Acoustic Carry On by Fun

As I have been doing for the past few months, we are sharing our love for music as a quick reprieve from our normal insurance-related musings.

This month’s acoustic clip, and break from all things insurance, is Carry On by Fun the American Indie band.

The song was originally released in October of 2012 (it’s hard to believe it’s almost 3-years old) and was the third single off the album, Some Nights.

Carry on was written by bandmates Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, and Jack Antonoff in collaboration with the album’s producer, Jeff Bhasker.

What’s the song about?

In the song’s intro lead singer, Ruess begins with faint vocals, weaving a story of many confronting suicide. The song builds to a big chorus with some powerful guitar guiding the way.

The song has been called a “song about perseverance and hard times.” It tells the story of friends discussing mortality while at a bar, it sounds a bit somber … but the tempo builds to a triumphant conclusion.

Critical reception

Carry On was well received in critical circles, despite some reviews indicating the sound was very similar to the previous album, Aim, and Ignite.

Mark Glimer of The A.V. Club reviewed the song as a “horn-fueled, thundering anthem” and further said that it was a good “bridge” from the debut album, Aim, and Ignite. Dave Simpson of The Guardian actually gave the song high praise when he compared it to the works of Billy Joel and Paul Simon. Even comparing the guitar work to Slash.

Not all reviews were as positive, however, Nate Jones of Popdust criticized it as sounding like watered-down versions of the band’s first two breakout singles.

The song in commercial culture

I guess you know that you’ve made an impact when you’re being asked by Hollywood for licensing rights. That’s the case with this particular song, it was featured in the HGTV 2013 #LoveHome commercial, and in the pilot episode of the cable network FX’s series Legit.

It was also featured in the 2013 documentary Bridegoom.

The clip

The clip is an extremely high-quality recording of the in-studio acoustic performance for the radio station x103.9 in Arizona. It is recorded in their Sanderson Ford Studio X located in Tempe, AZ.

Conclusion

Like all art, we don’t rely on the critics, we make our own judgments. I really like this song, love the execution, and think Ruess’ voice is powerful and clear, with a very unique tone. You make your own judgment.

The one thing we can all agree on, this is still a nice break from talking about auto insurance, right? 🙂