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The Plimsouls — A Million Miles Away
Album: Everywhere at Once
Avg rating:
6.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1019









Released: 1983
Length: 3:30
Plays (last 30 days): 1
Friday night I'd just got back
I had my eyes shut
Was dreaming about the past
I thought about you while the radio played
Should've got moving
For some reason I stayed
I started drifting to a different place
I realized I was falling off the face of the world
And there was nothing left to bring me back

I'm a million miles away
And there's nothing left to bring me back today

Took a ride and went downtown
The streets were empty
There was no one around
All the faces that we used to know
And all the places
We used to go
I'm at the wrong end of your looking glass
Just trying to hold on to the hands of the past and you
And there's nothing left to bring me back

I'm a million miles away
And there's nothing left to bring me back today
Comments (92)add comment
 jambo wrote:


for the main part, popular music was reinvented in the 60's and 70's.
notice how everything sounds throwback? what new sound will be given to the 2010's? bieber? country boy bands? arianda grande?  

rarely to the 50's or earlier and certainly NOT after Y2K.

the "me too" (sic) 80's was a wasteland decade that was of course, mirrored by the music of the day, mainly with exceptions of artists that carried over from previous decades and even they succumbed to that crappy disco, post disco shite. you can hear it in everyone from springsteen to even the mighty steve earle. 

tom petty  even admitted that they let drummer stan lynch go because he didn't have the "click" sound. sos did chicago. gawd. drummerworld has a long thread on the click. 

as it turns out it was a good move because petty got a bad ass drummer in steve ferrone. no click - he hits the pocket every time - hugely different than the "click". 

80's did more damage than good. hence, bad 80's music is rather redundant. coming out of the 50's, the 60's and 70's reinvented popular music and ROCK AND ROLL!

There was PLENTY of crap music in each decade. Tell me the Bay City Rollers of the 70s weren't crap for instance. 

I'll grant you this: the 80s likely endured more corporate control over popular music than the 70s did  and far more than 60s music had to deal with. But even with the excess of marketing and hype and canned drums, the 80s produced great bands and music. 

We will all complain, I think, that popular music is barely music anymore, that kids are listening to noise these days. I say it now (mostly about rap), but I remember telling off a friend's mother who wanted us to down "that noise"--Sergeant Pepper, actually. 




Those DRUMS!!!!
i love this one so much. thanks for playing it!!
One of the most 80's sounding songs ever  :-)
 jab49 wrote:

Similar riffs to the previous song Driver8 by REM. Clever programming? Serendipity? AI? Me just mistaken? Most likely the latter.



Nothing on RP happens by mistake or AI. It's all William The Master Mixer-Upper and his band of cherub helpers.
 scrubbrush wrote:

I have to confess; I used to come here to critisize songs that I didn't like. Now I just skip them.




Thank You!  That is what the skip button is for!   Just rate what you like, 7 or higher, then those tunes will be on your "My Favorites" mix!
I have to confess; I used to come here to critisize songs that I didn't like. Now I just skip them.

GOOD TUNE! ...brings back memories!
Anybody from the hair band era think this tune sounds like LA Guns?
Similar riffs to the previous song Driver8 by REM. Clever programming? Serendipity? AI? Me just mistaken? Most likely the latter.
Remember when i was 20, in 1983... A millions miles away but so close when i listen to plimsouls.
A 9. Plus one for their playful name. 🙂
solid 9.
7 for the song and another 2 because this is RP at it's best.
( playing obscure quality and not John Cougar or Counting Crows )
thanks Bill.


jelgator wrote:



I guess the great punk and hip hop of the 80's doesn't exist


vandal wrote:

I think you could distill jambo's opinion down to this: 80's bad, 50/60's good, let's rock.

My take away? Let's Rock! (long live the 80's)



60/70's was the shit really, but I am an old guy so that has definitely colored my taste.  (left the u out of coloured for those south of the 49th)
most excellent!  Nic Cage would be smiling
 jelgator wrote:


I guess the great punk and hip hop of the 80's doesn't exist 
 
I think you could distill jambo's opinion down to this: 80's bad, 50/60's good, let's rock. 

My take away? Let's Rock! (long live the 80's) 
YAY!  Plimsouls!
 jambo wrote:


for the main part, popular music was reinvented in the 60's and 70's.
notice how everything sounds throwback? what new sound will be given to the 2010's? bieber? country boy bands? arianda grande?  

rarely to the 50's or earlier and certainly NOT after Y2K.

the "me too" (sic) 80's was a wasteland decade that was of course, mirrored by the music of the day, mainly with exceptions of artists that carried over from previous decades and even they succumbed to that crappy disco, post disco shite. you can hear it in everyone from springsteen to even the mighty steve earle. 

tom petty  even admitted that they let drummer stan lynch go because he didn't have the "click" sound. sos did chicago. gawd. drummerworld has a long thread on the click. 

as it turns out it was a good move because petty got a bad ass drummer in steve ferrone. no click - he hits the pocket every time - hugely different than the "click". 

