FAWM: "1001 Things You Must Regret Before You Die"

1001 Things You Must Regret Before You Die

2 weeks ago by @vomvorton

NSFW

Liner Notes

Hey look I actually wrote a song! @frenchcricket and I have been working through the (deeply flawed, still fun) 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die book / list. There are similar books for movies, beers, a ton of other things - I thought it might be fun to apply the formula to misery, anxiety and regret. Hell yeah.

I bought a guitar cab and a couple of cool tiny amp heads before this FAWM and the non-fuzzy guitars here are the first recordings I've done with them - very pleased with how they sound!

#janglepunk

Lyrics

haunted by the past? or daunted by the future?
those old wounds won't heal if you keep gnawing at the sutures
and you know (you know) you know (you know)
that time just keeps repeating and you know (you know)
when the bruises fade you're due another beating

don’t pretend that you don’t need this
you’ve always tried to pride yourself on being a completist
so hold your head up high
you've still got a thousand things you must regret before you die

waking up at 3am to stare into the void
dwelling on the memories you wish had been destroyed
and you know (you know) you know (you know)
you wish you had forgotten but you know (you know)
it's hard to shift the smell when things go rotten

don’t pretend you don’t need this
you’ve always tried to pride yourself on being a completist
so hold your head up high
you've still got a thousand things you must regret before you die

forgetting your keys
forgetting your lines
remembering that one stupid thing that you said that one time
a missed connection
a missed opportunity
a bizarre chain of events that ended in public nudity
falling over in the street
falling asleep on the bus
walking into a door and getting mildly concussed
being late for the beginning
having to leave before the end
thinking somebody’s waving at you, but they had just seen a friend
not picking up on some subtext
not picking up on some supertext
not understanding at all and just feeling perplexed
overthinking it
overdrinking it
fuck it fuck it fuck it

hold your head up high
you've still got a thousand things you must regret before you die

Comments

@afterschoolclub 2d

Yeah , those guitars sound great! That chorus with the crunchy guitar progression is a bit of ear worm. Some of those changes are fruity too - like that! Liking the lyrical concept as well. Nice work once again!

@sapient 1w

Oh yes, oh yes, OH YES!
Awesome janglyfuzz and wonderful lyrics.
And an earworm too..
I bloody love it. 🤩

@sailingmagpie 1w

Mrs Magpie and I have been going through that book for quite a while now (we're up to 1986), so I'd be interested to hear your take on it (bit of a mixed bag imo). Also, you've written a song...

Nice jangly arpeggios and the spoken word list is a great touch. I'm getting a bit of a Blur vibe on the choruses. I think it's that chord change on the third line.

@ayeahmur 1w

This rocks. So many cool things! Love the hard panned guitars swapping over in the verse, the warbly synth line and that beefy, catchy chorus. Really cool.

@normalsorrow 2w

What up, Vom. I usually go as fineexcuses on here, but things have changed. I love the escalating mid section. Some very tasty chord progressions in there too, the kind I wish I could make work with a melody, but it's beyond my grasp.

@loveonamixtape 2w

Oooh yes yes yes. Came for the new Vom tune, stayed for the brilliant title, rocked out to the catchy-ass rawk. The guitars sound great! The chord progression on the chorus is excellent, and I LOVE the guitar arpeggios after the second chorus and under the spoken word, absolutely terrifying, anxiety-inducing list of things that I will absolutely be repeating to myself as I try to go to sleep tonight, loll. WHICH reminds me! Very clever lyrics as per usual -- love the oof-y viciousness of "you’ve always tried to pride yourself on being a completist." And the spoken word section really works great, and has a tremendous build -- like, it truly was starting to give me anxiety, but in a good way? Anyway, great stuff!

@owl 2w

Ooh this is so fun and catchy! Those guitars do sound great! What did you use on which parts? I especially like the sound of the jangly clean one going into that cool breakdown. Love the chorus chord progression, and these lyrics are so cleverly crafted, the future/suture rhyme is particularly fun.

@tfish77 2w

Came for the title, stayed for that tasty guitar lick. Dog the echoes on "you know," and then the fuzzy guitar that kicks in for the chorus. Nice harmonies, too!

@thedutchwidows 2w

Are your new neighbours as pleased as you are about your new tiny amps and cab? I guess it's one way to test how good the sound insulation is between you and them. It's a cracking tune, guitars sound great, vocals/lyrics are superb (chef's kiss for the 'you know' BVs) and I really like the structure with the long talky/singy bit that ends with repeated use of the 'f' word in a very satisfying way. There are few things in life I like more than swearing, though apparently I'm too prudish to actually write the 'f' word here.

@freshspotlessyouth 2w

The title alone had me chuckling mordantly. This is classic VV: catchy, funny, dark. I love the "completist" line. This one definitely belongs on your greatest hits album.

@communitykickabout 2w

Oh yes that chord sequence in the chorus and that guitar overdrive-y-ness. Love the you know backing vocals on the bridge. The end bit goes a bit maximi.park and I am all for it, like the synthetic and the feeling of space in there. Grand stuff.

@autoclamp 2w

Unexpected and delightful rhymes throughout... "future" and "sutures" just to kick things off. The mounting intensity during the spoken part is absolutely delicious. Love it!

@scottmcb 2w

Love the jangly verses into that fuzzy 90s altrock chorus. The title is absolutely great.

@jimdgreen 2w

love this - oh the only bits that aren't perfect are the bits that are better for it.

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again - when I grow up I want to be @vomvorton (is there a song title in that? )

@balancelost 2w

I can feel the spirit of Jarvis being channeled somewhere in this. I really like the spoken bit. I also like that there's a push and pull in this between the regret and the fuck it.

@bradbrubaker 2w

This is like "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" for those of us with anxiety. The "need this / completist" when in tandem with the (brilliant!) title line. Absolutely mellifluous.

@skylermf 2w

This is such a creative concept! I love the chorus, and tying it to “being a completist” to hammer it in was a fun choice. I also love the picked part before the bridge - speaking of, the bridge is my favorite, I love the idea of culminating this with the list of regrets itself.

@adforperu 2w

Ah yes, those guitars *do* sound great. Excellent power-pop indeed, and if I may throw the Coxon comparison back at you for that chorus progression.. it fucking rocks! The spoken-word bit is cool but i lose some of the lyrics as the instrumental gets louder, an easy March fix if yr bothered. Both this and the Jed song I just listened to jump into the upper echelon of FAWM 2025 songs for me

@miltz 2w

Oh, this is great. Guitars sound good (clean and fuzz). I really like the "you know (you know)" bits.

And I've got quite a few of these checked off.

@frenchcricket 2w

Ha! The psychology of 1001ing really is breaking our brains in good ways. That is some excellent janglefuzz. I really like the guitars throughout, they sound so loud, and yet so tiny. That chord progression in the chord progression is so alt-90s coded. You and @owl posted powerpop songs today. I’m glad powerpop is having a moment. But how DARE you make me want more amps.

@thelowestbitter 2w

I refuse to get involved with this self flagellating 1001 albums nonsense but at least this song has come out of it. Some really cool things in this, I like the call and response (you know)s a lot, and the almost speak-sung final verse is great. Instrumentation wise so much cool stuff going on, the jangly guitars do sound very nice and then when things get fuzzier in the chorus it's very reminiscent (to me) of Modern Life Is Rubbish era Blur, very Coxon-esque