In the 2005, WNFX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll Amanda Palmer won Best Female Vocalist.
Amanda has performed as a living statue called “The Eight Foot Bride” in Harvard Square as well as in many other locations.
Her solo album entitled “Who Killed Amanda Palmer” was released in September 2008, and was produced by Ben Folds, who also appears on the album. Zoë Keating also appears on several tracks.
In 2009, she pleaded with her label, Roadrunner Records, to drop her from their roster. She has been vocal about this in interviews and in concert, even dedicating a song called "Please Drop Me" that is sung to the tune of "Moon River."
On January 15, 2010, writer Neil Gaiman announced on his official blog that he and Palmer were engaged to be married.
On March 30, 2010, the album "Evelyn Evelyn" was released, as a collaborative work with Jason Webley.
On July 20, 2010, Palmer released a solo EP of Radiohead covers, entitled "Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukulele".
In January of 2011, Palmer and Gaiman announced that they were now legally married. Palmer also released a new studio album, Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under.
On January 21, 2011, Palmer released "Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under, an album with an Antipodean theme featuring songs that Palmer wrote about, or while in, Australia and New Zealand. Artists the album features include The Young Punx, Brian Viglione of The Dresden Dolls, The Jane Austen Argument, Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, and Lance Horne.
In March of 2012, Palmer announced a formation of a new band called "Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra." They first released a cover of Nirvana's song "Polly." In May 2012, she raised over 1 million dollars to fund the release of the band's new album, "Theatre is Evil," via Kickstarter. The album was released in September of 2012.
Berlin
Amanda Palmer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's plenty of offers, but you won't ride
How you pedal in those is a miracle
A miracle
And you laugh at yourself
As you speed through the red lights
Nobody knows where you've been
In the space where your brain and your heart collide
You're convinced there's a practical place that you can hide
And you laugh at the bellhop
Hysterical
Hysterical
With your bag full of dresses and butcher's knives
Oh, Berlin
Nobody knows where you've been
But they all look so ugly and mean when you're sober
You've auctioned away all your crimson and clover
And Ronny leaves lines out and lights up the curtain
You know what you're doing, you know it for certain
The last thing I saw, they were reading your rights
If you're gonna go down, then you're going down fighting
As long as you're bent
And as long as they're watching
You're gonna make rent
You got no other option
What?
Did you think you were worth my while?
Did you think I would cramp my style?
That if I had a say in it
That I'd sit here and bite my lip and listen
What?
What?
Do you think that I come off bored?
Paid a fortune to be ignored?
Did you think that I come here out
of the goodness of my own heart
To work on an assembly line of broken hearts?
Not supposed to fix them, only strip and sell the parts
It’s hard to work
On an assembly line of broken hearts
Not supposed to fix them, only strip and sell the parts
Your bicycle's chained to the fence outside
There's plenty of offers, but you won't ride
How you pedal in those is a miracle
A miracle
And you laugh at yourself
As you speed through the red lights
The song "Berlin" by Amanda Palmer is a melancholic reflection about a city and a person who is fleeing from something. The lyrics paint the picture of a situation where the person's bicycle is chained to the fence outside, but they don't want to ride it despite many offers. There is an almost mystical quality to the way this person is able to pedal through the busy streets in a hurry. It's described as "a miracle," which could be interpreted as a metaphor for how the singer is getting by in life.
The chorus of the song repeats the line, "Oh, Berlin, nobody knows where you've been." The city of Berlin serves as a metaphor for the person's elusive nature. They are trying to escape from something, and it's clear that people around them can tell, but no one knows exactly what they are fleeing from.
The second verse is filled with vivid descriptions of the person's state of mind. They are convinced that there is a "practical place" where they can hide from whatever it is that's chasing them. The line "You've auctioned away all your crimson and clover" suggests that the person has given up all the things they used to care about. They are living a life where everything is temporary, and they can't afford to hold on to anything too closely. The song ends with a sense of defiance; the person is going to "go down fighting" and do what they need to do to make rent.
