Tropic Morning News (2023) – The National

It became a song about having a hard time expressing yourself, and trying to connect with someone when the noise of the world is drowning out any potential for conversation.
– Matt Berninger

I like the manic and restless nature of this song. It expresses a whirlwind of confused emotions and, as the song progresses, it builds in intensity. His scrambled thoughts keep pace with the growing vigour of the music, becoming even more frenetic.

Matt Berninger had been struggling with severe depression, which resulted in writer’s block. Tropic Morning News became the turning point that allowed the band to continue work on their next record, First Two Pages of Frankenstein.

Guitarist and pianist Aaron Dessner recalled: “When Matt came in with that song in the depths of his depression, it felt like a turning point for us. It’s almost Dylan-esque in its lyrics and it’s so much fun to play; everything suddenly felt like it was coming alive again.”

You can sense his frustration throughout this song. I was so distracted then / I didn’t have it straight in my head, he sings in the chorus. It’s as though he’s half talking to himself and half to another person, someone he feels he has let down. The term “tropic morning news” was coined by Berninger’s wife, Carin Besser, to refer to the practice of doomscrolling; the information overload caused by incessant exposure to the world’s bad news.

Tropic Morning News has this alluring, poppy rhythm that keeps circling back, while slowly building as if something big is about to happen. Overall, I’d describe The National’s music as mood pieces. Tropic Morning News has a surprisingly cheerful beat, glossing over the rather sombre lyrics. I find it engaging and relatable. It’s like discovering an inner state of happy sorrow in their sound.

Their music takes you on a trip rather than just beating out a by-the-numbers ‘gotcha’ chorus. One analogy I could use is that it’s like floating in the sea, rising and falling with the waves, while the current gently carries you along. There’s no resolution, no final destination, or great epiphany. It just meanders, like his thoughts as they come to him.

I’ll be over here lying near the ocean
Making ocean sounds

The National’s music might not hit on the first listen, but there’s typically something cool in the song that entices you back for repeated listens, each one building on the last. I find that some of their music, at least the songs I’ve presented here, has a way of etching itself into your skin. Sometimes you simply want to feel more deeply, and it’s good music to hear now and then when you want to feel more reflective and a little less alone.

---

After the cancellation of The National’s touring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band members retreated from each other. Lead singer and lyricist Matt Berninger released the solo record and, worked on film scores and classical compositions. 

Work on a ninth National album was initially stalled while Berninger navigated “a very dark spot where I couldn’t come up with lyrics or melodies at all. Even though we’d always been anxious whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end.“

Tropic Morning News was the lead single from the National’s 2023 album First Two Pages of Frankenstein. It included collaborations with Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens, and Taylor Swift. Additionally, they embarked on a world tour in 2023, with opening acts including Soccer Mommy, The Beths, and Bartees Strange.

[Verse 1]
I wasn’t starting yet
I didn’t even think you were listening
I wasn’t ready at all
To say anything about anything interesting
It’s a thing you have
You just don’t know that you do it
You wait around in a conversation
While I get in and start stumbling through it

[Chorus]
I was so distracted then
I didn’t have it straight in my head
I didn’t have my face on yet or the role or the feel
Of where I was going with it all
I was suffering more than I let on
The tropic morning news was on
There’s nothing stopping me now
From saying all the painful parts out loud

[Verse 2]
Got to my feet
Feeling that I’d let you down
Wanted to say it slow and perfect
But it all somehow got switched around
Something went off on its own
My dumb, automatic chit-chat
It’s not what I meant to say at all
There’s no way you can attach me to that

[Chorus]
Got up to seize the day
With my head in my hands feeling strange
When all my thinking got mangled
And I caught myself talking myself off the ceiling
I was suffering more than I let on
The tropic morning news was on
There’s nothing stopping me now
From saying all the painful parts out loud

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, where are all the moments we’d have?
Oh, where’s the brain we shared?
Something somehow has you rapidly improving
Oh, what happened to the wavelength we were on?
Oh, where’s the gravity gone?
Something somehow has you rapidly improving

[Bridge]
You found the ache in my argument
You couldn’t wait to get out of it
You found the slush in my sentiment
You made it sound so intelligent
You can stop and start an athlete’s heart
How do I feel about it?
I would love to have nothing to do with it
I would like to move on and be through with it

[Verse 3]
I’ll be over here lying near the ocean
Making ocean sounds
Let me know if you can come over
And work the controls for a while

References:
1. The National – Tropic Morning News (When the Horn Blows)
2. First Two Pages of Frankenstein – Wikipedia