X/Z Song Trader: "Going Gets Tough"
A Gen X Rocker Discusses Music With His Gen Z Daughter
About X/Z Song Trader: Steve is a musician, author and music journalist. Lucy is a diehard music fan and college student. They have always enjoyed a father/daughter bond over music. Each week one of them picks a song and they both share their perspectives. These are casual conversations based on musical connections. Opinions are their own. Keeping it positive.
That’s the simple idea for this series. We’ll start with four installments and see how it goes…Here’s the first installment in case you missed it.
Lucy’s Song Choice
For my first song in this conversation I really wanted to pick something I thought we would both love.
“Going Gets Tough” is a new(ish) song to me. I heard it for the first time a few months ago. The type of music The Growlers made feels like a very happy medium between our music tastes, although they often overlap.
I don’t know the backstory of this band to the same degree as others, but they have an incredible voice and a knack for storytelling that I absolutely love. This song in particular explains that although there are challenges throughout everyday life, there is one thing to look forward to and rely on—love.
The chorus, set to a sweet tune, says: “Still always remembering, when the going gets tough, that the labor of our love will reward us soon enough.”
I think this sends the sweetest message by using sophisticated language delivered in their indie rock voice. They assure fans that no matter what life's struggles may be, it’ll all pay off in the end.
I’m curious to know if you’re familiar with The Growlers music prior to this conversation and/or what you think of this song! It is definitely my favorite of theirs, maybe tied with “Black Memories,” another one I strongly feel you will enjoy as well. (No pressure, of course!)
The indie rock genre has slowly crept to the top of my most listened to genres, making bands like The Growlers a vital part of my playlists.
The vibe of these kinds of songs remind me of walking through the trees at a pretty fast pace, on my way to class with big headphones on. Try to picture that while you listen to the song, it’s a pretty fun image.
I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do. I’m curious to know what Gen X thinks of present day rock music like this.
Steve’s Perspective
The Growlers are mostly new to me too, outside of randomly popping up on playlists here and there.
I listened to a few of their track after you told me about how much you liked them, and I really liked what I heard. Funny enough, “Going Gets Tough” was one that stuck out—probably because it reminds me of music I heard growing up near the beach in SoCal.
It has indie rock energy, but the Reggae-inflected guitar and laid back vocals give it a real “sand between your toes” feel. Like the afternoon sun won’t set for another couple more hours, but you and your friends already built a bonfire and you’re passing an acoustic guitar around.
I guess their music gets jokingly described as “Beach Goth,” which makes sense since there is a contemplative element to their sun-soaked party music. In that way, it kind of reminded me of Sublime’s “Badfish.”
That’s probably not a perfect comparison (or maybe too obvious?), but I hear some similarities. And maybe I little overlap in the lyrics:
Here’s a snippet from “Badfish”:
Ain't got no money to spend
I hope the night will never end
Lord knows I'm weak
Won't somebody get me off of this reef?
And here’s a similar one from “Going Gets Tough”:
No home since the fire
Me and the ash can't settle down
I'm sure of where I'm bound
So I sink another round
And, of course, my old punk rock-loving brain immediately thinks of The Clash whenever I hear punk/indie rock and Reggae combined in this way. Their catalog is full of great songs, but this was always one of my favorites:
More than anything, I love the picture you painted of listening to “Going Gets Tough” while wandering around campus.
It was a long time ago for me, but I still remember the feeling you’re describing. Some of my all time favorite songs are the ones that first wormed into my ears during college, like “Gigantic” by Pixies or “The Concept” by Teenage Fanclub.
That’s a longwinded way of agreeing with you that there’s definitely something magical about having your own soundtrack playing as you live your life. Anybody can listen to the same songs, especially these days, but the personal experiences and feelings you attach to them are all your own. Sometimes for the rest of your life.
Thanks for sending a great song!
Loved that band until they were called out as abusers during the Burger Records implosion.