Line by Line Meaning
Your bicycle's chained to the fence outside
Your means of escape is tied to something external and unmovable, leaving you trapped
There's plenty of offers, but you won't ride
There are tempting offers for liberation from your current state, but you choose to remain in this situation
How you pedal in those is a miracle
A miracle
You persevere despite the odds against you, exemplifying an extraordinary feat
And you laugh at yourself
As you speed through the red lights
You find amusement in recklessly living your life, disregarding conventional rules
Oh, Berlin
Nobody knows where you've been
Berlin represents a place of mystery, where one can get lost to find themselves
In the space where your brain and your heart collide
You're convinced there's a practical place that you can hide
You struggle between your emotions and reason, believing there is a realistic solution to your problems hidden away
And you laugh at the bellhop
Hysterical
Hysterical
You derive pleasure from acting out of the ordinary and unconventionally, even if others cannot comprehend it
With your bag full of dresses and butcher's knives
Oh, Berlin
Nobody knows where you've been
You carry both elegance and violence within you, within the secrecy of Berlin
But they all look so ugly and mean when you're sober
You've auctioned away all your crimson and clover
The people in your life seem unpleasant and cruel when you are not under the influence of something, and you have given away all that you once held dear
And Ronny leaves lines out and lights up the curtain
You know what you're doing, you know it for certain
You are aware of the dangers and risks of your actions, but you still continue down that path, regardless
The last thing I saw, they were reading your rights
If you're gonna go down, then you're going down fighting
You are unafraid of the consequences of your behavior, and you will fiercely resist those trying to repress you
As long as you're bent
And as long as they're watching
You're gonna make rent
You got no other option
You feel like you have no choice but to continue living in a way that bends the expectations of society, surviving as long as someone is observing
Did you think you were worth my while?
Did you think I would cramp my style?
That if I had a say in it
That I'd sit here and bite my lip and listen
What?
You question the value of your presence to others, and whether they truly care for you or are simply humoring you
Do you think that I come off bored?
Paid a fortune to be ignored?
Did you think that I come here out
of the goodness of my own heart
To work on an assembly line of broken hearts?
You question the motives of those around you, believing that they do not truly care about you and are solely focused on their own gain
Not supposed to fix them, only strip and sell the parts
It’s hard to work
On an assembly line of broken hearts
Not supposed to fix them, only strip and sell the parts
You feel as if you are merely providing temporary fixes to the problems of others, without truly helping them. You feel weighed down by this responsibility
Your bicycle's chained to the fence outside
There's plenty of offers, but you won't ride
How you pedal in those is a miracle
A miracle
And you laugh at yourself
As you speed through the red lights
You are still stuck in the same situation, despite the opportunities available to you. However, you still find small joys in the liberation you can attain from reckless behavior, against societal norms
Contributed by Michael Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gui Porto
"It’s hard to work on an assembly line of broken hearts
Not supposed to fix them, only strip and sell the parts"
Awesome lyrics.
sunnysea24
This song took a little while to grow on me but I gotta admit it's really amazing.
Atomic The Possum Lover
This piece of music here, this little gift, is true art.
Modern Moonlight
^ Amanda in a nutshell
Chismic
When someone dies in my life your songs are what I cry to. When someone dies they go away but Amanda’s songs remind me that they’ll visit me occasionally so I don’t have to be afraid. I love your music Amanda and you’ve made me feel an important sadness that I would have pushed away before, for had I not felt that sadness. I would have bottled it up until I eventually took my own life. You carried me through a treatment center where I had to be saved from myself. When I got out I wasn’t much better but your music was with me through my growth. Now I can be trusted alone at home for days. I can look at myself in the mirror and see someone worthy of life. Thank you Amanda. We love you and hope you stick around as a musician. <3
Michaela Cloyd
I don't think I'll ever get over this song.
dannyinthedarkness
I think she's awesome, both musically and ideologically. Watch 'The Art Of Asking' (TedTalks) if you want to know her take on the Kickstarter project and where it came from. She explains it beautifully.
toribjork10
she already had 250k set aside from the kickstarter from the production of the album. this was for all professional producers, engineers, mixers, and all the musicians, plus renting the studio itself. it's incredibly easy to spend 1/4 of a million on album production. the rest of the money went towards paying artist fees, manufacturing, music videos (4), lawyer fees, kickstarter fees, staff fees equipment, promotion, and buying all the insane amount of extras for the kickstarter packages.
Lisa JW
i fell in love with this song when Amanda performed it at Melbourne University in March. I'm so glad i can now listen to a studio recording of it. It's definitely one of my favourite AFP songs of all time!
ooooneeee
This song does things to me! Still the most powerful one after listening to the album for weeks. Wow, just WOW!