Ode to the Mets

"Ode to the Mets" is a song by American rock band the Strokes, the ninth and closing track on their sixth studio album, The New Abnormal (2020). It was produced by Rick Rubin with music written by all members of the Strokes and lyrics written by the band's singer, Julian Casablancas. Casablancas began writing the song while returning home from the 2016 National League Wild Card Game held at Citi Field, which the New York Mets lost. Despite the timing, the song is not actually about baseball; it is a dream pop ballad that has had different lyrical interpretations unrelated to the sport. The song's title was originally made as a joke referencing when he began writing it, but was made the final title after Casablancas was convinced by the band's drummer, Fabrizio Moretti, to keep it.

"Ode to the Mets"
Song by the Strokes
from the album The New Abnormal
ReleasedApril 10, 2020
Recorded2019
StudioShangri-La (Malibu, California)
GenreDream pop
Length5:51
Label
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Julian Casablancas
Producer(s)Rick Rubin

"Ode to the Mets" was first performed live at a New Year's Eve 2019 concert at the Barclays Center. It was regarded by multiple critics as one of the highlights from The New Abnormal and also reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. A music video for the song, directed by Warren Fu, was released on July 24, 2020, coinciding with that year's delayed Opening Day for the Mets.

Background
Julian Casablancas began writing "Ode to the Mets" while waiting for the 7 train at Mets–Willets Point station (pictured)

Strokes singer Julian Casablancas began writing "Ode to the Mets" on October 5, 2016. On that day, he had attended, with Strokes guitar technician Paul Vassallo, the 2016 National League Wild Card Game between the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants at Citi Field; Casablancas had been a lifelong Mets fan.[1] The Mets would go on to lose the game, immediately knocking them out of the 2016 postseason. After the game, Casablancas began writing a song while waiting for the 7 train at Mets–Willets Point station.[1] He gave it the working title "Ode to the Mets", which was initially a joke that referenced when he had started writing the song. Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti later convinced him against changing the title, however.[1] Casablancas jokingly suggested that the Mets play the song over the PA system after each defeat at their home field in contrast to them playing "New York Groove" by Ace Frehley after each victory.[2]

Like the rest of the songs from The New Abnormal, the song was primarily recorded at Rick Rubin's Shangri-La studio in Malibu, California.[3] The band performed it live for the first time during a New Year's Eve 2019 concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Casablancas preceded the performance by announcing that they would have a new album releasing in 2020.[4] "Ode to the Mets" was officially released as the ninth and final track on The New Abnormal on April 10, 2020.[3]

Composition

Despite being written by Casablancas following a Mets game with the title "Ode to the Mets", the song is not actually about the Mets or baseball.[1] Kitty Empire of The Observer found that Casablancas made it difficult for one to decipher the meaning of the lyrics.[5] AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares described the lyrics as "Casablancas [...] telling off someone who's already long gone",[6] while Helen Brown of The Independent felt that the song revolved around the band "[looking] back on their lost years".[7] Fabrizio Moretti said that the song is about "something that you set your heart to and you love unconditionally, but continues to disappoint you", which MLB.com writer Michael Clair felt echoed "the kind of self-deprecation Mets fans are famous for".[2] Casablancas said "that wasn't my intention with the song, but I can’t argue with that" in response to Moretti's interpretation.[1] Casablancas's vocals have been described as going "from monotone to octave jumping" on the track.[8]

Atlantic City Weekly writer Ryan Loughlin described "Ode to the Mets" musically as dream pop,[9] with multiple writers additionally describing the song as a ballad.[10][11] Spectrum Culture's Kevin Korber called the song as a "delicate mix of detached cool and melancholy".[12] Susan Hansen of Clash described the song's progression as "[building] before escalating in intensity, providing a soothing end to the blistering presentation".[13] Ella Kemp of NME noted that the song's main riff sounds as though it was being "put through a wind machine".[10] Helen Brown felt that the song would serve as a fitting soundtrack for the closing credits to the upcoming documentary adaptation of Lizzy Goodman's 2017 oral history book Meet Me in the Bathroom, which heavily involved the Strokes.[7]

