ended up being a melding of the '90s soul-pop and the '70s sound of The Rolling Stones.