Songful Style | “Here to Forever” by Death Cab for Cutie & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up On the Edge #632

I had intended to have this post written last week but things have really gotten away from me this month. Although we are heading into Christmas weekend and I really wanted to take a short blogging break, I still wanted to share some musical inspiration for our final Songful Style collaboration of the year, which we will be posting on Monday. I also wanted to let you all know that Michelle has returned to our little band of fashion lovers and we are so excited to have her back! So she will be choosing our next song for January which I will share with you on Monday. Until then, enjoy some fun music facts and band history and have the most wonderful holiday weekend! If you are in the United States, stay warm and hopefully we are all able to maintain power and heat throughout this holiday bomb cyclone! If you don’t see a post from me on Monday, it’s likely because the power did go out. Ugh.

About Songful Style

Songful Style is an ageless style challenge series hosted by Suzy of The Grey Brunette, Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Marsha of Marsha in the Middle, and Michelle of Funky Fashion Style. 

Each month we will share a song with the lyrics and video and we invite you to use whatever aspect of the song that inspires you to create an outfit. 

It is similar to Style Imitating Art where we use artwork to inspire our outfit creations. Except Songful Style gives you lyrics, music, video, and album artwork to inspire your fashion creativity. You may even find inspiration in a memory triggered by the selected song. It is all open to your own personal interpretation and just a fun way to discover new music and get a little bit more creative with your wardrobe.

Anyone is welcome to join us on a permanent basis or you can just play along without any obligation to do anything other than feel inspired. We are flexible and fun and just want to find more ways to play dress up because it’s what we enjoy doing! 

We will be posting on the last Monday of each month and will announce our song choice for the following month at the end of each post.

Let’s get to Marsha’s December song choice…Here to Forever by Death Cab for Cutie.

Video Inspiration

The Lyrics

Here to Forever by Death Cab for Cutie

In every movie I watch from the '50s
There's only one thought that swirls
Around my head now
And that's that everyone there on the screen
Yeah, everyone there on the screen
Well, they're all dead now
They're all dead now

And it ain't easy living above
And I can't help but keep falling in love
With bones and ashes
With bones and ashes
And when the color is too bold and bright
I'm daydreaming in black and white
Until it passes
Until it passes

I wanna know the measure
From here to forever
And I wanna feel the pressure
Of God or whatever

Oh, these days it's so hard to relax
You gotta hold a gun to my back
To make me smile
To make me smile
And the only way I seem to cope
Is by trying to hold onto hope
If just for a while
If just for a while

I wanna know the measure
From here to forever
And I wanna feel the pressure
Of God or whatever
Now it seems more than ever
There's no hands on the levers
And I wanna feel the pressure
Of God or whatever

Only rollers keep rolling
While the searchers keep scrolling

I wanna know the measure
From here to forever
And I wanna feel the pressure
Of God or whatever
Now it seems more than ever
There's no hands on the levers
And I wanna feel the pressure
Of God or whatever

Or whatever

About the Artist and the Song

Death Cab for Cutie is an American indie/alternative rock band formed in 1997 in Bellingham, Washington. The current band members are Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer, Jason McGerr, Dave Depper, and Zac Rae.

Ben Gibbard began the band as a solo project but upon getting a record deal he expanded his project to include a complete musical group. The band derived their name from the song Death Cab For Cutie, composed by Vivian Stanshall and Neil Innes and performed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band on their 1967 album Gorilla.

Death Cab for Cutie’s (the band) debut album, Something About Airplanes, was released in August 1998 by Barsuk Records. The band didn’t break into mainstream music until their fourth studio album, Transatlanticism, which was released in October 2003 and was met with much critical acclaim and commercial success with some songs being featured in various television series and films. In 2005, the band moved to Atlantic Records for the release of their fifth studio album, Plans, which has been certified platinum. Their tenth and most recent studio album, Asphalt Meadows, was released in September 2022 featuring Here to Forever as the fifth track.

After an 18 month hiatus, the band returned to live performances in September 2021. A month later, they shared a commemorative 20-year anniversary reissue of The Photo Album, featuring studio outtakes, demos, and other rare recordings. In February 2022, they shared their first new music since December 2020. And in May, they announced that they had completed recording their tenth studio album, Asphalt Meadows, which was released on September 16, 2022.

Here to Forever is the fifth track on their tenth studio album and was released as the second single on July 13, 2022. The song lyrics examine the ephemerality of life as the protagonist watches an old movie while observing that all of the film’s actors are long gone even though the film remains. Within this observation process, the singer pleads to God or whatever for a larger point to our existence. The song received positive reviews upon its release and hit number one on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay and Adult Alternative Airplay rankings, making it the band’s second and seventh chart-toppers, respectively.

The official music video was directed by Lance Bangs and it opens with Gibbard assisting in packaging and pressing the band’s album at a vinyl pressing plant while two young female employees, played by comedians Natalie Palamides and Courtney Pauroso, goof off instead of helping Gibbard do their job. The clips of the girls goofing off are intercut with footage of the band performing the song and I have to say that it is a whimsically delightful video and really great song as well.

Somehow I had never even heard of the band Death Cab for Cutie until Marsha announced her song choice. I have no idea how this is possible since I was a big fan of indie and alternative bands that emerged from the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s. This 2022 song has all the wonderful elements of that 1990s sound that I love so much. I have to say that I am absolutely a fan of Death Cab for Cutie now and will watch their tour dates for any shows near me!

Album Covers

If you want to join us in styling your own look inspired by “Here to Forever” by Death Cab for Cutie, we will have a link party on Monday, December 26, 2022, where you can share your post. We would love to see your Songful Styles!

Featured Favorites

Reader Favorite (Most Clicked): Joanne of Slices of Life

Fashion Favorite: Moumous of La Moumous

Other Favorite: Laura of I Do deClaire

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas. And if you don’t celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a blessed weekend.

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.