"Niki FM" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Hawthorne Heights Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band formed in Dayton, Ohio in 2001. Originally called A Day in the Life, their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Matt Ridenour (bass, backing vocals) and Mark McMillon ...

. "Niki FM" was released to radio on September 27, 2005 as the second single from their debut studio album, '' The Silence in Black and White''. It peaked at #40 on the ''Billboard''

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart. A demo version of the track was included in the re-issued version of ''The Silence in Black and White''. According to JT Woodruff, he wrote the song after reading critical reviews about the bands he liked, and fearing that Hawthorne Heights would suffer from the same fate, hence the line, "They're waiting for us to fall". It is also his most personal song, and his favorite track to play live.

Composition and music

The song's bridge features a

screaming A scream is a loud/hard speech production, vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including h ...

section performed by late guitarist Casey Calvert. A staff writer at ''

Worcester Magazine ''Worcester Magazine'' is a weekly free alternative media magazine in Worcester, Massachusetts. History Established in 1976, the magazine is distributed at more than 400 locations across Central Massachusetts. It is published weekly on Thursda ...

'' described the screams as "the gentle sound of the backup singer strangling, at length, twice. ..Presumably he’s choking on a bitter lump of

unrequited love Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep affection, or may consciously reject it knowing that the admirer admires them. Me ...

Music video

The song and music video contain several references to the 1989 movie '' Say Anything...''. The music video begins with Woodruff singing the first verse during his graduation speech at "Hawthorne Heights University", whilst noticing his female interest rubbing the leg of a boy in the audience. After the graduates traditionally toss their hats into the air, the chorus plays and the scene changes to a graduation party, where the same female approaches Woodruff and kisses him. The band is also shown performing in front of a mansion. The scene changes to Woodruff having dinner at the female's house with her and her father. The father becomes angry and throws tea in Woodruff's face before an argument occurs. The scene changes to the female's bedroom, where she's lying in bed and smoking. The video then shows Woodruff in his bedroom, tearing a picture of her in two. He falls asleep and dreams about her. The scene changes back to the female's bedroom, where she notices Woodruff standing outside of her window, holding a radio (hence the line, "I'm outside of your window, with my radio."). The female walks away, seemingly turning Woodruff down. Kris Waldbillig, guitarist of Cincinnati

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band Mint 6 Ten, makes a cameo appearance in the video. Female played by Nikol Soluski.

Personnel

*JT Woodruff -

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

*Matt Ridenour -

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

*Eron Bucciarelli -

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

*Casey Calvert -

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

unclean vocals Vocalists are capable of producing a variety of extended technique sounds. These alternative singing techniques have been used extensively in the 20th century, especially in art song and opera. Particularly famous examples of extended vocal techniq ...

*Micah Carli -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niki Fm 2005 singles Hawthorne Heights songs 2004 songs