"The Down Town" is a song by

Days of the New Days of the New is an American rock band from Charlestown, Indiana, formed in 1995. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Travis Meeks and a variety of supporting musicians. They are best known for the hit singles "Touch, Peel and Stand", "Th ...

and the second

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from their self-titled debut album. Like its predecessor, the song reached #1 on

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

in 1998 Artist Chart History - Days of the NewBillboard.com. Retrieved August 27, 2008. and is a concert staple. "The Down Town" is also the third track on the band's '' Definitive Collection'' released in 2008. The song is arguably the second most popular single from the band's debut album and certainly one of their best known songs overall. It is also one of the album's upbeat tracks while bearing an aggressive

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

. Lyrically, "The Down Town" ambiguously details a town of drug users who are afraid of change and suppressive of the narrator. The phrase "to bring me down" is rebelliously shouted throughout the chorus. A mention of pointless and rejected concern over another person's well-being is also addressed during the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

. Given this theme of negativity, the "Down Town" song title may be intended as a

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

Music video

The "Down Town"

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

, directed by

Lance Bangs Lance Bangs (born September 4, 1972) is an American filmmaker and music video director. He has created videos for Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Neutral Milk Hotel, Green Day, Arcade Fire, The Shins, The Thermals, Belle & Sebastian, Menomena, Yeah Yeah ...

, consists of a live concert performance. It retains the live audio and includes some notable differences from the studio recording; verse

chords Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord (as ...

are used extensively in various parts, more punchy

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and has appeared in music ...

is incorporated, and the first lyric of the bridge is changed to "I don't think that I should ''give a fuck'' about you." The performance lasts nearly a whole minute longer at 5:10.

Track listing

# "The Down Town (LP Version)" # "The Down Town (Radio Remix Version)" # "Touch, Peel And Stand (Live)" # "Freak (Live)" * The live tracks were recorded at the New World Music Theatre for Rock 103.5 Chicago's Rockstock '97 on September 6, 1997.

Chart positions

References

External links

"The Down Town" Music Video
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Down Town, The 1998 singles 1997 songs Days of the New songs Song recordings produced by Scott Litt Songs written by Travis Meeks Songs about drugs