“Olde Gold” is the newest single from the Portland, Oregon band, Sherbet Tone. With the title’s inclusion of the vestigial ‘e’ on the end of old it seems to want to invoke a feeling of a time long gone. Once the music kicks in, you are treated to something that could easily be a 60’s pop classic. Perhaps another attempt at conjuring thoughts of the past. The first verse then sets the stage for the story of the song. This is a memory filtered through nostalgia, and it is in conflict with the reality of the present. The rest of the song tells the tale of a guy who is head over heels in love with a girl. After a long night of hanging out and drinking, he tries to get the nerve up to tell her how he feels but ultimately fails, choosing to blame it on being too intoxicated to say the right words. Instead, he sits for the entire train ride in silence. The song mentions ‘the Max,’ which is the name of the light rail in Portland. The song ends with the line ‘silence is old gold, that lazy hearts can hold.’ I believe this lyric is said in the present and spoken with the clarity of hindsight. He knows now that the inaction of his ‘lazy heart’ brought him regret by choosing to sit in silence rather than having the courage to tell this girl how he felt. I am honestly quite obsessed with this song, the music, the vocal performance, and the lyrics. It all works together to paint an extremely vivid picture of a moment frozen in time that is packed full of joy, love, longing, and regret. The gauntlet of emotions that this song runs you through is impressive and leaves listeners feeling a little vulnerable in the end.
Written by David Robison
