Football and poetry may seem like an unlikely pair to write a song about, but that’s exactly what The Glorious did with their track “The Last Game of the Season.” This moody and nostalgic acoustic rock song, featured on their new album Kings, uses the football season as a symbol for young love.
The music video for the song includes a quote from poet John Dryden: “Beware the fury of a patient man.” It’s an interesting way to introduce the lyrics of a song about meeting your teenage love at the football field one last time. It’s as if the band is giving us a secret clue into who they are and how they approach their art, foreshadowing the song’s happy ending and telling us that the love we wait for is the most precious.
The Glorious also mentioned that the song was inspired by the high school drama “Friday Night Lights,” where the concerns that dominate teenagers’ lives are very real and deeply experienced—first loves, uncertainty about the future, pressure to meet expectations, and the passionate love for your football team.
It’s refreshing to see artists acknowledging the works that inspire them. We can only imagine how many TV shows and movies have gone uncredited as the inspiration behind our favorite hits. Although a 2018 song about “Friday Night Lights” may seem surprising, The Glorious is remixing and representing familiar emotions that are incredibly relatable. By sharing their songwriting process, they have made their track even more authentic and relatable. If you’re someone who loves football, Connie Britton, and poetry, you’ve found your new anthem.
“The Last Game of the Season” sounds like the kind of tune that softly plays as an episode of an all-American TV show rolls the credits. It prompts listeners to reflect not just on the song itself but on themselves. It may not be the kind of song you mindlessly sing along to in the car, but it’s definitely the kind of song you add to your thoughtful/ambiance playlist on Spotify.
The pressure to meet expectations mentioned by The Glorious is palpable throughout this folksy track. The band frequently repeats the lyrics, “Once we leave here we can’t look back.” If that sense of desperation sounds familiar, it’s because you either are or have been a teenager. As an adult, you may find yourself overthinking your past and “looking back” quite often, and that feeling is all too real. It unleashes a flood of memories.
However, lead singer David Mathers adds a necessary perspective by the end of the song. He reminds us that, in hindsight, young love is always bittersweet but absolutely worth it. “The Last Game of the Season” is not just another young-and-in-love song. It matures with each verse. Despite the sense of urgency it conveys — that now-or-never feeling of being a teenager — the penultimate stanza of the song takes a sweet and dreamy turn:
“Once we came here
And now we go back
And I’ve been with you
For all these years”
It may be predictable, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. The Glorious tells a story that so many of us are fortunate enough to know. The song is easy-listening, and while it may lack originality, it compensates with honesty.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this song is the group that performs it. The Glorious, who wrote this thoughtful tune about two classically American things — football and “Friday Night Lights” — are from Melbourne, Australia. They romanticize the sound of the mid-southern American experience in a way that evokes nostalgia for those who know it and whimsy for those who don’t. It’s refreshing to hear a perspective that takes us back to simpler times, both in our culture and our own lives.
To listen to “The Last Game of the Season” and discover more from The Glorious, visit Capturing Fantasy.
