Condon recorded before Beirut was established: when he was fifteen and under the name of Realpeople, he made an electronic record, fashioned after his love for The Magnetic Fields. Condon was a straight-A student until he dropped out at the age of 17 to travel Europe with his cousin in a drunken haze, cavorting and partying with the locals wherever he ended up. It was during one of these evenings that he was first exposed to Balkan music (notably including the Boban Marković Orkestar and Goran Bregović), blasting from the upstairs apartment. Condon ended up with the Serbian artists all night, going through albums country by country, note for note.
The first album under the Beirut moniker, Gulag Orkestar (2006), was the direct result of what he learned that night. While it may sound like an entire Balkan orchestra playing modern songs as mournful ballads and upbeat marches, the album was performed and recorded almost entirely by Condon alone. He did so on Pro Tools while skipping school in Albuquerque and at Sea Side Studios in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Jeremy Barnes added percussion and some violin overlays.
After recording, Condon formed a full band which at times varies in the number of members, from six to ten. Live he is accompanied by Perrin Cloutier (cello/accordion), Jason Poranski (guitar/mandolin/ukulele), Nick Petree (drums), Kristin Ferebee (violin), Paul Collins (organ/keys/tambourine/ukulele), Jon Natchez (baritone sax/mandolin/glockenspiel), and Kelly Pratt (trumpet/euphonium).
In November 2006 Condon was "briefly hospitalized for extreme exhaustion", the band's website said, and as a consequence the band cancelled the rest of the tour. They resumed performing in March 2007 and released their second album, The Flying Club Cup the same year on October 9th. Parts of the album were performed and recorded by Condon in his bedroom again, but others were recorded with the live band, which resulted in a more organic, live sound. While writing, Condon said he was inspired by French music, like Jacques Brel (whose song Le Moribond he covered on his Elephant Gun EP), and he moved to Paris for a while. During the extensive tour in support of The Flying Club Cup, Condon and the band more or less fell apart from exhaustion once again and disappeared from the radar in April 2008.
Condon took a long break and returned in 2009 with a double EP, March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland. The first was partly recorded in Mexico with the Mexican Band Jimenez and had a more South-American flavour to it than Condon's previous efforts. The second EP 'Holland' was credited to Condon's old name Realpeople and consisted of five electrotracks, once more in the vein of The Magnetic Fields.
The band's album "The Rip Tide" was released in 2011.
Albums
* Gulag Orkestar (May 9, 2006)
* The Flying Club Cup (October 9, 2007)
* The Rip Tide (August 2, 2011)
* No No No (September 11, 2015)
* Gallipoli (February 1, 2019)
* Artifacts (January 28, 2022)
EPs
* Lon Gisland EP (January 30, 2007)
* Pompeii (February 28, 2007)
* Elephant Gun (June 25, 2007)
* March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland (February 17, 2009)
* East Harlem (June 7, 2011)
* The Berlin-Albuquerque Sessions (November 22, 2022)
Official website: www.beirutband.com
Nantes
Beirut Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since I've seen you smile
And I'll gamble away my fright
And I'll gamble away my time
And in a year, a year or so
This will slip into the sea
Well it's been a long time, long time now
Since I've seen you smile
Nobody raise your voices
Just another night in Nantes
Nobody raise your voices
Just another night in Nantes
Oh non je t'en prie, nous ne sommes pas chez nous
Oh je t'assure que ce n'est pas grave
Non laisse moi
Mais qu'est-ce que tu as aujourd'hui?
Je sais que les hommes vous dégoûtent, vous ne pensez qu'à ça
Well it's been a long time, long time now
Since I've seen you smile
And I'll gamble away my fright
And I'll gamble away my time
And in a year, a year or so
This will slip into the sea
Well it's been a long time, long time now
Since I've seen you smile
The song "Nantes" by Beirut is a melancholy and nostalgic track about missing someone's smile. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song, expressing the longing for connection and happiness: "Well it's been a long time, long time now since I've seen you smile." The singer is willing to take risks and gamble away his fears and time to rediscover that joy he remembers.
The following lines express that all things eventually pass, and in a year or so, the memories will fade away: "And in a year, a year or so, this will slip into the sea." The repetition of the opening lines serves as a reminder of what the singer wants to rediscover: that lost moment of happiness.
The lyrics then jump to a different scene, with a conversation happening. It's unclear who the singer is or what they're discussing, but they're in Nantes, France, and someone in the group is upset with men: "Je sais que les hommes vous dégoûtent, vous ne pensez qu'à ça" (I know that men disgust you, you only think about that). The scene is a reminder that life goes on and different things happen, but the longing for missing happiness remains.
Overall, the song has a lonely feeling, expressing the sadness of isolation, and the hope that the moments of happiness can be rediscovered.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it's been a long time, long time now
Since I've seen you smile
And I'll gamble away my fright
And I'll gamble away my time
And in a year, a year or so
This will slip into the sea
Well it's been a long time, long time now
Since I've seen you smile
It has been a while since he last saw his loved one smile and he is willing to risk everything, including his fear and time, just to be with her. He knows that things might not work out, but he hopes they will last a year or so before they disappear like everything else in life. He still misses her smile and longs to see it again.
Nobody raise your voices
Just another night in Nantes
Nobody raise your voices
Just another night in Nantes
The person is probably trying to silence the rest of the people around him because he is in a place called Nantes where he is trying to escape from his problems, even just for one more night. He doesn't want anyone to ruin it and just wants to enjoy the moment.
Oh non je t'en prie, nous ne sommes pas chez nous
Oh je t'assure que ce n'est pas grave
Non laisse moi
Mais qu'est-ce que tu as aujourd'hui?
Je sais que les hommes vous dégoûtent, vous ne pensez qu'à ça
This part seems to be a conversation between two people. The first one is probably asking the second one to calm down or behave properly because they are not in their own place. The second person seems to be going through something and is feeling disgusted by men in general. The first person wants to help but doesn't know how.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Zach Condon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind