Separation Sunday is the second studio album by the American indie rock band the Hold Steady, released on May 3, 2005, through Frenchkiss Records. A concept album, Separation Sunday follows the interconnected stories of several fictional characters: Craig (the narrator), Holly (short for Halleluiah), a sometimes addict, sometimes prostitute, sometimes born again Christian or Catholic (and sometimes all three simultaneously); Charlemagne, a pimp; and Gideon, a skinhead, as they travel from city to city and party to party.[1]
Separation Sunday is lyrically dense, full of Biblical allusions,[2] self-reference[3] word play, and puns.[4] Vocalist/songwriter Craig Finn typically delivers these lyrics in a distinct flavor of sprechgesang.
Musically, Separation Sunday touches on elements of Classic rock: guitar solos, riff-based structures, use of piano and organ, and guitar harmony. Structurally, however, most songs eschew the standard verse-chorus-verse song structure, frequently foregoing choruses or refrains altogether. In a review of the album, Blender described the Hold Steady as "sound[ing] like the best bar band in the world."[5]
The album cover was photographed at the corner of Maspeth Avenue and Conselyea Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[6]
The song "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" was featured on the video game Tony Hawk's Project 8.
^All three characters made appearances on the band's previous album, Almost Killed Me, and reappear in "First Night", and "Same Kooks" on Boys and Girls in America, and then again in "Ask Her For Adderall", a bonus track from Stay Positive.
^NPR : 'Cattle and the Creeping Things' by The Hold Steady
^In "Don't Let Me Explode," when Holly is asked about Charlemagne, "she just smiled all polite-like and said something vague"; in Almost Killed Me's closing track, "Killer Parties," the narrator instructs listeners, "If they ask about Charlemagne/Be polite, say something vague"
^In "Stevie Nix": "She got screwed up by religion/she got screwed by soccer players"
^The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday (2005): Reviews
^Gridskipper: New York City Album Covers[permanent dead link]
SeparationSunday is the second studio album by the American indie rock band the Hold Steady, released on May 3, 2005, through Frenchkiss Records. A concept...
Blender's 2006 "Band of the Year". The band released its second album, SeparationSunday, on May 3, 2005. It is a loose concept album following the exploits...
The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious...
album roots are further explored with the recurring characters in SeparationSunday, the Hold Steady's second album, which uses the same characters introduced...
The lead track "Hornets! Hornets!" on the Hold Steady's 2005 album SeparationSunday references Bones Brigade with the lyrics "She's got those Bones Brigade...
"Separation of church and state" is a metaphor paraphrased from Thomas Jefferson and used by others in discussions regarding the Establishment Clause and...
Alternate mixes of the first three tracks subsequently appeared in the SeparationSunday LP, with the notable exception of "212 Margarita". All songs were...
made up of songs from the band's albums Almost Killed Me (2004), SeparationSunday (2005), Boys and Girls in America (2006), and the then-forthcoming...
Ngwako (27 February 2022). "Yengeni files for divorce after years of separation". Sunday World. Retrieved 1 April 2023. "SPCA investigates Yengeni for animal...
producer of the band's debut album, Almost Killed Me, and its follow-up SeparationSunday. Vocalist and guitarist Craig Finn states that Baltulonis is "a real...
mentioned Algren in the song "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night" from the SeparationSunday album. The first line of the song is "Nelson Algren came to Paddy...
Eleven years into Sunday's evangelistic career, both he and his wife had been pushed to their emotional limits. Long separations had exacerbated his...
Go-Betweens Oceans Apart Rock LO-MAX Records, EMI The Hold Steady SeparationSunday Indie rock, post-punk revival, heartland rock Frenchkiss Joe Perry...
Ngwako (27 February 2022). "Yengeni files for divorce after years of separation". Sunday World. Retrieved 1 April 2023. Ms Lumka Elizabeth Yengeni at People's...
Mal': A tale of a'Kendaraya'". Sunday Times. Retrieved 19 September 2019. "Monara Kirilli: Story of love, separation". Sunday Times. Retrieved 26 September...
was replaced by Sunday as a result of three apostate influences in the second century: anti-Judaism, arising from the church's separation from the synagogue;...
The 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and State (French: Loi du 9 décembre 1905 concernant la séparation des Églises et de l'État) was...
Songs: Modesto Is Not That Sweet b/w "You Gotta Dance (guest) (2005) SeparationSunday (2005) Live at Lollapalooza 2006: The Hold Steady (2006) Live at Fingerprints...
1995). On 5 February 2001, the couple's spokesperson announced their separation. Cruise filed for divorce two days later, and their marriage was dissolved...
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is...
Long, Camilla (4 March 2012). "Aftermath: On Marriage and Separation by Rachel Cusk". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 22 November...
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