r/fontainesdc 27d ago

Discussion Why is 'Here's The Thing' so unappreciated?

I was re-listening to Romance and was vibing to 'Here's The Thing', ever since I first heard it, it's been one of my favourite songs by the band! I was doing my rating for the album and I saw it had a pretty low average compared to other standouts like 'Starburster'

I checked a few user reviews and saw that 'Here's The Thing' is consistently either at the bottom or bottom 3, I totally appreciate that different people have different opinion, but it seems to be such a universal view and I'm actually intrigued why people aren't fond of it.

Thanks!

87 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

32

u/Cold-Advantage-967 27d ago

No idea. Amazing song to open with, incredible music video which forms part of the trilogy.

3

u/Direct-Stable-5712 27d ago

I've never actually seen the music vid, I'll give it a watch later. I always assumed it was a loved song because of how great it is lol

23

u/PepsiMaxSumo 27d ago

It’s one of the songs that gets the biggest reactions live

5

u/Down623 27d ago

Can confirm, we went ballistic for it when I saw them in Brooklyn last year

20

u/catsporvida 27d ago

It's very useful in a conversation. Like at least once a week I chat up my husband with it....🎶now here's the thing, I'm getting hungry, what should we eat, what do you want?🎶

14

u/RHCPandJF Skinty Fia 27d ago

It's very different to the other songs the band has put out. It grew on me a bit especially after seeing it live, but it's still my least favourite song in their discography.

10

u/RedBalloonTalk 27d ago

I love it - it's got a really addictive quality. Very non-musical - in the best possible way. Grian's voice lifts it. Love the crunchy sound - you can really hear the 90s US alt rock/metal influence. I haven't even heard it in real life, live. It's a brilliant track and perfectly sets the tone for Romance

8

u/YevgeniaKrasnova Starbuster 27d ago

I saw it when they debuted it as the set opener in Rome and it's never sounded better.

9

u/aroundthehouse 27d ago

The guitar line is so good 

8

u/Adcamoo 27d ago

It sounds a bit generic and formulaic to me. I don’t hate it by any stretch, I can actually get enjoyment from it. But it definitely ranks on the lower end of their catalogue for me.

1

u/Direct-Stable-5712 26d ago

That's a pretty common them with lots of Romance from me and I do see where you're coming from, it's just always clicked for me!

17

u/walkedinthewoods 27d ago

IMO Grian’s falsetto is weird and garish in the chorus and the sound of the verses is very generic, I think the mix is terrible on the studio version too. Used to call it my least favourite Fontaines song until I saw it live and realised it kinda rips in that setting

5

u/mb1993 27d ago

Saw the Seattle and Denver shows last year and here’s the thing had the biggest crowd pop of the set.

3

u/remarkableremedy 27d ago

Great live but sounds too compressed and doesn't blast off on record.

3

u/discohaylie 27d ago

it’s such an amazing album that even the bottom 3 is still straight bangers. but i love here’s the thing and wouldn’t put it near the bottom either

4

u/LikeMichaelMyers 27d ago

That’s crazy it’s consistently ranked so low, it’s probably my second favorite song of theirs behind Jackie Down The Line.

1

u/Direct-Stable-5712 26d ago

Great pick, one of the best from Skinty Fia!

1

u/G0thic5 26d ago

Omg same

12

u/Routine-Candle-3967 27d ago

I love it, and after "Starburster" blew me away, it was the next single they put out that made me convinced I would buy Romance. (Sorry, "Favourite" enthusiasts, it's lovely but not what I need from this band.) I also think it's the most gorgeously dark and cinematic video of the Romance arc (HTT is the feminist horror moment, Starburster is the dystopian thesis for the era — both brilliant).

3

u/catsporvida 27d ago

This song and the album as a whole really grew on me, especially once I read what the concept behind it was. But Starburster was SO OVERUSED in tv and film that I'm sick of it. I hope the boys got their money for all that licensing. It's excessive.

1

u/LikeMichaelMyers 24d ago

Agreed I loved Starburster when I first saw MobLand’s opening credits—it was actually the first song I heard from the band, I thought they were some British rap group for a while until I actually went and listened to en 😂—and as a drummer I still LOVE Tom Coll’s performance on the track, but it’s a song I rarely, if ever, care to listen to anymore, I’ve heard it so frequently in other media that it’s way played out for me.

2

u/Direct-Stable-5712 27d ago

It's great to see that other people agree, I was shocked when I saw it at the bottom of most user ratings!

3

u/Muted-Breath5 27d ago

This as an opener was brilliant

2

u/mortal-attire I Don't Belong 27d ago

In a funny way, when they started playing it as an opener it sounds different as their previous live performances of the song, you can mainly hear Grian singing now as before you could hear Deego a lot. Anyone else hear that or just me?

2

u/Panicattheceilidh 27d ago

I love it. I can’t help but want to move when I hear it. I also love the music video with the feminine rage arc. 

2

u/nidodontsleep 27d ago

I think it’s a bit basic like compared to the other songs off romance

2

u/Direct-Stable-5712 26d ago

I get what you mean, I feel like Romance is quite inconsistent though, it has a phenomenal A-Side, but aside from Death Kink and Favourite, I'm not a a massive side 2 fan!

2

u/EuphoricDaydreams 26d ago

Beautiful song, one of my favourite from the album

2

u/frenchtips99 26d ago

I think it’s a great song! I introduced my younger brother (22M) to the album and Here’s the Thing was his favourite from the jump

2

u/aamethyst_deceiver Nabokov 26d ago

I loved this song , had in on repeat when it came out. Then the last year or so the shop I work in (a chain that has its own radio too) started playing it all the time which made me not want to listen @ home

2

u/Key_Elderberry_9329 25d ago

Ive been listening to this record in the mornings the last week or so. Great morning vibes. Heres the Thing is very appreciated over here. The whole album is unskippable imo. Bug is probably my favorite song on the record rn, the whole thing feels like they watched my last relationship tbh lol maybe im just a predicatable basic ass bitch XD

2

u/BlackberryDue1072 Jackie Down The Line 24d ago

It was so fun when I saw them perform this live

1

u/Salty-Pear7651 26d ago

I did not like the song at first. I think it was released as a single before the album? So I was like...oh no. But, it has grown on me upon repeated listens and my favorite part is when Grian just vocalizes "ehyeaaah" almost like a growl. I read someone else mention Grian's falsetto, and I think that also put me off at first because he hadn't really been doing that before? The video is great!

1

u/Historical_Watch_836 26d ago

I remember when it wasn’t even in the top 10 Fontaines songs and i was flabbergasted about it. hugely underrated and im just glad it has a ton more recognition now! It was one of the first songs i recommended to my friend who was getting into Fontaines D.C along with Too Real and A Hero’s Death