Title: “A Place Called Home (The Leaving Song)”
By: Riot! In The Boulevard
From: Crossroads (2012)
Release Date: February 17, 2013
Length: 4:38
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: October 2012, Avatar Studios, New York, NY
Genre: Pop-Punk, Alternative Rock, Rock
Label: North Hill Records
Written: August 2012
Writer(s): Amy Meyer
Producer(s): Riot! In The Boulevard, Isaac Lovelock
“A Place Called Home (The Leaving Song)” is a song by American rock band ‘Riot! In The Boulevard’ and it is the tenth official single to be released in their short but productive careers so far. It is also the third single released from their most recent commercially successful third studio album ‘Crossroads’ (2012) and it follows hot on the heels of their previous singles ‘Somewhere On The Horizon’ and ‘How Did We Get Here?’ both of which were number #1 singles this marked the first time that the band have achieved consecutive number one singles since their widely successful breakthrough year in 2011 and it also marks one of the bands most productive periods in music ever since their 2011 breakthrough year, all of this culminated in the young rock band recently winning ‘Best Rock/Metal Act’ and ‘Best Band’ at the most recent ‘Chaos Awards’ this was then mirrored as they performed a three song acoustic set in front of a worldwide audience.
As is often the case with Riot! In The Boulevard, the track was composed initially by Amy Meyer and then taken to the rest of the band to collaborate and moderate the music for the track however the lyrics were written solely by Amy Meyer and invoke her own state of mind at the time of writing the song, which was a worry about growing up as she recently stated in a Rolling Stone cover story,
“I may only be nineteen years old but recently I had been worrying about the prospect of growing older. I know it’s sort of insane but it’s something that troubled me, my friends are all growing older already and I feel like I’ve just remained still for these last three years and that’s partly down to the fact that if I was given the choice then I would choose to not grow up just yet. This is essentially what I wanted to put across in the song ‘A Place Called Home’, it’s about familiarity and looking at where you thought you’d be and wondering how you feel about where you actually are.
I think the final lyrics of that song are perhaps some of my favourites because it gives you everything that I was thinking about at the time when I wrote, ‘It’s now so plain to see/Those sweet little fantasies no longer run away with me/While all the non-believers are just the same/And those long distance conversations still remain.’ It gives you the biggest glimpse into my own psyche and if you read into those lyrics correctly then I couldn’t be happier because those are just about the most important lyrics that I’ve written in my life.”When recently asked about why the band had chosen this particular track as their new single, lead guitarist ‘Justin Mullen’ said
“I don’t exactly know how the fans feel about the track but as a band it’s a track that was really important while working on our last record. When you settle into a studio to begin work on a new album you’ll find that you’re met with the question of what the theme of the album is gonna be and how’s it gonna differ from the last one? And this is the song that answered most questions that we had about that. It’s a track that basically lets the audience know exactly where we are in our life, in our state of minds at that time. We we’re very much trying to figure out how to grow up but we also didn’t want to leave behind that youthful enthusiasm, at least not yet anyway. And when this song was fully formed, it was clear to all of us that this is a turning point for the band.
The reason for choosing it as a single, is maybe so that those who don’t buy the records and those who only pay attention to the single will be able to get a glimpse of a song a little more personal than previous songs. This is how we play as a band and this is what we currently think about as young adults and it’s important for us to give the song a platform, whether it reaches 25 more people than before or whether it reaches half a million more people, it was just really about giving the song a platform.”Following a day of promotional activity from the band that included a teaser and a Culture Uncut article as well as the video of their ‘Chaos Awards’ performance being posted on their official video page it as well as the track prominently making its way into the bands setlist on their current ‘Crossroads World Tour’ earlier in the week, it has been confirmed that the new single, ‘A Place Called Home’ will be officially released as a CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single and will also be made available for the Weekly Airplay on February 17, 2013 and it will be released worldwide through North Hill Records.
BACKGROUND‘A Place Called Home (The Leaving Song)’ was one of the first songs written for Riot! In The Boulevard’s third studio album ‘Crossroads’ it gave an early indication of the direction in which their latest album was likely to move in, as each member of the band are coming towards the end of the their teenage years, they will all arrive at the age of twenty next year with the exception of rhythm guitarist Adam Benjamin, and this early track indicates feelings and emotions of growing older and the temptation of leaving the life that they’ve all known once and for all.
