Song #81: Warren Zevon - "Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)"

 

 Song #81: Warren Zevon - "Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)" (2002)

My Ride's Here

"There were Swedes to the left of him, Russians to the right; a Czech at the blue-line looking for a fight. Brains over brawn, that might work for you - but what's a Canadian farm boy to do? Hit somebody!" 

  
Around 2011, filmmaker Kevin Smith announced his retirement from filmmaking was coming after he made his final feature, which would be called Hit Somebody!, and be a film adapted from the Warren Zevon song of the same name. The film was eventually announced as a two-part film, before then being called a TV miniseries, to now just being unknown in its production status while Smith goes on to juggle three more feature films, a daily podcast, and a TV show. Weirdly enough, Smith has been more active after he announced his planned retirement than ever before.

The point being, when the Hit Somebody! movie was first announced, I made it a priority to listen to the song so, when the film was finally released, I had something to compare it to. Immediately after hearing the song the first time, I had to hear it again, before keeping it in my immediate playlist on my phone from there on out. It was incredible how much the song had resonated with me.

The song concerns a Canadian farm boy named Buddy, who has been a hockey fan for as long as he can remember. Our narrator tells us how, when Buddy was young, his father used to take the garden hose and freeze the backyard, so little Buddy could play hockey. The only issue was that Buddy "wasn't that good with the puck," and resorted to being the team's trusted bruiser when he was finally recruited. The song recounts how his coach implored Buddy to "hit somebody" during crucial game moments, and to "remember his role," which is not scoring goals but protecting his team.

Though the song is clearly done in a tongue-in-cheek manner, quietly satirizing songs about a person who works hard to protect his team but also plays a pivotal role in scoring, "Hit Somebody!" is a deeply emotional song, I feel, about finding your place on a team and being the best you can be, regardless of what you're trying to achieve. Not to mention, Zevon's vocals here are deeply soothing and fitting to the song's subject matter. Add that with a relatively ambiguous ending, and here's one of the most investing character study music-pieces I have yet to hear.

Give "Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PokDj9u09A&feature=kp