One Headlight was listed in 2000 as one of the “100 Greatest Pop Songs of All time” by both MTv and Rolling Stones Magazine. The song is by LA’s rock band The Wallflowers and won them two Grammy’s for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song.
Jacob Dylan, the band’s vocalist, wrote the song and had this to say about it:
I tend to write with a lot of metaphors and images, so people take them literally. The song’s meaning is all in the first verse. It’s about the death of ideas. The first verse says, ‘The death of the long broken arm of human law.’ At times, it seems like there should be a code among human beings that is about respect and appreciation. I wasn’t feeling like there was much support outside the group putting together the record. In the chorus, it says, ‘C’mon try a little.’ I didn’t need everything to get through, I could still get through – meaning ‘one headlight.
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I was lucky to watch them play the song live at the Corona Capital Music Festival in Mexico in 2012.
One Headlight @ Corona Capital 2012
“Well it smells of cheap wine & cigarettes, this place is always such a mess”
Tower 88 