I wrote this song in 1999 in a living room in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
At the time, I was obsessed with Billy Joel, and this was my tribute to his sound.
To be honest, East Brunswick wasn’t that bad. But I distinctly remember a feeling of needing to move onto my next chapter, and I distilled that feeling into the massive exaggeration of teen angst that is Addendale.
And golly do I love playing it on the piano. I imagine a younger version of myself playing Madison Square Garden.
Lyrics
I'd like to welcome you all to my hell, to my little two light town of Addandale My parents eradicate all of the fun in hopes that boredom will prevail The voice of my mom lodged in my head Say focus on GPA, pre-med But Jesus the existential dread Has left me attached to my hope by just one thread It's like I'm living on any given Sunday in the little two light town of Addandale The only kicks that I get are TV and opening up my sister's mail The voice of my dad lodged in my mind Says I would be leaving them all behind A thought to which I am quite inclined So how do I gracefully exit from this bind It's got to the point where my life's so dull That my brain just rots in its skull I can't be expected to grow here The pace of it all is to slow here There's no point grieving, I'm leaving today, farewell and good riddance Addendale Got places to go, got people to see, beyond your Rawlsian ignorance veil The voice of my heart explodes with rage Don't pity yourself, the world's your stage They can't keep you cooped up in this cage At sixteen years old, it's time to turn the page Yes I've paid my dues, and I've toed the line Decided it's my turn to shine I'm catching the first bus to glory I'm writing you out of my story