I became an EMT in 1995, and had more trouble getting it right in my first job than I thought I would. After 2 years of trouble and stress it finally clicked on a summer night shift in 1997. Warm night in the city. Chilled out partner. Dinner was first on the agenda after truck check. This song (acoustic version) was on the ambulance stereo. I can still hear the dispatcher's "occasional" voice in the background. No pressured vocal tones, just chilled and total minimization of his airtime. This song was the theme for the first time something big clicked, confidence kicked in, and I was still in college thinking that was the biggest challenge life could possibly produce.
There are boatloads of people producing music like this today, they just aren't considered "pop" so don't get anywhere near same level of airplay they would have back then
There's a certain sadness and desperation to this song that you don't realize you can sympathize with until it's too late, and you're the one guilt stricken and sobbing with your head on the floor.
Absolutely. I was 16 years old when this song came out and I haven't heard since I was like 18 or 19. I'm now 44 years old sitting here with two Ex-Wives five daughters just as many tours of duty in Afghanistan just as many bullet holes in me that have scarred over and what I would give to go back and do it all over again the right way. The fucking tears... They won't stop. It's been so long since I've heard this. And I'll tell you it hits like a fucking sledgehammer now. I thought it was a good tune back in the day. Didn't really get it I mean I was 16.... Oh believe me I get it now. It's a little bit late...... But somehow I'm still here. Listening to this just letting the tears fall. 😭
If I could rewind back to when this topping the charts...back when I was capable of emotion and it all hadn't fallen apart yet. Still waiting for that time machine.
Brings me back to my freshmen days in college sitting inside my car in the parking lot watching as the world played out around me. Very nostalgic indeed.
This my preferred version of this song. It is very hard to find it. It reminds me of Prom 1997 and my freshmen year of college. Thank you for posting it.
This was the only version I ever heard! Loved hearing it on various alternative format radio stations back in the mid-90s. I remember back in the mid-2000s when streaming was finally becoming a thing and this was one of the first songs I looked up on Comcast Rhapsody, later Rhapsody, then (bought out by/merged with) Napster. They only had the official, harder-rocking version, which is nothing special despite being very well played, etc. I remember feeling as though I had been cheated. Finally, years later, it appeared on UA-cam. This will always be the go to definitive version for me.....
This takes me back to 1997 when I met this girl in person from AOL. We had a strong connection and a few Brief Encounters between where I lived and she did. Long-distance eventually tore us apart and things went bad. A lot of the alternative songs from this time remind me of her and this one especially. I miss those days.
I cant tell you how many songs I shared with this girl on Yahoo when we were in middle school, we were best friends till after highschool, but nothing more.. I miss those good times,, but life is still good because of the music and the memories
@@ananda_miaoyin no, that’s not it. You’ve just become old and sound like the same old people that used to annoy you. I’m turning 40 soon, so this isn’t a kid saying this to you. Boomers said the same things about the music, trends and things you liked when you were a kid and now here you are doing the same.
@@Kravis63 You are correct. It appears each generation laments some of the things that progress, technology and innovations bring just because they are different to what they are used to. In this case, my lamentations are for things more objective - like musical ability. We are not far in age between us and I am hoping you can appreciate the years an artist will spend perfecting ones' craft to bring a truly exemplary display of musical prowess to bear versus some dude dorking around with a DAW basically photoshopping an album that would be impossible to perform in a live setting. By the way, old people did not annoy me when I was a child. We learned to respect the wisdom that (generally) comes with age. I learned far more from the mistakes of others than my own experiences. So you may take your presumptions of me and shove them straight into your ass.
I caught this version recently on the radio and this felt so new after all these years of hearing this song easily hundreds of times throughout my life. Awesome i found it here.
This reminds me of summer '97 when it was on the radio and I was in the car with my mom going through the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts. It fit well with the slow driving in the rural area for two city gals.
For the life of me, I cannot remember, what made us think that we were wise and we never compromised. For the life of me, I cannot believe, we'd ever die for these sins! We were merely FRESHMEN!
