Chris DeLine

Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artists. In this, the second of two parts featuring Carl Creighton, the singer expands on his transition into America’s ultimate metropolis. The feelings that develop as one becomes blind to their surroundings, Creighton concludes, start to resemble a song that really has nothing to do with its title.

On “El Paso”:

This was the first song I wrote after officially moving to New York, at least the first one that sounded any good. None of it is really true, except for the feelings about the city. It’s supposed to be about a relationship that doesn’t work out because New York is the worst place to have a relationship in the world, which I think is true; at least in Yorkville, where I live. That’s why everybody has dogs, because owning a dog is the highest relationship people can afford the time to maintain. I know so many people that have been in relationships here that have crumbled under the weight of the city. I threw in all the things I hate about New York in the song, like entering the Subway when the weather is nice, drinking coffee… I guess drinking coffee doesn’t have anything to do with New York especially, but still…

Another part of the song, the big crescendo part, is about getting stuck in the annoying details of the city and not appreciating what’s actually around you. When I first came here, I didn’t have a job or school or any responsibilities except to walk around and enjoy everything so I walked around Central Park and the East Village a lot…Times Square…all the touristy places. Now that I have to actually do stuff I only focus on getting to work, to school and getting back home. But whenever a friend comes to visit and I’m showing them around I actually realize the big buildings and how beautiful the city can be.

I only chose El Paso as the destination in the song because I knew somebody from El Paso at the time. But that person said they were from El Paso, NM, which I don’t think exists. So maybe they were lying to me, which makes the song even more fake.

This was the first song I wrote after officially moving to New York, at least the first one that sounded any good. None of it is really true, except for the feelings about the city. It’s supposed to be about a relationship that doesn’t work out because New York is the worst place to have a relationship in the world, which I think is true; at least in Yorkville, where I live. That’s why everybody has dogs, because owning a dog is the highest relationship people can afford the time to maintain. I know so many people that have been in relationships here that have crumbled under the weight of the city. I threw in all the things I hate about New York in the song, like entering the Subway when the weather is nice, drinking coffee… I guess drinking coffee doesn’t have anything to do with New York especially, but still…

Another part of the song, the big crescendo part, is about getting stuck in the annoying details of the city and not appreciating what’s actually around you. When I first came here, I didn’t have a job or school or any responsibilities except to walk around and enjoy everything so I walked around Central Park and the East Village a lot…Times Square…all the touristy places. Now that I have to actually do stuff I only focus on getting to work, to school and getting back home. But whenever a friend comes to visit and I’m showing them around I actually realize the big buildings and how beautiful the city can be.

I only chose El Paso as the destination in the song because I knew somebody from El Paso at the time. But that person said they were from El Paso, NM, which I don’t think exists. So maybe they were lying to me, which makes the song even more fake. – Carl Creighton

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]