The song’s lyrics were written by Amy Meyer during her stay at a hotel in Greenwich Village, New York in early August just a couple of days before the band were due to re-convene at a nearby recording studio, she had been emailed a soft melodic guitar track by Justin Mullen who had encouraged her to listen to it and attempt to put some words to the music, according to Amy,
“I listened to that MP3 over and over again in an attempt to get something out of it but the words just wouldn’t come to me for whatever reason and it was a phone call from my mother a little later in the evening that was the catalyst for the song.
It wasn’t anything deep and moving but just my mom, talking about what had been happening in the past month back at home and it just hit me. My hometown is exactly that, it’s completely what it is meant to be, it’s familiar and safe and warm and there’s times when all I want to do is leave the place and then there’s other times when it couldn’t feel more beautiful because it’s filled with good memories and love and comfort and the song quickly wrote itself after that.”An opening electric guitar riff filled with a tender melody introduces the song in a soft and wistful manner as the drum, bass and rhythm section of the band accentuate the introductory guitar playing and provide a strong backing for the main instrument throughout the song, it provides an emotional backdrop but with a slight powerful element provided by Justin’s guitar playing and as Amy bellows out the opening lines to the song in that familiar vocal,
“Staring down the barrel of familiarity/My hometown hasn’t changed at all throughout the years/It’s just the same reminder of who I will always be/I always thought I’d leave this place, spread my wings and learn to fly/I always thought I’d find the courage/But these days I just can’t seem to find a reason why.” it’s clear that this is a quintessential Riot! In The Boulevard track, even from just the opening verse it has the stamp of the young rock group.
The music progresses steadily throughout at is it reaches the pre-chorus and chorus, the electric guitar providing the strong energy to the song now accompanied by the powerful drum beats provided by Nathan Mullen, the rhythm and bass elements are slightly noticeable too as they continue to provide the backing to the leading guitar riff and Amy once again opens her lungs and thunders out the lyrics with her trademark energetic nature,
“I’m leaving town/Packing my bags and heading out/I don’t know when I’ll return/But I promise that I will someday/If I don’t do this now, I’ll never do it anyway.” and her vocals slow down and become more tender as she sings,
“But I stop myself/Maybe I’m too afraid/I’m just not destined to leave/Perhaps this is my hometown for a reason/And it’s safe and it’s familiar/Maybe I’m just not destined to roam/I’ll stick to this place/This place that I call home.”And as the song comes towards its closing stages the music all but fades during the final verse to the point where Amy is almost singing acapella, it’s a slow and moving vocal during the final verse that includes a poignant nod backwards to the direction of their debut album as Amy name checks their first three singles, the tracks that got them to where they are today, sang beautifully like as if it’s an ode to the person that she can’t fully remember anymore as she sings,
“But it’s now so plain to see/Those sweet little fantasies no longer run away with me/While all the non-believers are just the same/And those long distance conversations still remain.”LYRICS“Staring down the barrel of familiarity
My hometown hasn’t changed at all throughout the years
It’s just the same reminder of who I will always be
I always thought I’d leave this place, spread my wings and learn to fly
I always thought I’d find the courage
But these days I just can’t seem to find a reason why
All those familiar things are comfortable and safe
It’s a part of life that I’ve always known
And although I always say that I’m gonna leave someday
That familiarity stops me from going
I sleep in the same room that I did as a child
I sleep in the same bed that I had as a teenager
I stare at the walls that have surrounded me for many years
And I realize that I’m comfortable
I know that I’ll never leave
No matter how many times I dream
They’ll never really become reality
I’m leaving town
Packing my bags and heading out
I don’t know when I’ll return
But I promise that I will someday
If I don’t do this now
I’ll never do it anyway
But I stop myself
Maybe I’m too afraid
I’m just not destined to leave
Perhaps this is my hometown for a reason
And it’s safe and familiar
Maybe I’m just not destined to roam
I’ll stick to this place
This place that I call home
I’ll sit in my room with a notebook and pen
I’ll write down my dreams and let them fade away again
My friends will be out there, exploring the great wide open
I’ll never truly give up my dreams
I’ll never stop hoping
But it’s now so plain to see
Those sweet little fantasies no longer run away with me
While all the non-believers are just the same
And those long distance conversations still remain”PERSONNELAmy Meyer – lead vocals, lyrics, composition, production
Justin Mullen – lead guitar, backing vocals, production
Jason Greenberg – bass guitar, production
Nathan Mullen – drums, production
Adam Benjamin – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, production
Isaac Lovelock – production, mixing
