The band’s trademark fashion consists in wearing rather formal attire during live events and a use of orchestral instruments. When asked about the rumour that the band's name refers to a fire in an arcade, Win Butler replied: "It's not a rumour, it's based on a story that someone told me. It's not an actual event, but one that I took to be real. I would say that it's probably something that the kid made up, but at the time I believed him." Win Butler and his brother Will grew up in Texas.
Band formation
Arcade Fire formed around the husband and wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. Joining together as recently as mid-2003, the current line-up solidified in late 2003/early 2004, when their first full-length album Funeral was recorded. Before this an eponymous EP (often referred to by fans as the Us Kids Know EP) had been sold at early shows. The EP was subsequently remastered and given a full release once the band started becoming more prominent. Arcade Fire are known for their enthralling live performances, as well as its use of a large number of musical instruments. In addition to mainstays guitar, drums, and bass guitar, members play piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, xylophone, keyboard, French horn, accordion, and harp. With several able musicians, the band take most of their instrumental diversity on tour and members switch instrumental duties throughout their shows. The number of instruments, along with a wide set of musical influences has provided a substantial number of resources on which to draw from during the recording process. The promise showed by the band in its live shows allowed it to land a record contract with Chapel Hill-based independent record label Merge Records.
Funeral
Without a major label backing, the success of the band and the album Funeral has been acclaimed as an Internet phenomenon. After a 9.7 rating from Pitchfork, Merge Records sold out their inventory of Funeral and it became the label's first album in the Billboard 200 chart. An early tip from David Bowie was also influential. The band booked small clubs for their 2004 tour but growing interest forced many venue changes, far beyond the band's expectations, and continued internationally into mid-2005. The MTV2 2005 Review hosted by Zane Lowe named Funeral Album of the Year, and NME named Funeral Number 2 in their list of 2005's best albums and "Rebellion (Lies)" the best track. By November 2005, Funeral had gone gold in both Canada and the UK and sold in excess of half a million copies worldwide, a phenomenal number for an independent release with minimal television or radio exposure. It has also surpassed Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea as the biggest selling Merge Records album to date.
Arcade Fire were featured on the April 4, 2005 cover of Time Magazine's Canadian edition, and hailed as a band who "helped put Canadian music on the world map". On April 2, 2006, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, they received the Juno Award for Songwriters Of The Year for three songs from Funeral: "Wake Up", "Rebellion (Lies)" and "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)". Arcade Fire then planned to begin recording a follow up to Funeral in the winter of 2005-2006, having bought an old church forty minutes from central Montreal which they converted into a studio.
Neon Bible
In mid-December 2006 www.neonbible.com went live containing nothing more than a phone number, 1-866-NEONBIBLE where people can listen to a new track called Intervention. Built in the style of customer support lines, the number has other features including a contest and a chance to talk to a live person at a specific time each week.
Then in January 2007, they finally announced that the new album Neon Bible would be released March 5th in UK, March 6th in US. The announcement was made with a video in the album's website, with guitarist Richard Reed Parry using a gramophone and a paper mask of Parry's own face, and sitting on Win Butler´s chair. After the announcement of the album´s release, the website was updated with a streaming version of "Black Mirror", new art and a few phone messages sounding like the band´s members.
The Suburbs
The band released their third album "The Suburbs" on August 2, 2010 in the UK and August 3, 2010 in the United States. It debuted at #1 in both countries. On February 13, 2011, the album won Album of the Year at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
Arcade Fire recorded a song for The Hunger Games soundtrack (The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond), called "Abraham's Daughter". The song is featured in the movie's end credits. The soundtrack was released on March 20, 2012, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. It sold more than 175,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's the first theatrical film soundtrack to top the chart since Michael Jackson's "This Is It" debuted at No. 1 on the list. It is also only the 16th soundtrack to debut at No. 1 in the history of the Billboard 200 chart (those soundtracks include film, television, and straight-to-video efforts).
Reflektor
Arcade Fire and Mercury Records confirmed that they would release a fourth album in late 2013. In December 2012, the band's manager Scott Rodger confirmed that Arcade Fire was in the studio working with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. The official Arcade Fire pre-order website sets the release date on October 28, 2013. The band announced on January 18, 2013 that they were selling the church they had been using as a studio due to a collapsed roof. Throughout 2013, the band worked on the album in several different recording studios - including Murphy's DFA Records studio in New York. On June 22, 2013, Rolling Stone reported that new material from the album would be released on September 9, 2013.
