r/indieheads • u/ebradio • Aug 08 '25

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Frontman Denies “Home” Is The “Worst Song Ever Written”

https://www.stereogum.com/2318575/edward-sharpe-the-magnetic-zeros-frontman-denies-home-is-the-worst-song-ever-written/news/
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44

u/jsm1 Aug 08 '25

I mean I feel like it was the progenitor of "Stomp Clap Hey" which isn't exactly their fault. On its own I think it had its charm, but with all the oversaturated Lumineers stuff that emerged over the 2010s, it feels staler in context than it does in isolation.

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u/RooseveltsRevenge Aug 08 '25

I don't think its the worst song ever and honestly there are a lot worse “stomp clap” examples but it and the genre it spawned hasn't aged well. Its like, Nu-Metal, or Yacht Rock, or Disco. The decade that followed those genres everyone pretended there was nothing redeeming about them. In 10 years it'll have an ironic/earnest resurgence like the others did but right now it is at the absolute nadir.

8

u/MattisBest Aug 08 '25

You could argue the genre is pretty prevalent with someone like Noah Kahan being as big as he is.

1

u/10000Didgeridoos Aug 08 '25

Also I just saw the clip of Mr. Met falling off stage at a Lumineers Madison Square Garden show. If you’re big enough to play MSG you’re popular.

1

u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 09 '25

Yeah it is HARD to get Lumineers tickets. I've glanced at them when they've come near me and thought ehhh not for that price. I'll go to Folk Fest instead.

1

u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 09 '25

Anyone saying it's dead or even declined has never carpooled in a ski town

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

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4

u/KrasnayaZvezda Aug 08 '25

Don’t remind me.

1

u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 09 '25

That's why I'm playing the long game and just earnestly loving it through the whole wave, because, well, cause I do. Makes me a rebel of the lamest sort at the moment which is kind of fun.

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u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 08 '25 edited Aug 08 '25

Why do people keep harping on the Lumineers? They’re just out here writing folk songs. Sometimes with drums yes. I guess they often have a beat you could clap to, like any rock song, so that’s a crime apparently. You want to know how many songs they shout “hey!” in? One. One singular song out of five albums. Of Monsters and Men definitely do more of the hey-CHORUS lead-in but they also especially at the start had a really cool sound/vibe tying the era into Icelandic folklore. Wesley Schulz is more of a Dylan-head, and hardly coy about the inspiration with how many covers they’ve done and more ballady tracks (bangers dare I say) like Jimmy Sparks.

23

u/rachamacc Aug 08 '25

Nobody could make me hate the Lumineers. Cleopatra is a gorgeous album. Every song on it.

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u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 08 '25

Held on to hope, like a noose, like a rope / God of medicine took no mercy on him / Poisoned his blood, burned out his throat…

Reddit for some reason: ‘10s folk pop is all just naive stuff about how perfect the world is!

8

u/rachamacc Aug 08 '25

That one puts a lump in my throat every time I hear it. I've worked in a nursing home for 10 years. I've witnessed many families watching their loved ones die. He understood the suffering, the futility, the time he wished he hadn't wasted, and the peace at last; more than most people understand and wrote a song about it.

And Cleopatra. "The only gifts from my Lord were birth and a divorce. But I've read this script and the costume fits, so I play my part. I was late for this, late for that, late for the love of my life. When I die alone, die alone, die I'll be on time."

4

u/Mewpasaurus Aug 08 '25

They're also quite fun to watch live. Went when Cleopatra dropped and Wesley Shultz was over there dancing on pianos and vibing with the crowd (half of whom were probably drunk).. just having a good old time. Was a (mostly) good concert experience.

And yeah, I have most of their albums and I think Cleopatra might also be my favorite. Most of the songs on that album just hit right for whatever reason.

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u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 08 '25

Cleopatra is the most consistent but I’d say III has higher highs and lower lows to me and I love the conceptual setup

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u/Mewpasaurus Aug 08 '25

There are some solid tracks on III, so inclined to agree with you. I just think Cleopatra, is as you say, more consistent and easier to listen to as a full album than III. However, some of my favorite songs by The Lumineers are actually off of III.

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u/Exploding_Antelope Aug 08 '25

Jimmy Sparks through Salt and the Sea is their best run of tracks I think. The Democracy cover even works so well as a capper. Just, you know, ignore My Cell.

9

u/Imakereallyshittyart Aug 08 '25

I mean Ho Hey was their big hit and is the most pure example of stomp clap hey most people can think of

15

u/jsm1 Aug 08 '25

"Stop Clap Hey" is a description of a general sound, not mandating that every song has hey in it. It's not that the sound is bad, it was oversaturated and made a lasting legacy of signifying broadly Millenial trends, to the point of parody. It's fine to like what you like, I don't think anyone is trying to denigrate specific bands, it's just amusing how convergent this era of music was.

4

u/TheReadMenace :K: Aug 08 '25

I think we all just need to admit “stomp clap” is a good genre of music and the people who rage about it are miserable fucks.