Abney Park began around 1997, but their popularity exploded with the onset of internet music, with much success through MP3.com in the early 2000’s. The band was a regular chart topper, often holding the number 1 – 5 positions in Goth and Darkwave, and Industrial Dance music charts. In 2005 the band morphed from a more Darkwave/Industrial inspired act to a Steampunk inspired act.
Abney Park's music has been featured on a number of movie soundtracks, including "Insomnis Amour", "Goth", and "Lord of the Vampires". The band's music has also been featured in many compilation CD’s, including Cleopatra Records “The Unquiet Grave” vol. III, "Annihilation and Seduction", "Eighteen" and many more.
Abney Park has performed all over the North America, appearing in Portland, Chicago, Las Vegas, Reno, Hollywood, and countless shows in their home base of Seattle. Their fans form a near-cult following, and have been known to travel from as far as New Zealand and Mexico City just to see them perform.
Under the Radar
Abney Park Lyrics
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Nobody heard propellers in the dawn
Nobody smelt our coal fires were burning
Nobody knew--under the radar we crept on.
Here we come, on the run, our coal fires are burning
Here we come, fife and drum, propellers in the dawn
Here we come, on the run, our coal fires are burning
Nobody saw our broadsides at their window
Nobody heard our trapdoors swinging wide
Nobody saw our cannons taking aim
Nobody heard my whispered "Fire, blow their sides."
Here we come, on the run, our coal fires are burning
Here we come, fife and drum, propellers in the dawn
Here we come, on the run, our coal fires are burning
Here we come, fife and drum, under the radar we crept on!
Somebody heard our cannon fire ringing
Somebody saw the windows shattering
Somebody saw the hooks and tethers flying
Somebody saw my crew with swords drawn coming in!
Here we come, on the run, our coal fires are burning
Here we come, fife and drum, propellers in the dawn
Here we come, on the run, our coal fires are burning
Here we come, fife and drum, under the radar we crept on!
Abney Park's song "Under the Radar" describes a group's successful efforts to elude detection and surprise their enemies. The lyrics suggest that the group was dealing with a more powerful force or enemy that they were able to outsmart.
The first verse speaks of the group's stealth and secrecy, as they silently advanced towards their target. The use of the phrase "under the radar" indicates that they went unnoticed by any form of detection. The second verse, however, shifts to a more aggressive tone, as we see the use of weapons, traps, and tactics to take out their opponents. The lyrics describe the enemy's realization that they had been discovered, leading to the sounds of cannon fire and destruction.
What's intriguing about the song is that it can be interpreted in a variety of ways - it can be viewed as a metaphor for an underdog overcoming a powerful adversary, or it can be taken more literally and be seen as a historical battle or skirmish. Either way, the song paints a vivid picture of high-stakes strategy and cunning tactics.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody saw our sails on the horizon
We sailed undetected without anyone noticing us on the horizon.
Nobody heard propellers in the dawn
Our ship's propellers were silent, and no one could hear them in the early morning.
Nobody smelt our coal fires were burning
We kept our coal fires contained within the ship, so no one could smell them and track us down.
Nobody knew--under the radar we crept on.
We moved stealthily and avoided detection, staying under the radar to accomplish our mission.
Here we come, on the run, our coal fires are burning
We are approaching fast with our engines running at full capacity.
Here we come, fife and drum, propellers in the dawn
Our ship is coming with full force, with the fife and drum accompanying us on the journey.
Nobody saw our broadsides at their window
Our ship's sides were not visible from the windows of the target we were approaching.
Nobody heard our trapdoors swinging wide
We opened trapdoors on our ship without making any noise.
Nobody saw our cannons taking aim
Our cannons were camouflaged and hidden from sight so that nobody could see them taking aim.
Nobody heard my whispered "Fire, blow their sides."
We attacked our target silently, with the captain quietly giving the order to fire the cannons and take them down.
Somebody heard our cannon fire ringing
Our cannon fire was loud enough to attract the attention of someone nearby.
Somebody saw the windows shattering
The impact of our cannon fire shattered windows of nearby buildings, thus exposing our location.
Somebody saw the hooks and tethers flying
We used hooks and tethers to board and capture the target, and someone saw them flying through the air.
Somebody saw my crew with swords drawn coming in!
Our crew had their swords drawn as they entered the target, possibly to intimidate or take down any resistance.
Contributed by Jordyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.