Five Positive Jams – Number Three: Stay Positive, by the Hold Steady

The Hold Steady has always possessed a knack for combining gritty imagery with relentless determination.  Known for their self-referential songwriting, themes from the band’s entire canon emerge in this one single tune. In fact, a seasoned Hold Steady listener (there's a devoted fan base dubbed the Unified Scene) will recognize many of lead singer Craig Finn’s callbacks to earlier songs: Massive Nights, Positive Jam, and How a Resurrection Really Feels.

But at its core, this song is a love letter to fans, with Finn sincerely concluding, “We couldn't have done this if it wasn't for you.”

​Although each self-reference may not entirely resonate with new listeners, it is the inspiring chorus that preaches a universal message. And with a song title after my own heart, Craig Finn truly delivers the song's mantra by chanting, “We gotta stay positive.”

Whoa-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh!

Stay positive,
Andrew