Music video

A music video for the song was later released on July 24, 2020, to coincide with the Opening Day for the New York Mets, which was previously delayed due to the COVID–19 pandemic. The video was directed by long-time Strokes collaborator Warren Fu and features work from eight different animators. It chronologically depicts New York City throughout various points of history. The video ends in the future with New York underwater, apparently a result of climate change, as banners proclaim optimistic slogans that ironically speak of a better future. The band were inspired by the opening titles for the television sitcom Cheers when making the video. The video also features references to the Mets, having the team's "Ya Gotta Believe" slogan displayed on a poster and including a banner reading "Class of '69", referencing their 1969 World Series victory. A photo of the band during their earliest days, a part of Nick Valensi's private photo collection, is also shown in the video.[14]

Reception

Multiple writers who reviewed The New Abnormal regarded "Ode to the Mets" as one of the album's highlights.[8][15][16][17] Writing for Variety, A. D. Amorosi labeled it an "elegant, odd finale to a sharp-kicking album", adding that no other point on the album was "as slick and theatrical as the melancholy melody of 'Ode to The Mets'".[8] Under the Radar's Caleb Campbell felt that it ends the album on a high note,[15] while Kaelen Bell of Exclaim! noted it as a "solid late-career [entry]".[17] In a mixed review of The New Abnormal, Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork found the song to be one of the album's finer moments, calling it "genuinely pretty" and noting it as a "step in the right direction" for the band.[16] Some reviewers were less favorable toward the song, however. Rachel Aroesti wrote in a four-star review of the album for The Guardian that "Ode to the Mets provides a decidedly unspectacular finale",[18] while Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone found the song's "lachrymose lounge moan" to be "pretentious" and "over-the-top".[19] Commercially, the song peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.[20]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from The New Abnormal liner notes.[3]

Chart performance
Chart performance for "Ode to the Mets"
Chart (2020) Peak
position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[20] 27

References
  1. Kay, Stanley (May 12, 2020). "The Strokes' New Song 'Ode To The Mets' Isn't About The Mets (Unless You Want It To Be)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  2. Clair, Michael (April 13, 2020). "The Strokes' new song was inspired by a Mets loss". MLB.com. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  3. The New Abnormal (vinyl sleeve). The Strokes. Cult Records; RCA Records. 2020. 19439-70588-1.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. Arcand, Rob. "The Strokes Play New Song "Ode To The Mets," Say New Album Is Coming in 2020 at Brooklyn NYE Performance". Spin. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  5. Empire, Kitty (April 11, 2020). "The Strokes: The New Abnormal review – new found focus". The Observer. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  6. Phares, Heather (April 10, 2020). "The New Abnormal - The Strokes | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  7. Brown, Helen (April 8, 2020). "The Strokes review, The New Abnormal: Charged with a tense ennui fit for the present lockdown". The Independent. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  8. Amorosi, A. D. (April 9, 2020). "The Strokes' 'The New Abnormal': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  9. Loughlin, Ryan (April 22, 2020). "A 'Stroke' of genius: The Strokes put out their strongest material in almost two decades on 'The New Abnormal'". Atlantic City Weekly. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  10. Kemp, Ella (April 6, 2020). "The Strokes – 'The New Abnormal' review: proof that they're still the best riff-makers around". NME. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  11. Earls, John. "New Release: The Strokes – The New Abnormal". Long Live Vinyl. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  12. Korber, Kevin (April 12, 2020). "The Strokes: The New Abnormal". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  13. Hansen, Susan (April 6, 2020). "The Strokes - The New Abnormal". Clash. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  14. Kreps, Daniel (July 24, 2020). "The Strokes Mark Opening Day With New 'Ode to the Mets' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  15. Campbell, Caleb (April 9, 2020). "The Strokes: The New Abnormal". Under the Radar. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  16. Sodomsky, Sam (April 10, 2020). "The Strokes - The New Abnormal". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  17. Bell, Kaelen (April 10, 2020). "The Strokes: The New Abnormal". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  18. Aroesti, Rachel (April 10, 2020). "The Strokes: The New Abnormal review – old magic lights fresh sparks". The Guardian. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  19. Dolan, Jon (April 10, 2020). "The Strokes Heart the Eighties and Sound Like Themselves on 'The New Abnormal'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  20. "The Strokes Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
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