Geoff Rickly (lyrics, lead singer, hardcore, house, albums)

[sleepy jack]

Geoff Rickly



A Brief History

Geoff Rickly is the lead singer and lyricist for the post-hardcore band Thursday. Hes also produced several other albums, hes produced several albums including, Blackout Pact "Hello Sailor", and My Chemical Romance "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love". Prior to joining Thursday, he was in a band called Useless and training to be an english teacher. Hes also working on a side project called United Nations with vocalist Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw.

Thursday started out in New Brunswick, New Jersey and formed in '97. They released their first album, Waiting in 99', followed by Full Collapse, War All The Time, and A City By The Light Divided.



Writing Style

Geoff Ricklys lyrics range from very personal lyrics to political. He considers Michael Palmer, Jim Carroll, William Burroughs and Dennis Johnson his biggest influences. Typically he writes lyrics from personal expierences one example of this is Steps Ascending which was written about one of his best friends who he got in a fist fight with and never talked to again. A year later his friend was shot in the head and he never got to say goodbye.

Thursday "Steps Ascending"

Will burn in the fire of our regrets
All the time we've wasted, spent fighting,
It's blood and it's running down the stairs.

I ran down the stairs and into the garden,
Put both my hands into the soil.
In the spring, you will bloom,
Like her heart, through the blouse,
In the back of the ambulance,
As it turned and turned down the street
(one more turn won't you come back to me?)
As it turned on its red lights,
You were turning into
Red roses
Red roses
Red roses
Red roses
But I'm not giving up.

While others take a more political tone, yet not in the typical angry ranting style. With his voice and the way he writes it comes across as more tragic.

Thursday "War All The Time"

War all of the time
In the shadow of the New York skyline
We grew up too fast
Now we're falling apart
Like the ashes of American flags
If the sun doesn't rise
We'll replace it with an H-bomb explosion.
A painted jail cell
Of light in the sky
Like three-mile-island
Nightmares on TVs that sing us to sleep.

While sometimes he uses slightly political theme messages to sing about other things, like in Paris In Flames where he sings about feeling like an outcast.

Thursday "Paris In Flames"

The needle is a vector
An intersection that well all must cross
A dimly lit hallway where shadows of moths decorate the walls
Discard this message
Burn this city down
Discard this message
Throw this bottle back in the ocean
Rip this page from the history books
Smash all the street signs
Erase all the maps
Forget my name
Forget my face
Because it's going to rain
And it never ends

Alot of his songs are very easy to relate to and often have their own meanings for each writing like Standing On The Edge of Summer.

In this house of cards we're all holding hearts and spades
One breath, one step could knock it all down
But you lead with your eyes and you give it away
Decide, design to cut from the clouds
And the people you love get lost in the shuffle,
When you leave, you leave nothing but broken hearts.

Or, in running from the rain which is rumored to be about a train accident involving one of geoffs friend.

There was a sound,
split all the heavens apart
In on the Northern view,
Out of the Southern spark
Oh, I will be with you,
Running from the rain
When it reaches the end of the line
See myself reflected, in broken glass
As the gates come crashing down

Discography

Waiting - Eyeball Records 1999
Suggest Tracks:
This Side of Brightness
Dying in New Brunswick
Streaks In The Sky
Ian Curtis

Full Collapse - Victory Records 2001
Suggest Tracks:
Understanding in a Car
Standing on the Edge of Summer
I Am the Killer
Cross Out The Eyes
Paris In Flames

War All The Time - Island Records 2003
Suggest Tracks:
Steps Ascending
War All The Time
Signals Over the Air
Tomorrow I'll Be You

A City By The Light Divided - Island Records 2006
Suggest Tracks:
Autumn Leaves Revisited
The Lovesong Writer
Sugar In The Sacrament
Telegraph Avenue Kiss
Running From The Rain

Links

Website
Purevolume
Myspace

[mosesandtherubberducky]

he's teh catchehzorz

[Pimp_racer]

geoff is jesus.

[swim]

He's a damn catchy writer.

[Laces Out Dan!]

Very good writer..its always got a hook...i like it a lot.

[Raine]

Best two songs ever:
Paris in Flames
Signals Over the Air

Oh and nice pick of geoff.

[The Dave]

Great article type thing man, Geoff is a great lyricist.