80's did more damage than good. hence, bad 80's music is rather redundant. coming out of the 50's, the 60's and 70's reinvented popular music and ROCK AND ROLL!
 

I guess the great punk and hip hop of the 80's doesn't exist 
Sounds a lot like Honeymoon Suite singer Jonnie Dee.
 Proclivities wrote:

You've apparently chosen to forget the smoldering wreckage of the 1960s and '70s.
 

for the main part, popular music was reinvented in the 60's and 70's.
notice how everything sounds throwback? what new sound will be given to the 2010's? bieber? country boy bands? arianda grande?  

rarely to the 50's or earlier and certainly NOT after Y2K.

the "me too" (sic) 80's was a wasteland decade that was of course, mirrored by the music of the day, mainly with exceptions of artists that carried over from previous decades and even they succumbed to that crappy disco, post disco shite. you can hear it in everyone from springsteen to even the mighty steve earle. 

tom petty  even admitted that they let drummer stan lynch go because he didn't have the "click" sound. sos did chicago. gawd. drummerworld has a long thread on the click. 

as it turns out it was a good move because petty got a bad ass drummer in steve ferrone. no click - he hits the pocket every time - hugely different than the "click". 

80's did more damage than good. hence, bad 80's music is rather redundant. coming out of the 50's, the 60's and 70's reinvented popular music and ROCK AND ROLL!
C L A S S I C
 gjr wrote:
"Valley Girl"  had one of the best 80's soundtracks EVER!!!  The movie had some amusing moments (like a 40 year old deborah foreman playing a teenager ;))  - but the music......
"dont let it get me.  dont let it get me. dont let it get me.  eaten by the monster of love"
and of course "melt with you"  

 
Valley Girl came out in 1983, and Deborah Foreman was born in 1962, so even though she wasn't a "teenager" she was no where near 40 years old!
First few bars made me think of Loverboy's "Everybody's Working for the Weekend". Not a good association...
 Katush wrote:
Sounds suspiciously like ; 1000 miles by Hoodoo Gurus 😼
 
If it helps alleviate your suspicious thoughts, this song was released about eight years before that song by The Hoodoo Gurus.
 WonderLizard wrote:
80s power pop: The Plimsouls, Tommy Keene, The Spongetones, Lets Active—and of course R.E.M.

 

 Katush wrote:
Sounds suspiciously like ; 1000 miles by Hoodoo Gurus 😼
 
Same type of comment appears in every song thread - ______ song "suspiciously" sounds like and/or is a "rip off" of at least one other song.

Sounds suspiciously like ; 1000 miles by Hoodoo Gurus 😼

Haven't heard this in years. Great tune, great album.

Bring me back today.....


Removing headphones. 
Always loved Peter Case and the Plimsouls. Saw them way back in Santa Maria where they evidently started out. They had so many great songs that it is unfortunate if not belittling that they are known only for this one. BTW, my band was supposed to open for them when I was in college, but we got nixed. The Bangles too.
80s power pop: The Plimsouls, Tommy Keene, The Spongetones, Lets Active--and of course R.E.M.
Almost forgot Peter Case did this way back then. His sound is so different nowadays.
great graphic piece on this album cover!  oh, and this tune does have that instant earworm effect....kinda cool
LOVE this sone. Valley Girl soundtrack was a big deal to me & my friends at the time.
 misterbearbaby wrote:
The mid-eighties are a burnt-over wasteland filled with smouldering wreckage like this. But there were some oases in 1983, to wit:

POLICE - Every Breath You Take
PRINCE - 1999
EURYTHMICS - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
MARVIN GAYE - Sexual Healing


 
You've apparently chosen to forget the smoldering wreckage of the 1960s and '70s, though you're not the only one here who is guilty of that.
For that lost girl out there I once loved. You know who you are.
The mid-eighties are a burnt-over wasteland filled with smouldering wreckage like this. But there were some oases in 1983, to wit:

POLICE - Every Breath You Take
PRINCE - 1999
EURYTHMICS - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
MARVIN GAYE - Sexual Healing

"Valley Girl"  had one of the best 80's soundtracks EVER!!!  The movie had some amusing moments (like a 40 year old deborah foreman playing a teenager ;))  - but the music......
"dont let it get me.  dont let it get me. dont let it get me.  eaten by the monster of love"
and of course "melt with you"  
 Jacksonstat wrote:
Awesome!! And now I must go home & watch Valley Girl.
 
Such a guilty pleasure, that movie. And yes, this song reminds me of it, too.
Goo Goo Dolls did a much better version of this song...a little more punk rock...when they were that way. Man I miss the old Goo Goo Dolls.
One from my 12inch days back at Tower Records on Broadway NYC!      Long time no hear....love it.
 ick wrote:

One of my favorite segues yet!
 
Yes, it worked very nicely.  And I love both songs, too.