Everything Now
Arcade Fire's first announced its fifth record, "Everything Now," on May 31, 2017 when it released the record's title track and lead single. The album's release came July 27, 2017. In the weeks leading up to the album's release, the band released three additional lead singles, "Creature Comfort," "Signs of Life," and "Electric Blue." Upon the week of its release, "Everything Now" reached #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the band's third-straight and third overall #1 record.
WE
On October 21, 2020, Butler was interviewed for the Broken Record podcast, where he commented about Arcade Fire's sixth album. The band had been writing for a year before the COVID-19 lockdown. In March 2022, fans received postcards marked with the band's logo; the postcards included the note "We missed you", musical notations, as well as an image of an eye with the word "Unsubscribe" written below. Those same images began to appear in signage around London as well as on the band's social media pages, indicating the earliest signs of a new album. On March 14, the band announced a new song titled "The Lightning I, II" would be released on March 17.
On March 17, 2022, Arcade Fire announced that the album would be titled WE and be released on May 6, 2022. Later that week, Will Butler announced he had amicably left the band in 2021 shortly after the completion of WE.
Following the release of WE on May 6, 2022, Arcade Fire announced the group’s first world tour since 2018, starting in August 2022. They again appeared on Saturday Night Live on May 7, 2022, playing "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)", "The Lightning I, II", and "End of The Empire II" over the closing credits.
Creature Comfort
Arcade Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spend their lives resenting their fathers
Some girls hate their bodies
Stand in the mirror and wait for the feedback
Saying God, make me famous
If you can't just make it painless
Just make it painless
Assisted suicide
She dreams about dying all the time
She told me she came so close
Filled up the bathtub and put on our first record
Saying God, make me famous
If you can't just make it painless
Just make it painless
It goes on and on, I don't know what I want
On and on, I don't know if I want it
On and on, I don't know what I want
On and on, I don't know if I want it
(On and on I don't know what I want)
(On and on I don't know if I want it)
(On and on I don't know what I want)
(On and on I don't know if I want it)
Some girls hate themselves
Hide under the covers with sleeping pills and
Some girls cut themselves
Stand in the mirror and wait for the feedback
Some boys get too much, too much love, too much touch
Some boys starve themselves
Stand in the mirror and wait for the feedback
Creature comfort makes it painless
Bury me penniless and nameless
Born in a diamond mine
It's all around you but you can't see it
Born in a diamond mine
It's all around you but you can't touch it
Saying God, make me famous
If you can't just make it painless
Just make it painless
It's not painless
She was a friend of mine, a friend of mine
And we're not nameless, oh
It goes on and on, I don't know what I want
On and on, I don't know if I want it
On and on, I don't know what I want
On and on, I don't know if I want it
(On and on I don't know what I want)
(On and on I don't know if I want it)
(On and on I don't know what I want)
Well if you're not sure, better safe than sorry
Creature comfort, make it painless
Creature comfort, make it painless
We're the bones under your feet
The white lie of American prosperity
We wanna dance but we can't feel the beat
I'm a liar, don't doubt my sincerity
Just make it painless
Creature comfort, make it painless
Na-na-na-na
Na-na-na na-na-na-na
(Na-na-na-na na-na-na)
(Na-na-na-na na-na-na)
Na-na-na na-na-na-na
Na-na-na na-na-na-na
(Na-na-na-na na-na-na)
Creature comfort, make it painless
The lyrics of Arcade Fire's "Creature Comfort" describe the struggles people go through to attain fame and acceptance in society. The song explores themes of self-hatred, body image, and the desire for validation. Some boys resent their fathers, and some girls hate their bodies, waiting for feedback from society on their appearance. The chorus, "Saying God, make me famous, if you can't just make it painless, just make it painless," highlights the desperation people feel to achieve fame and the lengths they may go to attain it.
The song takes a darker turn when it references assisted suicide, with the female protagonist dreaming about dying all the time and coming close to it before. She tried to drown herself in the bathtub while listening to the first record she shared with her partner. The lyrics also suggest that some people engage in destructive behaviors like cutting, and others starve themselves while waiting for feedback.