This is the most tonally appropriate version of this song, IMHO. The other versions I’ve heard don’t seem to capture the mournfulness of this song’s themes as appropriately as this.
When I was young I knew everything And she a punk who rarely ever took advice Now I'm guilt stricken, Sobbing with my head on the floor Stop a baby's breath and a shoe full of rice, no I can't be held responsible 'Cause she was touching her face I won't be held responsible She fell in love in the first place For the life of me I cannot remember What made us think that we were wise and We'd never compromise For the life of me I cannot believe We'd ever die for these sins We were merely freshmen My best friend took a week's Vacation to forget her His girl took a week's worth a Valium and slept Now he's guilt stricken sobbing with his Head on the floor Think somebody now and how he never really Wept he says I can't be held responsible 'Cause she was touching her face I won't be held responsible She fell in love in the first place For the life of me I cannot remember What made us think that we were wise and We'd never compromise For the life of me I cannot believe We'd ever die for these sins We were merely freshmen We've tried to wash our hands of all of this We never talk of our lacking relationships And how we're guilt stricken sobbing with our Heads on the floor We fell through the ice when we tried not to Slip, we'd say I can't be held responsible 'Cause she was touching her face And I won't be held responsible She fell in love in the first place For the life of me I cannot remember What made us think that we were wise and We'd never compromise For the life of me I cannot believe We'd ever die for these sins We were merely freshmen For the life of me I cannot remember What made us think that we were wise and We'd never compromise For the life of me I cannot believe We'd ever die for these sins We were merely freshmen We were merely freshmen We were only freshmen
When I got this album, this is the version that was on it. IMO-still the far better version. Similar situation to the original version of "Broken" by Seether
Nope. This is the '96 recording that was on the first release of Villains. It was rerecorded a third time, and that's the hit. All future copies of the album had that one.
As someone else said, this is a great version of the song, but it's not accoustic. The guitar is clearly not an acoustic guitar, and it's plugged in. :)
....no. It's not. I bought this album the day it was released. This was on the first pressing, and was replaced with the new version everyone has heard a million times on all subsequent pressings.
Guess what, dude. I ditched school to buy it the day it came out. It has the shitty version on it. Don't tell me they only sent first pressings to some areas and not others.
Not gonna argue, but from Wikipedia: The song first appeared, in acoustic style, on their 1992 album I've Suffered a Head Injury. It was recorded a second time and released on the band's 1996 album, Villains. Later that year, the band recorded the song again, this time with the producer Jack Joseph Puig,[4] for release as a single in January 1997.[5] Subsequent pressings of Villains replaced the original album version with the single version. "The Freshmen" peaked at number 5 in the United States.
![The Verve Pipe - The Freshmen [Original Acoustic Version] [I've Suffered A Head Injury] [Track #10]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/d8N5o2ryROc/mqdefault.jpg)
I became an EMT in 1995, and had more trouble getting it right in my first job than I thought I would. After 2 years of trouble and stress it finally clicked on a summer night shift in 1997. Warm night in the city. Chilled out partner. Dinner was first on the agenda after truck check. This song (acoustic version) was on the ambulance stereo. I can still hear the dispatcher's "occasional" voice in the background. No pressured vocal tones, just chilled and total minimization of his airtime. This song was the theme for the first time something big clicked, confidence kicked in, and I was still in college thinking that was the biggest challenge life could possibly produce.
Death is hard to face everyday. I know.
Very thoughtful comment.
You were merely a freshman...
No one writes songs like this anymore. Such raw pure emotion
Cindy Perez Roberts agreed..
Completely agree.
There are boatloads of people producing music like this today, they just aren't considered "pop" so don't get anywhere near same level of airplay they would have back then
No they don't....
@@Kuypers125Agreed. Anytime some starts saying "they don't make good music anymore" my response is "You're not looking hard enough."
There's a certain sadness and desperation to this song that you don't realize you can sympathize with until it's too late, and you're the one guilt stricken and sobbing with your head on the floor.
Right?! You said it perfectly! 👏
Been there, done that.
He wrote it after his girlfriend had a abortion.
