Born from a friendship nurtured during their days at the University of California Santa Barbara, the band consists of Zach Gill (Keyboards/Vocals), Steve Adams (Bass Guitar/Vocals), Dan Lebowitz (Guitars/Percussion/Vocals) and David Brogan (Drums/Vocals).
Originally a nine-piece band featuring a brass section called The Animal Liberation Orchestra and the Free Range Horns, the band began drawing enormous attention in the Santa Barbara area with their rousing stage shows. When Zach, Dan and Steve returned to their hometown San Francisco, they stripped back down to a quartet, playing with a wide variety of different drummers. Finally, in 2002, the trio reunited with drummer David Brogan (with whom they had previously played in college) and the ultimate version of Animal Liberation Orchestra was solidified.
Zach Gill, the keyboard player, went to college with the popular singer-songwriter, Jack Johnson, and so they had good connections with one another. Soon audiences at gigs saw Animal Liberation Orchestra supporting Jack Johnson. Zach Gill has recently provided piano in Jack Johnson's band, adding a new flavor to the live performances.
Animal Liberation Orchestra have released an independent album, "Fly Between Falls", and it was re-released on Brushfire Records on April 18th 2006. It includes the track, "Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down", which features long-time friend Jack Johnson providing guitar and vocals. New to the re-release is the song "Walls of Jericho", a tour staple and crowd favorite noted by its festival imagery, wailing guitar solo, and euphoric cresendo. This track gained popularity after its live performance was featured in the Jack Johnson and Friends Live at the Greek DVD. The studio version's debut on myspace.com received mixed review.
In 2006, ALO finished a tour supporting Jack Johnson, alongside with Matt Costa, all across Europe, including United Kingdom, France and Spain. Additionally, they have two dates scheduled for mid April supporting Jack Johnson in Brazil. In June, they will be supporting Dave Matthews Band at stops in upstate New York and North Carolina. Thay have recently recorded The Band's Ophelia for the tribute album "Endless Highway, the music of The Band"
On May 1st 2007, ALO released their new album Roses & Clover that was recorded during two weeks in a barn in Santa Barbara, California. ALO will tour the USA during May to July 2007, playing together with Brett Dennen during seven of the concerts.
Albums
ALO Vs. LAG (1998)
One Size Fits All (1999)
Time Expander (2002)
Fly Between Falls (2006 - Brushfire Records)
Roses & Clover (2007)
EPs
Live Mix (2000)
Pobrecito
Animal Liberation Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you let it take hold
A poison from the brain to the heart
That'll bleed the love from your soul
And break what once was whole
Until you're left with lots of little pieces
Solidified by the slamming of a door
Make you destroy that which you care for
And the Spanish temptress rubbed his temples and told him to close his eyes
"Here sip on this and everything will be all right"
"Pobrecito"
Pass me some more of that Spanish fly
"Esperate un minuto"
I need something to dilute my mind
"Tu no sabes es posible que nunca regrese"
But he didn't hear a word that was said
Slobbering he sucked down another
Ignoring the danger closing in
You gotta let the bat fly, out of its cave
You shouldn't wait another minute
If it's making your heart break
The song "Pobrecito" by Animal Liberation Orchestra speaks about the dangers of jealousy, which can have devastating effects on any relationship. The opening lines of the song refer to how jealousy tears people apart and transforms them into someone unrecognisable. The lyrics warn against allowing this emotion to take complete control of your emotions, causing irreparable damage to the love and connection that was once present.
The lyrics also describe how jealousy manifests itself physically, as a poison that works its way through one's brain and heart, draining them of all love and happiness, leaving them empty and hollow. The consequences of jealousy can be felt in every aspect of one's life, breaking apart relationships and the person himself. The song urges people not to let their jealousy get the best of them.
The lyrics in the latter half of the song describe a Spanish temptress who tries to help soothe the singer's aching heart with Spanish Fly. The words "Pobrecito" mean "poor little thing" in Spanish, which implies that the singer is in such a pitiful emotional state that he requires something potent to distract him from his heartache, even if it is toxic.
Overall, the song warns against the destructive power of emotions such as jealousy and how it can lead one to make poor decisions and destroy what they hold dear.
Line by Line Meaning
Jealousy is gonna tear us apart
Jealousy is a destructive force that can ruin a relationship
If you let it take hold
Jealousy can gain control over a person's thoughts and feelings
A poison from the brain to the heart
Jealousy can be toxic and spread from a person's head to their emotions
That'll bleed the love from your soul
Jealousy can drain the affection and passion from a person's spirit
And break what once was whole
Jealousy can cause a relationship to shatter and fall apart
Until you're left with lots of little pieces
After a relationship falls apart, a person can be left with broken fragments of their heart
Solidified by the slamming of a door
The end of a relationship can be cemented in place by a dramatic exit
So don't let that jealousy overtake you
It's important to resist the urge to let jealousy consume you
Make you destroy that which you care for
Jealousy can cause a person to harm the very thing they love and cherish
And the Spanish temptress rubbed his temples and told him to close his eyes
A seductive woman tried to lure the man into a state of relaxation
"Here sip on this and everything will be all right"
She offered him a drink to help ease his troubles
"Pobrecito"
Pity for the man's situation
Pass me some more of that Spanish fly
A request for the seductive drink to be refilled
"Esperate un minuto"
Wait a minute
I need something to dilute my mind
The man was seeking a way to lessen his mental anguish
"Tu no sabes es posible que nunca regrese"
You don't know if I'll ever return
But he didn't hear a word that was said
The man was too consumed by his own thoughts to listen to her warning
Slobbering he sucked down another
The man drank more of the seductive beverage
Ignoring the danger closing in
The man was oblivious to the risks he was taking
You gotta let the bat fly, out of its cave
It's important to release negative thoughts and emotions
You shouldn't wait another minute
It's urgent to deal with negative feelings before they escalate
If it's making your heart break
If negative emotions are causing pain, they need to be addressed
Lyrics © SADAIC LATIN COPYRIGHTS, INC.
Written by: DANIEL LEBOWITZ, STEVEN ADAMS, ZACHARY DYLAN GILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind