“Familiar Faces” by Two Connors

 

     “Familiar Faces” merges two storytelling approaches that are compelling on their own but become especially potent in tandem. In their song, Two Connors craft an aural portrait of their hometown, and in doing so unreservedly name names that bring the subject matter to life.
 
     Writing about one’s hometown radiates nostalgia that’s found relatable, even by listeners who have never visited the city. In the Indie Universe, our favorite is "Feather on the Clyde," in which Passenger crafts a lyrical painting of his childhood city of Glasgow. Looking back some decades, other hometown songs include:
   “Mainstreet” - Bob Seger
   “My Little Town” - Simon & Garfunkel
   “My Hometown” - Bruce Springsteen
   “Small Town” - John Mellencamp
But the song from Two Connors is most closely aligned with “My City Was Gone” by The Pretenders, since both sets of lyrics lament the changes to the city. As Two Connors state, “This ain't the town we knew.”
 
     As noted, “Familiar Faces” doesn’t shy away from identifying people by names, although we suspect that actual names are avoided for legal and sensitivity reasons. Other examples of naming names in lyrics include:
   “Walk on the Wild Side” by Lou Reed
   "People Who Died" by The Jim Carroll Band
   “We're All Gonna Die!!!” by Baby FuzZ
   “Pepper” by Butthole Surfers
   “Strange Friends” by little image
  “The All Encompassing Need To Say Goodbye” by My Best Unbeaten Brother
 
     Two Connors are brothers Danny and Callum Connor. Their song is about Oldham, a hamlet in Devon, England.
 
     “Familiar Faces” by Two Connors

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Lyrics of “Familiar Faces” by Two Connors
The town that I call Oldham, so many characters I've seen
When a cold pint in the Scruples bar was a localer's big dream
And the lads all in the stolen cars of a run-down 1.4 Capri
 
From drinking on the corners with Pete Taylor and Craig Lindsay
When Spanner and Pete Grimley were hiding shotguns in the chimney
Oh, well, some hard times in this town, but it's the place that we loved
 
And Mick Taddy's in the pub again, and he's barred from every boozer
And the Durker Hotel's round again, we never thought much of the future
Oh, no, if I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a single thing
About these stories we wrote, 'cause that's when we were young
 
This ain't the town we know, this ain't the town we knew
Them young guns coming through, and I know that times are changing
But I still don't feel the same way that I do
When I'm here thinking of you and familiar faces
 
This ain't the town we know, it just don't feel like home
'Cause all of my friends that I grew up with, most are dead and gone
And I'm holding on to pictures in my mind
Just wanna spend the night with you and familiar faces
 
Well, the town that I call Oldham was born on childhood memories
And the legends' names are carved in stone on the graves in the cemeteries
We were singing to the Irish songs on the fairy tales of Yorkshire Street
 
And Glyn Gardner's in the cells again for doing grows up in his home
And the police outside of Pat's old house at 16 Pripy Road
Oh, no, some hard times in this town, but it's the place that we loved
 
And the council tax keeps going up, destroying our estates
The pubs we spent the good nights in are just buildings gone to waste
Oh, there were times I used to hold your hand and go see our favourite place
Those memories will live a lifetime once again, 'cause that's when we were young
 
This ain't the town we know, this ain't the town we knew
Them young guns coming through, and I know that times are changing
But I still don't feel the same way that I do
When I'm here thinking of you and familiar faces
 
This ain't the town we know, it just don't feel like home
'Cause all of my friends that I grew up with, most are dead and gone
And I'm holding on to pictures in my mind
Just wanna spend the night with you and familiar faces
 
Familiar faces
Familiar faces
Familiar faces
Familiar faces