Neil
 RipperP wrote:
Bill's on a jangly guitar run. Love it....Let's hear some Hoodoo Gurus.
 
Agree with that idea too.
 mrtuba9 wrote:
wow the segue from Driver 8 was instantaneous...nice, Bill!
 
One of my favorite segues yet!
wow the segue from Driver 8 was instantaneous...nice, Bill!
Bill's on a jangly guitar run. Love it....Let's hear some Hoodoo Gurus.
Thinkin these guys may have listened to The Saints back in the day.
Oh HELLS YES! 
Nice transition from R.E.M.'s "Driver Eight" to this one!
 kysmet wrote:

I was just coming here to post that I love this song and that it reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Valley Girl. 

 
 



Valley Girl. You know it. Think I saw it in the theater. Will always like this song.
Valley Girl    yep

It didn't age very well, but I still love it.
 Jacksonstat wrote:
Mine too, K :)
 
gmta. miss you!

 kysmet wrote:

I was just coming here to post that I love this song and that it reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Valley Girl. 

 
 



Mine too, K :)
 Jacksonstat wrote:
Awesome!! And now I must go home & watch Valley Girl.
 
I was just coming here to post that I love this song and that it reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Valley Girl. 

 
Always takes me somewhere else, to someone else. Play it, Sam.
I haven't heard this song in forever, and it's SO good!
Awesome!! And now I must go home & watch Valley Girl.
oh, i love this song. takes me back every time.
 RobRyan wrote:
So '80s, yet so good.
 
Yah, it's 80's, but it's rock and roll, not the synth-driven stuff that turned me off to most of what I heard in them days.

So '80s, yet so good.
 tpa29970 wrote:
This is in my top-5 songs of the '80s.  This song helped me realize that there's still great music to be made, even after Mozart, Beethoven, and The Beatles.  
 

Mozart, Beethoven, Beatles and Plimsouls. Really?
 mistermerp wrote:
Is it possible to hear this song and not think of Nicholas Cage in Valley Girl? 
 
Yeah, with that "V" shaped chest hair? 
What a goof! 
 Cynaera wrote:
What an AWESOME segué! "Driver 8" into this song - so sly and effortless, it could be one long song.  Bill, you're rather a genius.
 
Feel like I'm at a party back in 1983.

What an AWESOME segué! "Driver 8" into this song - so sly and effortless, it could be one long song.  Bill, you're rather a genius.
This is definitely a great memory springer!{#Cheers}
Great band.
 mistermerp wrote:
Is it possible to hear this song and not think of Nicholas Cage in Valley Girl? 
 
That's what I was coming here to ask but you beat me to it! Kudos to you, sir.

Wow, this song mixed so well with R.E.M.'s Driver 8...
 mistermerp wrote:
Is it possible to hear this song and not think of Nicholas Cage in Valley Girl? 
 
Not for me!

{#Bananajam}

from an 8 to a 9, just for the memories it triggers...
Is it possible to hear this song and not think of Nicholas Cage in Valley Girl? 
Wow.  Welcome to some serious 80's iconic music!
Going to see Peter Case here in Austin Thursday night, in support of his new album "Wig!"  {#Dance}
R.E.M.'s "Driver 8" into this is such a smooth transition. Kudos, Bill.
Bleak tune compared with Million Miles Away by the late rock guitarist Rory Gallagher...                               Ireland have his soul, we have his blues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnETs8UxPDA


I have this one on the "Valley Girl" Soundtrack — great bunch of songs on there

https://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ajfoxq8gldke

bump up one level to a 9...

Keep it coming, Bill.

 copymonkey wrote:
The jangly Rickenbacker being the link between the awesome "Driver 8" and this equally cool number?
 
Some Byrds (the source) next would rock...

Outstanding!
 mandolin wrote:
...wow, this really flows right out of driver 8...
 
Yep, great segue. Really driving, rocking number that makes it difficult to stay still at the workstation. Those clanging guitars really make it.  An easy 8 from the Nottingham jury.

This is in my top-5 songs of the '80s.  This song helped me realize that there's still great music to be made, even after Mozart, Beethoven, and The Beatles.  
...wow, this really flows right out of driver 8...
Nice to hear this again after far too many years. 
Peter Case is a brilliant songwriter-singer; more solo stuff too please; Flying Saucer Blues!
Sounds so 90's for an early 80's tune. 
The jangly Rickenbacker being the link between the awesome "Driver 8" and this equally cool number?

Would've pegged this for a Def Leppard B-side.
Nice to know where Bryan Adams got his sound. Ok it isn't nice to know that.
always think of the club scene in "Valley Girl" when I hear this one...
 RC_in_Bezerkeley wrote:
This song takes me a million miles away from my cube...
 

I thought these guys would hit it big the first time I heard this back in 1983. I was wrong obviously. I still love this tune, though. A 9 for me.
This song takes me a million miles away from my cube...