They released their first album, The Big Come Up, in 2002, followed by Thickfreakness in 2003, and Rubber Factory in 2004. October 2005 saw the release of the DVD Live, recorded live at The Metro Theatre in Sydney, Australia March 18, 2005. In 2006 they released Magic Potion, as well as the lesser-known Chulahoma and a single version of Your Touch.
One of their trademarks is their preference for simple, lo-fi recording techniques. They refuse to use big-name studios, and do most recording, producing, and mixing themselves. Most of Thickfreakness was recorded in about 14 hours in Carney's basement, using only an early 80's Tascam 388 8-track recorder. Often, their recordings still have background noises (such as an owl hooting).
The Black Keys have achieved increasing critical acclaim and recognition since their debut album, which itself received praise from Rolling Stone magazine. Time magazine named them one of the "10 Best Acts of 2003" (behind OutKast and The White Stripes). They have supported a number of bands: they toured with Sleater-Kinney in 2003, had a short stint opening for Beck, have recently opened for Radiohead on the American leg of their brief 2006 tour, and performed at Lollapalooza in 2005 and 2007. In addition to this, they were also well-liked by influential British radio DJ John Peel and appeared on both Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Show with David Letterman. Famous followers of the band include Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammet. Matt Helders, drummer for the Arctic Monkeys, can be seen in a Black Keys T-Shirt in an interview on MTV's RAW.
Their song "When the Lights Go Out" was featured in the 2007 film Black Snake Moan, and also on the soundtrack for that movie. The Black Keys were included in the soundtrack of the 2003 movie School of Rock with their song, "Set You Free". "Lies" was featured in the conclusion of the February 4, 2009 episode of Lie to Me. One of their songs, "Girl Is on My Mind", was used in a 2006 Sony Ericsson advertisement, starring the tennis players Ana Ivanović and Daniela Hantuchová, gaining the band more commercial recognition. It was also used in a 2006 Victoria's Secret commercial featuring Heidi Klum and could be heard in the movies Rest Stop and Cashback. Their song "10 am Automatic" was used in the video game MLB '06: The Show, The O.C., The Go-Getter, and was also used in a 2007 American Express commercial starring Shaun White. "Your Touch" was featured in a 2007 Lee's jeans commercial, and can be heard both in an episode of NBC's Friday Night Lights and in an episode of "Eastbound and Down". Their cover "Grown So Ugly" can be heard in the background of the going away party in the 2007 film Cloverfield. "Strange Times" is used in Grand Theft Auto IV on the in-game radio station Radio Broker. "Strange Times" can also be heard during a preview for ABC's The Mole, and the trailer for season three of the Showtime series Dexter, as well as a promo for Gossip Girl. Their song "Just Got To Be" is used on the soundtrack for the video game NHL 08, and "Hard Row" is featured in the premiere episode of the FX show Sons of Anarchy. Sons of Anarchy has gone on to use "Keep Me" in both Episodes 6 and 7, as well as "Busted" in episode 7. The song "Lies" is featured in the advertising campaign for the third season of HBO's Big Love. "The Breaks" can be heard in Guy Ritchie' film RocknRolla. "Your Touch" can also be heard in the HBO series "Entourage" in the episode "Manic Monday", during the opening scenes. The song "Psychotic Girl" is featured the episode "Messin' with the Kid" in season 6 of One Tree Hill. "I'll Be Your Man" is the opening theme song for the HBO show Hungand was also featured in an episode of the FX Network show Rescue Me. "Your Touch" can also be heard in the film Zombieland and in an episode of "Eastbound and Down" on HBO. The song "I Got Mine" has been used in HBO's sports reality series 24/7 Pacquiao-Hatton" [13] as well as background music for the 2009 American League Championship Series. The song "Next Girl" is featured in the in game radio of Saints Row the Third.
Their fourth record that Danger Mouse produced Attack & Release was out April 1st 2008. The duo's fifth album is the first one recorded in a proper studio.
The Band's fifth album, "Brothers" was released in spring 2010 and has seen increasing amounts of exposure to the "Dancing T-Rex" video for the song "Tighten Up" that went viral...until the band asked it to be removed because they felt it made light of their music. A proper video was released later in 2010, featuring Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney at a playground and was pushed on the band's official YouTube channel, as well as through the iTunes and Zune marketplaces. The track "Tighten Up" was also used as the background music for a Subaru Legacy commercial and on the FIFA 2011 Soundtrack.
The Black Keys' seventh studio album, "El Camino," was released on the 6th of December 2011. Co-produced by Danger Mouse, the album was released to critical acclaim, receiving positive reviews from The Rolling Stones, NME and more. Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly commented on "El Camino", saying that "El Camino trades the soulful stylings of Brothers for harder-driving, faster-riffing rock & roll". At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, El Camino won the award for Best Rock Album, while "Lonely Boy" received multiple honors, taking 'Best Rock Performance' and 'Best Rock Song'. The album has sold 1.4 million copies in the United States to date.
The Black Keys' eighth studio album, Turn Blue, was released on May 12, 2014 to generally favorable reviews.
Weight Of Love
The Black Keys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you were always up to something
Always had a run in, yeah
I got to think those days are coming to get ya
Now no body want to protect ya
They only want to forget ya
You'll be on my mind
Don't give yourself away
To the weight of love
You'll be on your side
Don't give yourself away
The weight of, weight of love
Dance all night cause people they don't wanna be lonely
Never wanna be lonely
They don't wanna be lonely
You have a thing no one could ever be sure of
Never ever had a pure love
And never no cure from
You'll be on my mind
Don't give yourself away
To the weight of love
You'll be on your side
Don't give yourself away
The weight of, weight of love
The lyrics to The Black Keys' song Weight of Love seem to be about a complicated relationship. The singer admits that he used to think that his lover wasn't up to anything, but now he's realized that they were always "up to something" and had too many "run-ins." He also mentions that those days might be coming back to get her, and no one wants to protect her anymore; they only want to forget her. However, the song's chorus seems to be a message of caution for the singer's lover not to give in to the weight of love or lose herself in their relationship. People dance all night because they don't want to be lonely, and the singer's lover may have a thing that nobody can be sure of and never had a pure love - and there may be no cure for it.
The weight of love could refer to the difficulties and complications that come with loving someone or the feeling of being emotionally burdened by a relationship. The song seems to suggest that the singer's lover is running from something or someone, looking for a cure or a remedy to whatever pain or trauma they've experienced in the past. Ultimately, it's a warning to not give oneself away too easily in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to think, darling, you never did nothing
I once believed that you were innocent and idle
But you were always up to something
But secretly, you were always doing something
Always had a run in, yeah
You always had some issue going on
I got to think those days are coming to get ya
I believe that your past actions will soon catch up to you
Now no body want to protect ya
Now, no one wants to come to your defense
They only want to forget ya
All that people want is to forget about you
You'll be on my mind
You will always be in my thoughts
Don't give yourself away
Don't let the weight of your emotions control you
To the weight of love
Don't let your love become too much to bear
You'll be on your side
You need to be on your own side
The weight of, weight of love
The burden of your emotions and love
Dance all night cause people they don't wanna be lonely
People dance all night because they don't want to be alone
Never wanna be lonely
No one wants to be alone
They don't wanna be lonely
People would rather be with anyone than be alone
You have a thing no one could ever be sure of
No one can ever be certain about you
Never ever had a pure love
You have never experienced true and pure love
And never no cure from
And there seems to be no remedy for that
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BRIAN JOSEPH BURTON, DANIEL AUERBACH, PATRICK CARNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind