Dave Matthews Band “Walk Around the Moon” album cover (link takes you to Pitchfork review)
My first thought on great album closer is something that has every instrument vibing full blast with echoing screams by a long-haired 1970’s musician like Robert Plant or Steven Tyler. A song, when it ends, the silence is palpable and your cells are quivering with what you just experienced. Then I rejected the idea. There is something to be said for an album that has all of that – and then decides to slow it down for the end. “Walk Around the Moon” by Dave Matthews Band is that kind of album. Yes, there are other slower songs on it, but the jams on it put me into orbit. They were wise to close the album with, “Singing from the Windows.”
wiki says:
Walk Around the Moon is their tenth studio album, released on May 19, 2023. It is the band’s first studio album since Come Tomorrow (2018.) It is their first release to feature keyboardist Arthur “Buddy” Strong. The album was a commercial success, reaching the top 5 in the U.S.
allmusic’s Thomas Erlewine gave the album such a positive and eloquent review, explaining why and how this album differs from the previous one. I’ll only include a couple of sentences of it but would encourage you to follow the link and read the whole thing:
Some of the brighter outlook of Walk Around the Moon can be attributed to the inclusion of deliberate jolts of positivity on the album yet those moments aren’t as exuberant as prime ’90s DMB, all due to the absence of the late LeRoi Moore and violinist Boyd Tinsley. Where DMB made sure to replace Moore with another horn player, Tinsley’s vacancy was filled by keyboard player Buddy Strong, a decision that helps shift the band’s core sound to something sinewy and rhythmic.
Erlewine mentions, “Singing from the Windows” in his review:
While Walk Around the Moon has moments that float in the ether, such as the airless “Something to Tell My Baby” and the sweet denouement “Singing from the Windows,” most of the album carries a definite rhythmic punch…
Since the music was mostly made during Covid-19, I think “the war” is referring to the war against the virus. I think it could also apply to a relationship. From a today perspective, it could certainly apply to what’s going on in the world today.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I adore this album and have listened to it on repeat ever since finding it a few years ago. I would highly recommend you listen to the whole thing.
PLEASE! Look at the bottom of the post for a really good live version.
Singing from the Windows
When the war is over
And we go back to every day, every day
Will it be the same again?
When you been turned inside out and outside in
Singing from the windows
Shadows on the wall, the way they dance
It's not much of nothing
But look at this fire burning bright
Look at how the children play
Well, none of us know what's to come tomorrow
But I'm not going out today
So dance with me like the time we've got is borrowed
Singing from the windows
Sirens in the dark, where are you going?
Pretend that is nothing
But look at this fire burning wild
This is how we keep holding on
All days, all day long
But sometimes things just fall apart
No matter how we try, they won't stop
Singing from the windows
Something outside but I don't know
When the war is over
Picking up the pieces of every day
Memories and picture frames
Tryin' to put the inside out and outside in
Singing from the windows
Walking down the hall, nowhere to go
Be good to see you
We'll get going again
When the war is over
Written by: David John Matthews
Jim Adams is the host of Song Lyric Sunday. This week Jim wants us to find:
Song that made a great album closer
Tao Talk 
What a wonderful song! I know very little of them, as they have achieved next to nothing here, but this is great.
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Clive, I’m glad you like the song. The band has a cult status like The Grateful Dead and Pearl Jam do in some places. I’m not a zealot but I am a big fan of at least 2 of their albums, and this is one of them.
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I looked them up. One single that got to #35 here and two albums with a combined three weeks in the lower reaches of our chart. I have a lot of exploring to do!
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I hope you do :)
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Great closer Li, yes indeed, and I also subscribe to your opening lines.
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Paul, thank you. It’s a song that goes deep.
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A wonderful choice Li. DM is a great enduring band. I have been a fan all along and this is such a gentle song to choose. I love it! ☺️💗
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Christine, thanks and glad you are a fan. I started going through my digital album folders until this one said, “pick me.” Had no idea the song was about Covid until I started looking for info on it.
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A surprising song for a closer, Lisa. This could have easily been placed somewhere in the middle and forgotten. The idea of placing it last is inspired. It gives us a chance for the next 3 minutes to fully absorb what we are hearing and the important message. I guarantee anyone listening to this album will remember this closing song for longer than it takes to refill their drink. Nicely played.
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Nancy, I love your comment about the song. Sometimes I zone out and multi-task while listening to albums, and this one always makes me pause and listen and really is the perfect closer for this album. Thank you <3
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My pleasure, Lisa.
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Great choice, Li. I feel bad that the answer to Dave’s original question is No- we devolve into something a whole lot worse. Great write up.
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V, thank you very much. Dave and Crew are thoughtful fellows. They jam hard and they feel soft <3
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A wonderful selection, Lisa. Singing from the Windows offered a sense of hope and the determination for those in the pandemic to keep holding on, ultimately pointing toward a future where things will get better.
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Jim, thank you, and I agree. We needed all the help we could get at that time. There is a really good YT out there where he’s singing live at some university and it shows him but it also does a slide show of young students. I may add that video at the end.
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p.s. I was out on a bike ride this morning and so am behind on SLS. Perfect day for a ride even with the AQI warning due to wildfires in Canada.
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Yes, I read that the Air Quality Index bad due to the fires burning and the smoke drifting south from wildfires in Canada.
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I’ve never really followed the band but I do like them
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Glyn, glad you like them. I know mainly “Under the Table…” and this one. Love both.
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Such a beautiful way to close. Those lyrics are meant to be carried away.
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J, so glad you enjoyed the song. Thank you <3
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I love your post and the song is beautiful.
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Lisa, so glad you enjoyed it <3
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This is beautiful Lisa – I have not heard it before – he has a great voice too – like you I went with a track that just melts my heart ❤️
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Ange, I’m glad you like the song. Yes, he does have a voice that melts my heart <3
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Funny…I haven’t really went through his catalog but I like what I’ve heard…I like this one! He has his own style of singing and playing…so he stands out. You know who it is when the song starts.
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Max, you can probably find the whole album on spotify and I know it’s all on YT. Really really good album. Yes, he has a unique voice and way of singing that I love also.
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I’m on Spotify more now so I will look for it. Bailey has a subscription if I want something with no commercials.
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A lovely song that I have never heard before. It diffuses calmness and serenity…. Nice!
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Marina glad it affects you like that. Thank you :)
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Another wonderful top image. I do enjoy a good collage.
🤓❤️
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I do too! I’m working on collages right now for a poetry festival. They will be posted starting in Oct.
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Great, I’m looking forward to that! 🤓🥂
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Cheers!
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Lovely song, great choice and while I don’t know the album, I do think this is a good ending song. Hard to go wrong with Dave Matthews Band.
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Happy you enjoyed it, Steve.
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Good afternoon from Middleton Manchester UK. Its time to bang the rocks together and visit http://www.theaardvarkskettle.com
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Very soulful and calming song. I don’t know but may be one or two songs by them which I can’t remember now, but I liked. I like the singing from the windows deal, and remember lots of people doing that during the pandemic days and nights. :)
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Barbara, glad to introduce this song to you by them, and “pandemic days and nights”, singing from the windows had to be such a relief and source of joy for those who did. Thank you for your thoughtful comment <3
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