Tonal Analysis

Lyrics can be found here.

Describing his emotions of graduating high school and "staying 18 forever" in the song "Soco Amaretto Lime", Jesse Lacey of Brand New incorporates constant metaphors/similes, satire, and multiple narratives to express the somber tone of forcing himself to put his painful past behind him.

To illustrate the emotions he felt when finishing high school, Jesse uses multiple of examples simile and metaphor. "Broken down from the bikes and bars / Suspended like spirits over speeding cars... You and me were kings over the parkway tonight..." Usage of this device in the song creates a sense of imagery and illustrates Jesse's feelings of invincibility at eighteen. "The low-fuel lights been on for days, it doesn't mean anything / I've got another 500 nother 500 miles before we shut this engine down..." Although he knows his days of being young and having fun are winding down, Jesse plans on riding out and making the best out of his last years.

Another device Jesse Lacey uses to convey the tone of the piece is satire. "I'm gonna stay eighteen forever... And we'll never have to listen to anyone about anything... We're the coolest kids..." On the surface these lyrics sound dry and mediocre, but this is used intentionally to give the listener insight on the naive, carefree teenage mentality that Jesse had back then. "And we'll never miss a party... cause we keep them going constantly." Throughout all of the youth angst and themes of loss that are prevalent in this album, "Soco Amaretto Lime" is used as a sort of finale. It shows the artist's will to move on from the heartbreak and loss he presumably had throughout his high schools years by the incorporation of satire that seems to mocks his previous self.

Finally, in this song we hear multiple different speakers in the background. As the lines "I'm gonna stay eighteen forever..." are spoken toward the end, we hear another voice in the background saying "You're just jealous cause I'm young and in love... You're spending all your nights growing old in your bed / And you're tearing up your photos cause you want to forget it's over..." The incorporation of another speaker adds to the idea that Jesse is getting over his past relationships and heartaches. The second speaker can be perceived as the indictment of one of his ex-girlfriends who has mentally held him back for a long time, but as her words are spoken, Jesse's voice trumps over them. In addition to this secondary voice, another barely audible one fades in and out in the background. "Cut me open. Sun poisoned. This offer stands forever. New haircut. New bracelet. Eyeliner. Wait forever. First kisses. New stitches..." This voice talks about past momentos and memories that seem to run through his head. The tone of "Soco Amaretto Lime" is used to convey the speaker's difficulty of getting over his past and moving on toward the future.