When this song first came across the radio waves as part of the sequel to ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ I was roughly the age that my nephew Noah is now. I got to spend some quality time with him when I was staying with my Dad, and it’s fun to see how much – and how little – has changed in the lives of kids now compared to my hey-day in the 80’s. My brother and I tried to explain how far we used to ride our bikes back then – the trips to creeks across town, the roaming bands of boys traversing all of Amsterdam no matter how hot the day. The lives of boys in the summer are filled with more than anyone really realizes.
No matter how the race is run it always ends the same
Another room without a view awaits downtown
You can shake me for a while
Live it up in style
No matter what you do I’m gonna take you down
While our main concerns seemed to be which route to take to get home quickest when we suddenly noticed the day waning, there were burgeoning worries that befuddled the mind, even in the freedom of summer. Even the sunniest day went to sleep eventually, and summer nights, without the bright blanket of snow to reflect any light, could be especially dark. In one’s youth, that dramatic hint of darkness was more of a thrill than a concern, and more often than not we found ourselves in bed before the real dark of night ever arrived. There’s a brutal lesson in patience to be gleaned from going to bed when the sun is still illuminating the sky.
Shakedown, Breakdown, Takedown
Everybody wants into the crowded line
Breakdown, Takedown, You’re busted
Let down your guard
Honey, just about the time you’re thinkin’ it’s alright
Breakdown, Takedown, You’re busted
As I watched Noah ride his bike, toss a ball with his Dad, or jump into the pool, I was reminded of the innocence of this moment, how every minute can feel exciting and hopeful, and the next turn to dependency and despair – all over the smallest and insignificant of things – but when you’re a kid everything matters. Everything is important. Maybe that’s the big fallacy of becoming an adult – we suddenly forget about what it was like when every single thing truly mattered.
We also lose our sense of adventure unless we keep nurturing it. The sort of summer movie escapism that characterized my childhood – even if it was only in my imagination – is rekindled mostly through things like writing this entry or remembering the chases of our youth with emboldened urgency and drama. There was never anyone really chasing us, but we felt the whole world biting at our heels and sped away because of it.
This is a town where everyone is reachin’ for the top
This is a place where second best will never do
It’s okay to want to shine
But once you step across that line
No matter where you hide I’m comin’ after you
My niece and nephew are right in that moment, when childhood is cresting and young adulthood is right around the corner. More than any other generation perhaps, they are in a race against time – a shakedown of epic proportion that is probably quite unfair to them, but which we – the adults – have set up for them to fail. If they keep to what’s right, if they stay true to what’s good, they may stand a chance. I’m just not sure it will even matter. That’s the cynical adult in me being brutally honest. I’d rather go back to the eleven-year-old I was, dancing and grooving to ‘Shakedown’ and imagining and enacting all sorts of crazy adventures before I had to grow up.
Shakedown, Breakdown, Takedown
Everybody wants into the crowded line
Breakdown, Takedown, You’re busted
Let down your guard
Honey, just about the time you’re thinkin’ it’s alright
Breakdown, Takedown, You’re busted
