How Soon Is Sometime Around Midnight?

"Sometime Around Midnight" by The Airborne Toxic Event – When I heard this song on the radio today, I was reminded of how much I love it. A haunting story about running into an old flame, it breaks conventions by foregoing a chorus and instead building verse by verse into a desperation that tears at your heart. It was written by the band's lead singer Mikel Jollett, who had such a run-in with an ex-girlfriend and spent two days pouring his heartbreak into lyrics. I have never gotten through this song without crying.

Jollett did not begin as a musician, but was pursuing a writing career when a particularly rough time in his life (in one week, his mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and he went through a painful breakup) led him to focus on songwriting as a way to process his pain. Soon after, he joined up with a musician friend, and eventually others, to form The Airborne Toxic Event. The band became the breakthrough alt rock act of 2008.

I applaud and envy Jollett's writing talent in this song, both his choice of words and the song's structure. And although the song was both unique and perfect for the resurgence of smart, alt rock in the 2000s, it also evokes the moody New Wave acts of the 1980s like The Smiths and The Psychedelic Furs. (Is it any wonder that an 80s geek like me is in love?)

One last note before you rush off to hear the song (as you should if you've somehow missed it up until now). Just as it's important to read a good novel before seeing the movie version, it's better to listen to this song first before watching the video. There's nothing wrong with the video—it's well done and a fitting match to the music—but give yourself a chance to first focus on the lyrics and the band's performance, particularly Jollett's heartbreaking pleas. And get ready to cry.

Here's a version of the song without the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m53cWa-CdUg

And here's one of the song's videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYPoMjR6-Ao