Green attended Emerson College briefly in 1998 before leaving to concentrate on his music, going on to co-found the anti folk group The Moldy Peaches with Kimya Dawson. In 2004 The Moldy Peaches went on hiatus and both Green and Dawson embarked on solo careers.
Green released several albums on Rough Trade Records. Among his better known songs are "Jessica" (about singer Jessica Simpson), "Novotel", "Friends of Mine", "Dance with Me", "Carolina" and "Emily", and, in Britain, his cover of The Libertines track "What a Waster".
Prior to Jacket Full of Danger in 2006, all of Green's albums had been released on the 22nd of the month. His latest album was released on March 18, 2008 and is titled Sixes & Sevens. Titles include "Morning After Midnight", "Twee Twee Dee", and "Drowning Head First", the latter a duet between Green and his girlfriend.
In January 2008, The Moldy Peaches began having a resurgence in popularity, due to their music being included in the hit indie film Juno.
Broadcast Beach
Adam Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the cigarettes are nice and cheap, oh yeah
I want to hear you say it (saay it)
Always wanted them to do it, oh yeah (oh yeah)
Of the age before the rhinestone bands
There was a strangulation fallen on these cold hands
They sold the kids to science (science)
Broadcast beach is the place to meet
Any old time you want a little sun
The moon don't flop, the phases don't cop
-unknown-
Hepititus caught me off my guard
Like Adam Vegas with my ragtop Diner's Club card
I'll follow you forever (forever)
Baby, casually surrender, oh yes (oh yes)
Movie fantasies ignite our love
With ellocutions of a broadcast funeral sludge
We're turning into liars (liars)
Only fading our desires, oh yes (oh yes)
Broadcast beach is the place to meet
The wait is over-staffed and the stock is under-sold.
The moon don't flop, the phases don't cop
-unknown-
Woah x 2 (Boardcast beach, -cast beach x 3)
In the song Broadcast Beach, Adam Green takes the listener on a journey to a place where cigarettes are cheap and the sun is always shining. The chorus repeats the line "Broadcast beach is the place to meet" several times, which represents a desire for a haven or a utopia to escape the harshness of daily reality. The first verse talks about the idea of always wanting someone to do something, suggesting possibly unfulfilled desires, perhaps sexual or romantic. The second verse contrasts this by talking about the past where there was a harsh reality of selling kids to science, and that people should cancel their compliancy. The concept of compliancy, perhaps to society or authority, is again contrasted against the desire to escape to Broadcast Beach, which is presented as a place to meet and have fun.
Moving onto the bridge, Green talks about how hepatitis caught him off guard, emphasizing disrupted expectations, and references Adam Vegas with his ragtop Diner's Club card. The mention of Vegas here is significant as it is another false paradise - a place of excess and illusion. Green then talks of following someone forever and casually surrendering. This is reminiscent of the idea of romantic love, but again plays with the idea of desire and the pursuit of illusion versus harsh reality. The final verse uses the word "sludge" to describe the process of turning dreams into lies and fading our desires. The idea of the phases not copping, and the wait being overstaffed while the stock is under-sold relates to a sense of solace that can be found in Broadcast Beach as opposed to the harsh reality of life, where events seem to be working against us.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me take you down to broadcast beach
The singer wants to take the listener to Broadcast Beach.
Where the cigarettes are nice and cheap, oh yeah
Broadcast Beach is a place where cigarettes are sold inexpensively.
I want to hear you say it (saay it)
The singer wants the listener to say something specific.
Always wanted them to do it, oh yeah (oh yeah)
The artist has desired for someone to do something specific for a long time.
Of the age before the rhinestone bands
The artist is referring to a time period prior to the existence of rhinestone bands.
There was a strangulation fallen on these cold hands
Something undesirable happened, and the result is that the singer feels like their hands have been strangled.
They sold the kids to science (science)
The singer is referring to a time when children were being sold for scientific research.
Baby, cancel my complience, oh yes (oh yes)
The artist wants someone to help them stop following something, which requires a degree of compliance.
Broadcast beach is the place to meet
Broadcast Beach is a great place to meet people.
Any old time you want a little sun
Broadcast Beach is a great place to get some sun whenever you want.
The moon don't flop, the phases don't cop
Some quality about the moon and its phases is being referred to. However, the meaning remains unclear.
Hepititus caught me off my guard
The artist contracted Hepatitis unexpectedly.
Like Adam Vegas with my ragtop Diner's Club card
The singer is making an obscure comparison involving Adam Vegas and a Diner's Club card.
I'll follow you forever (forever)
The singer will follow someone indefinitely.
Baby, casually surrender, oh yes (oh yes)
The singer wants someone to give up something casually.
Movie fantasies ignite our love
The artist is referring to how movie fantasies help their love.
With ellocutions of a broadcast funeral sludge
The song's lyrics are becoming increasingly unclear and abstract with this line.
We're turning into liars (liars)
The singer has noticed that they and someone else are becoming liars.
Only fading our desires, oh yes (oh yes)
The singer's desires are slowly dissipating.
The wait is over-staffed and the stock is under-sold.
Broadcast Beach always has enough workers, but they don't have as many customers as they'd like.
Woah x 2 (Boardcast beach, -cast beach x 3)
Repetition of the song's chorus.
Contributed by Andrew S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.