Absolutely. I was 16 years old when this song came out and I haven't heard since I was like 18 or 19. I'm now 44 years old sitting here with two Ex-Wives five daughters just as many tours of duty in Afghanistan just as many bullet holes in me that have scarred over and what I would give to go back and do it all over again the right way. The fucking tears... They won't stop. It's been so long since I've heard this. And I'll tell you it hits like a fucking sledgehammer now. I thought it was a good tune back in the day. Didn't really get it I mean I was 16....
Oh believe me I get it now. It's a little bit late...... But somehow I'm still here.
Listening to this just letting the tears fall.
😭
Guilt, like most emotions, is useless.
If I could rewind back to when this topping the charts...back when I was capable of emotion and it all hadn't fallen apart yet. Still waiting for that time machine.
+Steve Celestino man oh man do i know what youre talking about. Do me a favor- If you ever do get that time machine, look me up?
Will do unless it just shocks your crotch like in Napoleon dynamite.
I hope that 4 years later, you have found peace in your soul.
Love this version of the song. So hard to find.
Imagine knowing these guys... wait... I do... 🤣🤣🤣
Couldn’t agree more. It’s not even on spotify
@@JK-kx7he If you grabbed the first run of the Villains CD, this is the version that was on it. My CD has this version.
@@gallsgher1030 imagine it actually means something 😂😂😂
@@NapalmDawn is it this version or a different acoustic version that sounds almost.. "folk-y" ?
Brings me back to my freshmen days in college sitting inside my car in the parking lot watching as the world played out around me. Very nostalgic indeed.
yes!
this song meant everything when it came out. 18 years later, it's still beautiful.
This my preferred version of this song. It is very hard to find it. It reminds me of Prom 1997 and my freshmen year of college. Thank you for posting it.
This was the only version I ever heard! Loved hearing it on various alternative format radio stations back in the mid-90s. I remember back in the mid-2000s when streaming was finally becoming a thing and this was one of the first songs I looked up on Comcast Rhapsody, later Rhapsody, then (bought out by/merged with) Napster. They only had the official, harder-rocking version, which is nothing special despite being very well played, etc. I remember feeling as though I had been cheated. Finally, years later, it appeared on UA-cam. This will always be the go to definitive version for me.....
Brings back memories. Makes me want to grab a beer and chill under the blue sky
take me back to the 90s god no I phones no complexity
This is way much better version than the music video. I miss the 90's...
I miss the 90's as well. Good times, good movies, good music; just and all around fun decade.
1997 delivering pizza in chicago illinois little village with my pops as a kid. This song reminds me of that
Amazing how a song like this can bring back a flood of emotions and good memories.
. Yes Brother
the emotions in this song is the purest I've ever heard.i love my 90s heritage and I will love this song on my death bed
Man, this song always gets to me...
How I love the Music I grew up with.
This is an awesome tune...Just excellent.
I remember hearing this version play over the radio once ages ago. Haven't ever been able to find it since. Thanks for posting it!
thanks for posting this version. couldnt find it anywhere else. i wish it was on spot.
Takes me back to the days I struggled through college...broke but happy... Sigh.. Sweet sad memories... :)
This takes me back to 1997 when I met this girl in person from AOL. We had a strong connection and a few Brief Encounters between where I lived and she did. Long-distance eventually tore us apart and things went bad. A lot of the alternative songs from this time remind me of her and this one especially. I miss those days.
I cant tell you how many songs I shared with this girl on Yahoo when we were in middle school, we were best friends till after highschool, but nothing more.. I miss those good times,, but life is still good because of the music and the memories
What happened to her?
Haven't heard this version in 2 decades. Life facts, when music lived lessons for you . Great song, better acoustic!
Been looking for this version for a while now. My favourite version and Spotify still doesn't have it. Thank you for posting.
So glad I graduated in the early 90´s. Last chance for awesome music. No autotune, no internet. No pikachus, either. Just skills.
Amen
How very boomer sounding of you
@@Kravis63 GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!!
We are Gen-X ers but understand where the Boomers are coming from.....sometimes.
@@ananda_miaoyin no, that’s not it. You’ve just become old and sound like the same old people that used to annoy you. I’m turning 40 soon, so this isn’t a kid saying this to you.
