The song “WALLS” from Kings of Leon 7th studio album is very different compared with their hits “Use Somebody” or “Sex On Fire” as predominantly is performed with an acoustic guitar accompanied by piano, some sporadic electric guitar effects and a calm drum beat. As a side note the song WALLS gives title to the album and in fact broke their concept of 5 syllables album title, which prevailed during their first 6 records. But as well WALLS stands for “We Are Like Love Songs” accounting still for 5 syllables but I guess “officially” the trend was over.
The sound of the drums at the beginning is like listening to a heartbeat where 10 seconds later a guitar chord makes its appearance giving immediate sense that something special is about to be heard. The background piano gives a calm and peaceful vibe to the entire song in which you can easily imagine yourself walking on a landscape surrounded by nature while listening to it.
A powerful phrase on the song is “When the walls come down” which can have so many meanings to each person but I like to think about it as when you are facing something challenging; you name it, but after dealing with it and succeed is when finally the walls come down. As well this is exemplified on the lyrics “One by one I’ve seen them fall, Some just don’t show up at all, I’m just here to fight the fire, Oh a man ain’t a man unless he has desire”.
Usually, when they perform this song live they maintain a slow pace but at the end they make a change to a fast rhythm; a nice twist between tranquility and excitement. As of now the band is finishing their 8th studio album and while we wait for it, let’s do it patiently while listening to WALLS, either the song or the entire album.