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Buried Treasures: Ringside, "Tired Of Being Sorry"

Geffen Records

Welcome to Buried Treasures, a new series at The B-Side where we dig back and listen to some older songs that we heard on Studio One in years past. Please send your suggestions for Buried Treasures to studioone@iowapublicradio.org.

Sometimes, as a music fan, you're excited and eager to jump in and discover something that's new to you. Other times, you're in the mood for a deep dive into the back catalog of an artist you're already in love with. And then there are those times that you just want to say "Hey, I sort of remember them!", and that's what we're doing today with Ringside. 

The Hollywood-based indie rock/electronic band Ringside was founded by musician Scott Thomas and also features actor Balthazar Getty, who specialized in producing beats for the band. They released their self-titled debut album in 2005, achieving some success with the song "Tired Of Being Sorry":

It's a super catchy song, but in a low-key way, and Thomas' vocals are appropriately angsty: he actually sounds weary and exhausted. There's also a bit of a "unreliable narrator" thing happening here: we don't know what sort of event might have preceded the line "Maybe you were right/but baby I was lonely". The next line in the chorus, "I don't want to fight/I'm tired of being sorry", implies that they've been here before and will be again.

Two years later, Thomas' friend Enrique Iglesias recorded the song for his album Insomniac. Thomas produced the single for Iglesias, which became a long-running chart success in France. Let's compare the two:

Still catchy, but the chorus is too big, and while that probably makes it better suited for singing along in a large venue, it just doesn't sound like we're sitting in on an actual fight between a couple.

Ringside have released two more albums and an EP, all on their own label with the most recent being 2015's Fiend For You. Ringside are still working on new music and performing, and Thomas continues to collaborate with Iglesias.

Tony Dehner is an award-winning Senior Music Producer, host and writer for Iowa Public Radio Studio One. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Iowa. Dehner has worked for over two decades bringing the best AAA music to IPR's audience, and is a passionate believer in the Iowa music scene — after all, every musician was a “local musician” at the beginning of their career!