Kristin Hersh spent more than a decade previously playing with Throwing Muses, releasing several solo albums as well. Her solo tours in the late 1990s and early 2000s focused on acoustic guitar playing. In 2003, she launched the more electric guitar-oriented 50 Foot Wave.
The band was designed as a power trio, with a lineup including former Chalk FarM drummer Rob Ahlers and Throwing Muses bassist Bernard Georges. Hersh contributes guitar, lyrics, and vocals to this project. The band's first live performance was recorded in Burbank in October 2003 and released on a very limited basis as an official bootleg. Among other live appearances internationally in 2004, 50 Foot Wave performed a month-long residency of shows in January that year at the Silverlake Lounge, while the group was based in the Los Angeles area. The group's self-titled studio mini-album was co-released in March 2004 by the band's ThrowingMusic label and 4AD Records.
Hersh has described 50 Foot Wave's music as "having a lot of math in it," while also calling it less emotionally and musically "tangled" than some of her past Throwing Muses work. Others have described some of the new songs as having "confrontational" lyrics.
In March 2005, the group released its long-planned, full-length album, Golden Ocean, on ThrowingMusic, in partnership with 4AD.
The group toured Europe and the United States in 2005, while Hersh simultaneously continued her solo concerts in alternating parts of the year.
In December 2005, the band released a new EP called Free Music! available via free FLAC and mp3 downloads at their website and several download partner sites. The downloads reserved some rights though Creative Commons licenses.
In December 2008, the band released their new EP Power + Light as a stream. In early March 2009, the band released all their previous albums along with a selection of live tracks, an Instrumental EP and the upcoming Power+Light album for download at their website. As before the tracks were available in FLAC and mp3 format and the band reserved some rights though Creative Commons licenses.
Dorado
50 Foot Wave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
These eggs look like eyeballs and I'm too bored to eat
We're floating on inflatable hope
There's a blue blizzard in our heads and I'm too sore to sleep
Life and a cup of instant chaos by the window
I'm laughing so hard, I'm in tears
I followed your hillbilly guide to El Dorado
I'd like you to stay
I'd like you to stay
I'd like you to stay
I'd like you to stay
Only you can see, Eden through the blizzard
Only you spring eternal censor free
Only you are Minnie Pearl behind the 8 ball
The keeper of my pathetic dream
I'd like you to stay
I'd like you to stay
I'd like you to stay
I'd like you to stay
The lyrics of 50 Foot Wave's "El Dorado" are full of vivid imagery and emotion. The first line, "Peace and a fraction of a dream, El Dorado," creates a sense of calm and hope amidst uncertainty. The second line, "These eggs look like eyeballs and I'm too bored to eat," adds a touch of whimsy and highlights the singer's apathy. The line "We're floating on inflatable hope" suggests that the singer is relying on a fragile, temporary sense of optimism to get through a difficult time. The blue blizzard in their heads symbolizes confusion or perhaps depression, and the singer is too sore to sleep, showing how their mental state is affecting them physically.
The second stanza mentions "instant chaos" and a "hillbilly guide to El Dorado," which shows how the singer is experiencing a sudden change of pace or a new adventure. They mention laughing so hard they're in tears, which hints that this adventure is bringing them joy and relief from their troubles. The refrain "I'd like you to stay" reinforces the idea that the singer has found someone they want to stick around and share this joyful, chaotic experience with.
The third stanza is directed at this person, whom the singer sees as special and able to see through the "blue blizzard" to a better reality. They compare the person to Minnie Pearl, a popular country comedian, which adds a sense of humor and playfulness to the lyrics. The line "The keeper of my pathetic dream" acknowledges the vulnerability and fear that the singer is feeling, but also shows that they trust this person enough to confide in them.
Line by Line Meaning
Peace and a fraction of a dream, El Dorado
Finding peace and a piece of a dream in the mythical city of El Dorado
These eggs look like eyeballs and I'm too bored to eat
Feeling ennui so strong that even breakfast is uninteresting and bizarre
We're floating on inflatable hope
Navigating life on a flimsy raft of optimism
There's a blue blizzard in our heads and I'm too sore to sleep
Suffering from a mental fog that keeps one up at night and drained during the day
Life and a cup of instant chaos by the window
Observing life's unpredictable chaos from a stationary position
I'm laughing so hard, I'm in tears
Finding something so funny that one cannot help but cry from laughter
I followed your hillbilly guide to El Dorado
Placing trust in an unlikely guide to lead the way to a better place
I haven't laughed like this in years
Finding joy and humor in a situation that has been lacking it for a long time
Only you can see, Eden through the blizzard
Having faith in someone to guide through a difficult situation to a better place
Only you spring eternal censor free
Finding someone who expresses themselves freely without hesitation or shame
Only you are Minnie Pearl behind the 8 ball
Having someone who is both quirky and skilled, able to make the most of a difficult situation
The keeper of my pathetic dream
Being vulnerable enough to entrust someone with one's deepest, most embarrassing hopes and desires
I'd like you to stay
Expressing a desire for someone to remain present, to continue to offer comfort and guidance
I'd like you to stay
Repeating the request for someone to stay, emphasizing its importance
I'd like you to stay
A final plea for someone to remain present, offering support and companionship
I'd like you to stay
Reiterating the desire for someone to remain present, to continue to provide comfort and guidance
Lyrics © HEYDAY MEDIA GROUP LLC
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