Boomers said the same things about the music, trends and things you liked when you were a kid and now here you are doing the same.
@@Kravis63 You are correct. It appears each generation laments some of the things that progress, technology and innovations bring just because they are different to what they are used to. In this case, my lamentations are for things more objective - like musical ability. We are not far in age between us and I am hoping you can appreciate the years an artist will spend perfecting ones' craft to bring a truly exemplary display of musical prowess to bear versus some dude dorking around with a DAW basically photoshopping an album that would be impossible to perform in a live setting.
By the way, old people did not annoy me when I was a child. We learned to respect the wisdom that (generally) comes with age. I learned far more from the mistakes of others than my own experiences.
So you may take your presumptions of me and shove them straight into your ass.
Wow...haven't heard this one in a long while....amazing....memories
I caught this version recently on the radio and this felt so new after all these years of hearing this song easily hundreds of times throughout my life. Awesome i found it here.
Maaaan who’s listening 2024!!
exactly the version i was looking for! tnx!
This my all time 90s song. For the life of me i cant remember if anyother song comes close to this masterpiece
I'm in love with his voice!!
This reminds me of summer '97 when it was on the radio and I was in the car with my mom going through the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts. It fit well with the slow driving in the rural area for two city gals.
Fantastic sound! they have always been great! :D
All of us we held in freshman relationship nothing sweetier as the moments passed by😥
Love this version!!!
The only version to me it's elite compared to the other
I always like acoustic versions of every song back in the day
Me too!
Unbelievable great song, it's impeccable
THUMBS UP 90'S
Still 1 of the greatest guitar riffs ever
I always hear this song on my favorite radio stations back in high school... Bring back memories... sarap pakinggan ❤️
Beautiful
Still listening at 2019 💞
Timeless😍
Love this song! Love this band! Ah, my teenage years & yes I'm telling my age lol
Young whippersnapper haha. I was 20 or so when it came out in 97
i really like this song.....
Listening in 2023 from Oak Cliff, TX ❤
The acoustic version hits extra hard on the heart and soul. Oh, to go back to 1997.....I was in college, 21 years old, and thought I was invincible.
wow...back in high school
great!
Nov. 2, 2022
this is the very version I love most.....better than original version reallyyyyy
I simply liked it very much, acoustic version is way much better than the original one 😊😊😊😊
For the life of me, I cannot remember, what made us think that we were wise and we never compromised. For the life of me, I cannot believe, we'd ever die for these sins! We were merely FRESHMEN!
I love this song still in 2024
This is the most tonally appropriate version of this song, IMHO. The other versions I’ve heard don’t seem to capture the mournfulness of this song’s themes as appropriately as this.
Alternative rock!!!
This version was released. I have it on the villains album. I need to look through my old CDs and see if I can find it.
Can’t this version in spotify!
I hope they have this in spotify
Boyce Avenue does a cover of this. It doesn't just cover it, it smothers it!
Such a great song!! Like this version better tho...
True it's angelic
Totally agree!
When I was young I knew everything
And she a punk who rarely ever took advice
Now I'm guilt stricken,
Sobbing with my head on the floor
Stop a baby's breath and a shoe full of rice, no
I can't be held responsible
'Cause she was touching her face
I won't be held responsible
She fell in love in the first place
For the life of me I cannot remember
What made us think that we were wise and
We'd never compromise
For the life of me I cannot believe
We'd ever die for these sins
We were merely freshmen
My best friend took a week's
Vacation to forget her
His girl took a week's worth a
Valium and slept
Now he's guilt stricken sobbing with his
Head on the floor
Think somebody now and how he never really
Wept he says
I can't be held responsible
'Cause she was touching her face
I won't be held responsible
She fell in love in the first place
For the life of me I cannot remember
What made us think that we were wise and
We'd never compromise
For the life of me I cannot believe
We'd ever die for these sins
We were merely freshmen
We've tried to wash our hands of all of this
We never talk of our lacking relationships
And how we're guilt stricken sobbing with our
Heads on the floor
We fell through the ice when we tried not to
Slip, we'd say
I can't be held responsible
'Cause she was touching her face
And I won't be held responsible
She fell in love in the first place
For the life of me I cannot remember
What made us think that we were wise and
We'd never compromise
For the life of me I cannot believe
We'd ever die for these sins
We were merely freshmen
For the life of me I cannot remember
What made us think that we were wise and
We'd never compromise
For the life of me I cannot believe
We'd ever die for these sins
We were merely freshmen
We were merely freshmen
We were only freshmen
Better than the rerelease, but both are good
I was a freshmen when this song came out. I really think this my favorite one this song.
