“My Way, Soon” by Greta Van Fleet

Greta Van Fleet is a rock band from a city in Michigan called Frankenmuth. As of the year 2019, the entire population of Frankenmuth is estimated to be less than 6,000 people. It is a small farming community in the truest sense of the word. 

So when this band puts a song speaking to the concept of venturing out into the world at large, this is something they have actually experienced. For since their local beginnings Van Fleet have gone on to win a Grammy and establish themselves as platinum-selling artists.

Verse 1

And that would logically be what they’re alluding to, in a roundabout way, in the first verse of “My Way, Soon”.  Or more specifically Van Fleet has toured the world. And they really don’t come off as being the stay-in-your-hotel-room type of guys. 

Or even if they are, they’ve seen sights nonetheless, such as “endless miles of shantytown in Sao Paulo”. Those are the types of settings that most Americans never even remotely come across in their entire lifetimes. 

So dudes have really seen “so many places” and all types of different people, more so than we can presume the average citizen of Frankenmuth has.

Verse 2

Then the second verse speaks to the type of spirit which led them to venture forth in the first place. And again, it’s kinda that small-town longing, if you will, to go out and see the world. 

Well, even more generally it can be equated to a youthful ambition to set forth into the unknown and explore. That is to say that the singer’s mind isn’t so much preoccupied with how he’s going to survive on this mission. 

Indeed he intends to “bear no load”, as in not burden himself with possessions that would hinder him from reaching the “many miles far yonder” that he has yet to cross.

Chorus

And in the chorus he lets it be known actually what his goal is, which is “freedom”.  So he’s ‘packed his bags’ and is ready to bounce. And he knows that this decision he has made, i.e. ‘choosing the road’, is not a conventional path or a normal way people tend to conduct themselves. 

But he has “sacked the rules”, as in the societal norms which he was brought up under and instead is living his own “way”, as the title suggests. Or rather, he does in fact have a couple of rules to guide his journey. One is not to have any rules. And secondly, he wants to enjoy a life “with no burden”.

What “My Way, Soon” is all about

At the end of the day, despite this song centering on a reality that Greta Van Fleet has and is still living through, ultimately it can be said to be based on an ideology. 

After all living the life of a famous touring musician, as enjoyable as it may be, isn’t necessarily living burden free. But we get the drift anyway. And that is the second half of this song in particular reflecting the kind of vision which probably inspired the homeys to pursue this type of profession – an unconventional decision in and of itself – in the first place.

Greta Van Fleet

The members of Greta Van Fleet, as of this song’s dropping, are Josh Kiszka (vocals), Jake Kiska (guitar), Sam Kiszka (bass guitar) and Danny Wagner (drummer). All three of the Kiszkas are brothers, with Josh and Jake being twins. Concurrently Josh and Jake are both 24 years old, Sam 21 and Danny 22.

Up until this point Greta Van Fleet have only released one full-length album, “Anthem of the Peaceful Army” (2018). But concerning the Grammy Award mentioned earlier in the article, it was actually for an EP they dropped in 2017, “From the Fires”, which earned them a Best Rock Album trophy in 2019.

Release Date of “My Way, Soon”

Meanwhile this particular track is the lead single from “The Battle at Garden’s Gate” (2021), the groups second full-length album. And this is a project that is being brought to us by Republic Records and Lava Records. The single itself was released in October of 2020.

Several other singles followed “My Way, Soon” in support of the album in question. One such prominent singles was “Broken Bells“.

Chart Performance

As far as individual songs go, Greta Van Fleet’s most-successful to date, in terms of the number of countries it charted in, has been 2018’s “You’re the One”. Their most-successful in terms of certifications has been “Highway Tune” (2017), which has gone platinum in Canada. 

Both of those songs topped Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. Indeed that particular feat is one that the band has pulled off quite regularly, having done it five times between 2017 and 2020.  In addition to the two above-mentioned tracks they also achieved Mainstream Rock number ones with “Safari Song” (2017), “When the Curtain Falls” (2018) and this very tune, (“My Way, Soon”).

“My Way, Soon” also appeared on three other Billboard charts (Rock Airplay, Rock Songs and Rock Digital Song Sales), in addition to peaking at number eight on the Canada Rock chart.

Writing Credits for “My Way, Soon”

The entirety of Greta Van Fleet, as a singular entity, is credited with composing this song. And its producer is Greg Kurstin.

Concerning the title of this track it is actually meant, in a joking kind of way, to rhyme with “Highway Tune”.