The Strokes

Released: April 10, 2020

Songwriter: Nick Valensi Fabrizio Moretti Albert Hammond Jr. Nikolai Fraiture Julian Casablancas

Producer: Rick Rubin

[Verse 1]
Up on his horse, up on his horse
Not gonna wake up here anymore
Listen one time, it's not the truth
It's just a story I tell to you
Easy to say, easy to do
But it's not easy, well, maybe for you
Hope that you find it, hope that it's good
Hope that you read it, think that you should
Cuts you some slack as he sits back
Sizes you up, plans his attack

[Spoken]
Da-da-da
Drums please, Fab

[Pre-Chorus]
And I got it all, I got it all
Waitin' for me down on the street
But now you gotta do somethin' special for me
I'm gonna say what's on my mind
Then I'll walk out, then I'll feel fine

[Chorus]
Yeah, I'm under his thumb, I'm on his back
I will not show my teeth too quick
I needed you there, I needed you there
But I didn't know, I didn't know

[Break]
Go alone
I'll go alone
We'll go alone
I'll go alone

[Verse 2]
Back from his trip, he's at the door
When he gets back, he's on the phone
Innocent eye, innocent heart
No, it's not wrong, but it's not right
Innocent time, out on his own
Not gonna do that, fuck, I'm out of control
I was just bored, playin' the guitar
Learned all your tricks, wasn't too hard

[Chorus]
It's the last one now, I can promise you that
I'm gonna find out the truth when I get back

[Outro]
Gone now are the old times
Forgotten, time to hold on the railing
The Rubik's Cube isn't solving for us
Old friends, long forgotten
The old ways at the bottom of
The ocean now has swallowed
The only thing that's left is us
So pardon the silence that you're hearing
It's turnin' into a deafening, painful, shameful roar

The Strokes burst onto the scene at a time when rock fans were desperate for an alternative to the rap-rock that was dominating the airwaves. That the band lived up to expectations after being hailed ‘saviors of guitar rock’ solely based on the strength of a three song EP is a testament to the quality of their flawless debut, July 2001’s Is This It.

Ultimately, they are a band that truly relies on the strength of the entire lead singer Julian Casablancas, lead guitarist Nick Valensi, drummer Fabrizio Moretti, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., and bassist Nikolai Fraiture. However, much of The Strokes' output has been influenced by the domineering vision of Casablancas' songwriting.

Before he took a small step back on their third album, January 2006’s First Impressions of Earth, and then isolated himself to record March 2011’s Angles, Casablancas was involved in almost every step of The Strokes' recording process. He wrote all of the lyrics and the music on their first two albums and was constantly involved in the mixing of the records.

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