Shelf in the Room
Encyclopedia
"Shelf in the Room" is a song by Days of the New
and the third and final single
from their self-titled debut album
. The song reached #3 on Billboard
's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1998 and is a concert staple. "Shelf in the Room" is also the first track on the band's Definitive Collection
released in 2008.
While perhaps not as popular as other singles from the album, "Shelf In The Room" is regarded for its engaging acoustic guitar
melody and serves as the opening track. The song utilizes the basic instrumentation heard throughout the album but also features a vocal distortion during the chorus. Lyrically, the song often refers to a key
and tends to vaguely describe emotional stability and isolation. The shelf is considered a means of security with the chorus line, "The shelf in the room has been so true/I can hide in the shelf in the room." It is also described as "holding me, and letting me stay." These themes are illustrated through the song's music video.
for "Shelf In The Room" bears the rural
and color aesthetics depicted in the album art of Days of the New. It focuses on a troubled adolescent boy, likely a reflection of Days of the New frontman Travis Meeks
. He is first seen glaring through the display window
of an antique store before shattering it with his fists. The store owner comes out to yell at the boy who carelessly leaves. He is then shouted at by a man on the street and barked at by a dog, all of whom appear in a motion blur
. Later on, the boy is surrounded by older kids who begin taunting him. He is chased out of town and into the woods where he finds solace in a small wooden building. While appearing no bigger than an outhouse
from its exterior, inside is a large empty room. The boy places items he has obtained, including a set of old keys, a dead bird's feather, and shards of glass, on a shelf. He then sits curled up on a chair in the middle of the room.
Throughout these scenes, the band is shown performing in a wooden building with a shelf bearing various strange items that Meeks examines while he sings. He also uses a telephone device to perform the distorted vocal effect during the chorus. Meeks does not perform guitar in the video with the exception of the solo
. He is also seen sitting on the floor under direct lighting much like the young boy. Items showcased on the shelf include a 19th century photograph of a bearded man, an old photograph of two women wrestling, a gold Buddharupa
, a glass jar of billiard balls, a wired gadget with an eyeball, an insect anatomy chart, and a severed porcelain doll arm giving the love gesture.
Days of the New
Days of the New is an American alternative rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1995. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Travis Meeks and a variety of supporting musicians...
and the third and final single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from their self-titled debut album
Days of the New (album)
Days of the New is the debut album of world music/post-grunge band Days of the New, and the first of their three self-titled albums. The album was released in 1997 through Outpost....
. The song reached #3 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1998 and is a concert staple. "Shelf in the Room" is also the first track on the band's Definitive Collection
Days of the New: The Definitive Collection
Days of the New: The Definitive Collection is a compilation album by acoustic rock/world music band Days of the New. It contains all of their singles as well as a few select tracks from the first three albums.-Track listing:# Shelf in the Room...
released in 2008.
While perhaps not as popular as other singles from the album, "Shelf In The Room" is regarded for its engaging acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
melody and serves as the opening track. The song utilizes the basic instrumentation heard throughout the album but also features a vocal distortion during the chorus. Lyrically, the song often refers to a key
Key (lock)
A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to...
and tends to vaguely describe emotional stability and isolation. The shelf is considered a means of security with the chorus line, "The shelf in the room has been so true/I can hide in the shelf in the room." It is also described as "holding me, and letting me stay." These themes are illustrated through the song's music video.
Music video
The videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Shelf In The Room" bears the rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
and color aesthetics depicted in the album art of Days of the New. It focuses on a troubled adolescent boy, likely a reflection of Days of the New frontman Travis Meeks
Travis Meeks
Travis Shane Meeks , is an American musician, and is the lead singer, guitarist and song writer for acoustic rock band Days of the New.-Early life and career:...
. He is first seen glaring through the display window
Display window
A display window is a window in a shop displaying items for sale or otherwise designed to attract customers to the store. Usually, the term refers to larger windows in the front façade of the shop...
of an antique store before shattering it with his fists. The store owner comes out to yell at the boy who carelessly leaves. He is then shouted at by a man on the street and barked at by a dog, all of whom appear in a motion blur
Motion blur
Motion blur is the apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a still image or a sequence of images such as a movie or animation. It results when the image being recorded changes during the recording of a single frame, either due to rapid movement or long exposure.- Photography :When a camera...
. Later on, the boy is surrounded by older kids who begin taunting him. He is chased out of town and into the woods where he finds solace in a small wooden building. While appearing no bigger than an outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
from its exterior, inside is a large empty room. The boy places items he has obtained, including a set of old keys, a dead bird's feather, and shards of glass, on a shelf. He then sits curled up on a chair in the middle of the room.
Throughout these scenes, the band is shown performing in a wooden building with a shelf bearing various strange items that Meeks examines while he sings. He also uses a telephone device to perform the distorted vocal effect during the chorus. Meeks does not perform guitar in the video with the exception of the solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
. He is also seen sitting on the floor under direct lighting much like the young boy. Items showcased on the shelf include a 19th century photograph of a bearded man, an old photograph of two women wrestling, a gold Buddharupa
Buddharupa
Buddharūpa is the Sanskrit and Pali term used in Buddhism for statues or models of the Buddha.-Commonalities:...
, a glass jar of billiard balls, a wired gadget with an eyeball, an insect anatomy chart, and a severed porcelain doll arm giving the love gesture.
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
Year |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
22 | 1998 |
| Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
3 | 1998 |
External links
- "Shelf in the Room" Music Video @ YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....