Song #51: Kansas - "Carry on Wayward Son"

Song #51: Kansas - "Carry on Wayward Son" (1976)

Leftoverture

"You will always remember nothing equals the splendor."

People who are heavily into music, or even play an instrument themselves, will likely hate me for saying this, but sometimes my least favorite part of any song is the instrumentation, or "the solo." I'd rather be enchanted with metaphorical lyrics or lyrics that detail a story more than hearing a guitar or a bass for a minute straight. I can definitely appreciate the immense amount of talent and extreme energy that goes into creating a solo, but I'd simply rather be provided with lyrics or something that could seriously make me think about the characters/events in the specific song or how they relate to me or people I know.

I mention this because, after making that clear, having this particular song as an entry in this blog series immediately seems like a contradiction. However, when I listen to "Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas, I listen to the entire song, the lengthy solos, instrumentation, and all. The song has so few lyrics that they seem like they're fragmenting in an instrumental version of the song, providing audiences with the thing opposite to what they're used to getting (a solo interrupting the chorus and the verses).

The lyrics to "Carry on Wayward Son" are entirely open to interpretation, with many online and in forums debating the significance of the song and how it effects them personally. For me, the song seems to articulate the tumultuous time of high school, where one teenage boy is grappling with the huge changes that have been brought upon him. He rises above the noise and confusion, trying to grapple with what he'll be in life and we he will go, by he soars way too high, becoming disillusioned with what he might become and, in turn, becomes frightened of the future and scared for it. Pretty soon, he tries to combat his nervousness by trying to be part of the in-crowd or "the man of the season," however, his charade turns into the event of the season. If he claims to be "a wise man," he obviously doesn't know a single thing and is using it as a defense mechanism. Metaphorically speaking, he's tossed around by his peers like a ship on the ocean, and sets a course for better waters, but he still hears those voices say that there will be peace when he is done with all this before laying his weary head to rest and not to cry anymore.

As somebody who just completed the rollecoaster that was high school, with unexpectedly amazing results, I can't say I know first-hand what it's like to be without friends or an outlet in that particular time, for I always seemed to be on the good side of several and went on to make a large name for myself by my senior year. However, I remember the days of middle school, my friend and I being laughed at for the videos we made and made fun of for the crushes we held. Had somebody played me "Carry on Wayward Son," I would've been liberated from the nonsense and would've tried to tell myself that better days would be ahead. Indeed they were, but they came as a total surprise to me.

With all this being said, Kansas's massive song ranks as one of the most accomplished rock songs I've ever heard, lyrically, instrumentally speaking, and in terms of illustrating metaphors and visualizations that provide one for, not one, but several different stories and tales to be told, more than just the one I tried to articulate. The beauty of this song is it can be told in numerous different ways but its lyrics remain the same.

Give "Carry on Wayward Son" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzRsAHoBkXQ