The Timeless Appeal of Going For It
Two-step in your jeans fellow denizen of Earth, for the days are waning, the planet is burning, and that beat will just not quit
In 2014, Baltimore-based synth-rock (or by their own description post-wave—a combination of post-punk and new wave) quartet Future Islands gave a performance on the Late Show with David Letterman that went viral shortly thereafter, eventually becoming the most viewed video on the show’s YouTube page. The song, “Seasons (Waiting on You),” a catchy, powerful, and layered pop song, now seems like it was destined to be a hit, but the song itself wasn’t really the driving force behind the virality. It was the dancing.
Lead singer and songwriter Samuel Herring is a rather atypical front man: Short and somewhat stocky, with a receding hairline and his t-shirt responsibly tucked into his jeans. And Sam really lets it go on stage. Many performers claim to do this. You hear it all the time but their versions of letting it go always fit into one box or another—their freedom appears to stay within an already defined framework. It’s rare to see someone being wholly and completely themselves on stage, acting as if they were waltzing around their own bedroom without ever checking the mirror.
There is no doubt that some of the virality of the performance had to do with viewers who thought Herring’s dancing was ridiculous. Not everyone was moving along with him, some were laughing at him. There were two, entirely opposing tracks that led to one watching and enjoying this performance. One was cynical and holier than thou and the other was unflinchingly sincere.
But the performance—and the band—has stood the test of time. The video has gone viral several times since 2014, including earlier this year. And the reactions are different now. As the performance spread more recently, it was typically met with effusive praise. Part of that has to do with the fact that the band has put out two great records since 2014’s Singles and performed hundreds upon hundreds of stellar shows across the world—but there’s something else at play here too.
Being earnest and open and free has real staying power. It’s timeless. It outlives trends and snark, it bludgeons the self doubt we feel in the moment, a feeling we inevitably reflect onto others who don’t appear to be nearly as hampered by it.
Sam Herring is a tornado of himself on stage and you can feel it immediately when watching him. He is pure self-expression. And pure self-expression perseveres. There will always be some among us who judge, mostly because seeing someone being so unapologetically honest is not something we’re used to. It pokes our insecurities. Sam Herring feels the music and moves. It’s pretty simple, really. But most of us never do it. And I think we should.
So I am writing this, I suppose, to remind myself, and to hopefully remind you, dear reader, to be a little more like Sam Herring. To put ourselves out there. To flail at the fucking moon if that’s what we’re feeling at that precise moment.
Is this message a little trite?
A bit banal?
Cliché even?
Is this entire piece essentially an appeal to dance like nobody's watching?
Yes. Yes it is. And I don’t care. Sometimes banalities and clichés hold weight. Sometimes there’s utility in keeping it simple and exploring the already explored—reminders and examples help in all of this. But it’s more than that. We’ve been conditioned to revere ironic detachment, and I’m writing this in opposition.
It’s OK to show that you care about something. It’s great actually. It’s infectious.
Thus, I think we should do this shit, if we feel like it:
Two-step in your jeans fellow denizen of Earth, for the days are waning, the planet is burning, and that beat will just not quit.
Two-step in your jeans.
The world will appreciate you for it.
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The Timeless Appeal of Going For It
I love that band and it all started with that performance. His carefree dancing reminded me of being back in high school and people would laugh at the way Dave Matthews would start "dancing like a dork." No. He was just letting the music take him away.
I love his moves. He fell on stage and didn't miss a beat. Sam is an entertainer first and foremost. Makes me so happy to watch.