Nanda Rox aww how old are you??
YellowChocolate 35. Graduated in 2000.
Nanda Rox i miss the good old Days
YellowChocolate Me too. Music today is nothing like what we had in the 90s. It was raw emotions and ours!
Nanda Rox i agree before they spoke from their heart n soul n did it with ease
When I got this album, this is the version that was on it. IMO-still the far better version. Similar situation to the original version of "Broken" by Seether
I never heard it until for some reason it came on the radio about 4 months ago, and I have been obsessed ever since
@@jrmcbabyface This is what was on the original pressing of the albums. My CD has this version.
incredible song...i will be 51 in less than a month... this is good music. not like the shit today...
This is the unreleased original recording from 1992. The radio version wasn't recorded and released as a single until 1997.
Love this.
Nope. This is the '96 recording that was on the first release of Villains. It was rerecorded a third time, and that's the hit. All future copies of the album had that one.
So ahead of their time.
@@brightredbulb Unfortunate - this is my favorite version.
*This* is the original recording from 1992. I don't like it.
ua-cam.com/video/3Ht-sYBulJk/v-deo.html
Terri, rest in peace.
i love this version of this song but something is wrong with the upload like its out of phase. Its the only place i can find this version now
Is that Tom Green on the left? Haven't seen that jokster in forever! lol
My father loves this song..
same, i love this music now:))
The superior version
This pic is so 90s. LOL
The best decade ;)
Komea kuin mikä!😍
❤️
💕💕💕 🔥🔥🔥 💕💕💕
A future thought control a past action.
🎉
💕💕💕💕 🔥🔥🔥 💕💕💕
Ame
January 9 2020 peace on earth
Boy this did not age well LOL
Why is this version not in Apple Music?
it's not acoustic. it's the original version.
How's it feel now? Being a graduate who understands compromise?
Wth, I had always sung the second line of the chorus " I cannot believe we ever had fortty cents" haha
Hahaha Same! 😂
This is the only version of this song that i love. The rest just sounds weird. Why is this not in spotify???
This version is the best version of the song...
As someone else said, this is a great version of the song, but it's not accoustic. The guitar is clearly not an acoustic guitar, and it's plugged in. :)
Why does the guy dead center in the polo look like Andrew Garfield with bleached hair
Ca still mad bout basketball
iTunes???
american pie brougth me here
For the life of me I cannot remember
Is this version possible to purchase?
Is this really acoustic?...
What does this song mean?
Where can I buy this version?
You can't, unless you somehow find a first pressing of the Villains CD
@@brightredbulb This isn't from the first pressing. This was a radio version recorded *after* Villains.
....no. It's not. I bought this album the day it was released. This was on the first pressing, and was replaced with the new version everyone has heard a million times on all subsequent pressings.
Guess what, dude. I ditched school to buy it the day it came out. It has the shitty version on it. Don't tell me they only sent first pressings to some areas and not others.
Not gonna argue, but from Wikipedia:
The song first appeared, in acoustic style, on their 1992 album I've Suffered a Head Injury. It was recorded a second time and released on the band's 1996 album, Villains. Later that year, the band recorded the song again, this time with the producer Jack Joseph Puig,[4] for release as a single in January 1997.[5] Subsequent pressings of Villains replaced the original album version with the single version. "The Freshmen" peaked at number 5 in the United States.
Amazing song, but this pic looks like the only band member absent from the shot was trting to hook up with Bella Swan
😢
Time warp
youtube his rap
Its not really Acoustic its the Studio D version
😂😊