Songwriters everywhere face a common conundrum. How do you cover musical ground that’s been trodden by numerous others for years and years? In other words, how do you say what’s been said time and again?
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When you hear a song that manages to accomplish that sought-after novelty, it’s a good sign that the writer is something special. At a relatively tender age, MJ Lenderman found a way to achieve this immensely difficult task on the song “TLC Cage Match”.
Not That Kind of “TLC”
North Carolina native Mark Jacob Lenderman, like many other aspiring musicians, got his start relatively early in the game. He was playing guitar in grade school and recording his own songs in his teens.
He took his initials as his stage name in part because, as a high school basketball player, he idolized Michael Jordan. Lenderman played on the records of others and also latched on with the band Wednesday. All the while, he continued to record and release his own music on tiny labels.
All very promising stuff, but it didn’t prepare folks for the brilliance of his 2022 album Boat Songs. On that record, Lenderman displayed a truly unique songwriting style. He dropped surprising pop culture references and nods to other songs. In the midst of all that, he had a sneaky way of delivering emotional jolts.
“TLC Cage Match” exemplified this approach. In the song, Lenderman makes extended references to professional wrestling. But even if that’s not your thing, his world-weary delivery and lyrical cleverness easily convey his point about how the romantic wildness of youth can easily progress to self-destruction.
Exploring the Lyrics of “TLC Cage Match”
For those who might not be pro wrestling experts, a “TLC Cage Match” is a particularly brutal type of match that was once popular when wrestling relied heavily on shock, chaos, and high-impact, potentially damaging stunts. “It’s hard to see you fall like that,” Lenderman moans at the start of the song. “Though I know how much of it’s an act.”
Those lines demonstrate the deft line that Lenderman walks in the song, as his words continuously suggest multiple meanings. For example, saying “it’s an act” can obviously refer to the scripted nature of pro wrestling. But it also suggests that the person the narrator is addressing is acting the part of a daredevil to draw people to him.
Similarly, the line “Where all things go” is something that the announcer of such matches might have said to promote the anarchy of it all. But it also refers to the brevity of youth. “Well, baby, all our heroes now are dead” could hint at the premature deaths of wrestling stars. Or it could just be the narrator trying to talk some sense into his wayward friend.
When Lenderman sings the line “That’s why you do what you gotta do,” he does so with the same melody and lyrics of a 60s song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded most popularly by Johnny Rivers. But it’s doubtful that Webb and Rivers would have ever considered using a refrain of “And I know why we get so f***ed up” to get their points home.
“TLC Cage Match” is a revelation of a song. You’ll likely find yourself making all kinds of connections to the lyrics, connections that might be entirely different from the person listening next to you. And you’ll likely walk away deciding you need to hear more from MJ Lenderman.
Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage
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