“2011” by 5 Seconds of Summer
As you probably already know, 5 Seconds of Summer, a band of pop rockers from Australia, has been one of the biggest musical success stories of the early 21st century. And it so happens that while their discography dates back to 2012, that Luke, Michael, Calum and Ashton all teamed up for the first time in late 2011.
So this song (“2011”), which was released in December of 2021, is meant to commemorate their 10th anniversary as a group.
And interestingly, lyrically they don’t use the occasion to celebrate having been one of the most popular bands in the world throughout the 2010s. Instead, “2011” falls more along the lines of being one of those success-isn’t-all-it’s-cracked-up-to-be kind of tracks.
Along with the mega achievements has come an increased sense of seriousness, if you will. In other words, back in the days life was more carefree for Michael and the boys. It was also a time of hope, as the homeys could sit around and talk about their glorious fantasies for the future.
Well now that future is here, and in reality it reads more like the guys have aged and become complacent, missing the vigor and optimism of youth.
Indeed as of the writing of this post, the ages of the bandmates only range from 25 to 27 years old. So that means what these lyrics actually harp back to is 5SOS’s late to mid-teens. Many would agree with us that it is a bit strange to have a group of 20-somethings reminiscing on the good ol’ days like they’re middle agers. But it can also be said most people, despite their profession, would probably agree that the teenage years are amongst the most easygoing and exciting in life.
All in all
At the end of the day, we have to respect the experience of Calum and the rest of the gang. For instance even though the lyrics don’t really go there, the chorus does read a lot like maybe success came too fast for 5SOS boys.
And again, we have come across songs with similar sentiments, that whereas being a music star is a common dream amongst us human beings, the reality for those who have actually experienced it isn’t all sunshine and flowers. Indeed the implied thesis sentiment of this piece is that the vocalists actually deem 2011, before anyone even knew who they were, “better” than the here and now, where they’re established international celebrities.
5 Seconds of Summer
Between 2014 and 2020, 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) managed to release four studio albums. All of these albums not only topped the ARIA Albums Chart in their homeland of Australia but also scored within the top three of the UK Albums Chart. These projects also achieved the top two of the Billboard 200.
And their sophomore studio LP, “Sounds Good Feels Good” (2015), actually reached number one on all of those lists.
Facts about “2011”
“2011” was dropped by BMG on 3 December 2021. It is not associated with any album but rather, as mentioned earlier, is 5SOS’s way of celebrating their 10th anniversary. That is to say that the first time they all played together under the 5 Seconds of Summer moniker was at a venue known as the Annandale Hotel in Sydney.
And that performance was held on 3 December 2011. And reportedly the music video to this song is a recreation of said performance.
Luke Hemmings is the main singer of this band. However, it should be noted that in the case of “2011”, Michael Clifford and Calum Hood actually serve as the lead vocalists.
Those two bandmates also co-wrote this song, with Michael Clifford additionally acting as a co-producer. The other producer of “2011” is John Feldmann, with the additional author being an artist who goes by the name Dark Waves.