The final verses of the song describe the hopelessness that some people feel, even when surrounded by wealth and luxury. The chorus repeats the plea to "make it painless," while also alluding to the fact that they feel like they were born in a diamond mine that they can see but not touch. The song highlights the flaws and dark side of society's search for fame and success, ultimately concluding that "Creature comfort makes it painless."
Line by Line Meaning
Some boys hate themselves
Some boys have a deep loathing for themselves
Spend their lives resenting their fathers
Their negative feelings toward themselves may stem from feelings of contempt for their fathers
Some girls hate their bodies
Some girls have a visceral disdain for their physical appearances
Stand in the mirror and wait for the feedback
These girls scrutinize themselves in the mirror, hoping for praise or affirmation which they deem as feedback
Saying God, make me famous
They pray to become famous, possibly believing that with fame comes relief for their afflictions
If you can't just make it painless
They plead with God to alleviate their agony
Just make it painless
Their plea for relief from their suffering is echoed
Assisted suicide
A reference to the act of intentionally ending one's life with assistance from someone else
She dreams about dying all the time
A woman struggles with thoughts of death and dying regularly
She told me she came so close
The woman reveals a previous attempt at ending her own life
Filled up the bathtub and put on our first record
The woman harkens back to an earlier time in her life, before her struggles with suicidal ideation
Some girls cut themselves
Some girls engage in the dangerous practice of self-harm
Some boys get too much, too much love, too much touch
Some boys perceive affection and intimacy as overpowering and distressing to them
Some boys starve themselves
Some boys engage in starvation as a form of self-punishment
Creature comfort makes it painless
Temporary comfort from a stimulus can alleviate the unbearable pain
Bury me penniless and nameless
The desire to die with nothing, to let their malaise expire with their death, to be buried without any extra details or adornment
Born in a diamond mine
People are born into certain privileges that are material; they can almost be considered as ‘diamonds’ in a sense
It's all around you but you can't see it
Society is full of constructed concepts that lead to material fulfillment that are hard for people to fully understand
It's all around you but you can't touch it
The constructed concepts that lead to material fulfillment are all ubiquitous but untouchable, in a sense they are simply out of reach and unattainable
She was a friend of mine, a friend of mine
The woman who had suicidal tendencies mentioned earlier was a close friend of the singer's
Well if you're not sure, better safe than sorry
If you are unsure about what you want, then it is better to play it safe and avoid remorse later
We're the bones under your feet
The downtrodden people of society who have almost been choked out of existence form the very foundation for society as we know it
The white lie of American prosperity
The idea of a “perfect” America where everyone thrives is almost all but lost as people continue to struggle personally, professionally and, socially
We wanna dance but we can't feel the beat
People want to enjoy things in life (like dance), but they can’t, due to personal struggles.
I'm a liar, don't doubt my sincerity
The singer admits to lying about his feelings, but still wants people to take his vulnerably expressed sentiments seriously
Creature comfort, make it painless
A plea for a quick fix to alleviate the pain and suffering they are experiencing, even if it is temporary
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEREMY GARA, REGINE CHASSAGNE, RICHARD R PARRY, TIM KINGSBURY, WILLIAM BUTLER, WIN BUTLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anemoemu3083
“It’s not painless, she was a friend of mine and we’re not nameless” Love this part. Everyone has an impact and meaning. Everyone is somebody.
@juanalejandrogarcialay361
This song is deep
@Infamous1107
Literally 1000 interpretations u could take from that line and it means something different to everyone who listens to it 🎶🎶
@derekstaroba
I just really like the beat mostly but it has a good message arcade fire is a top notch troupe. I was just listening to deadzone by ladytron apparently its about surviving a car crash but i didnt get that at first just found out. I have a lot of great similar genre songs in music playlist 2 on my profile if u r looking to hear some tunes. A lot of the songs are really good but surprisingly not well known as many are independent and dont sign sign shady deals with record companies so dont get promoted as much but they are reaaaaaalllly good check it out
@henrythegreatamerican8136
I thought it was about someone seeking fame and being forced to have sex with someone in power just to get ahead? MAKE IT PAINLESS!!!
@scottanderson7249
@@juanalejandrogarcialay361 88
@the10thleper
I'm about to turn 59 years old, I enjoy this song and most all of the new alternative music. It is the music I prefer now. I'm sick and tired of classic rock. The same top 40 songs over and over, I no longer listen to rock. After 40 years I'm glad to have something new to listen to. Thank you.
@ryanrutten7778
I'm 37. It took you 40 years to change.
@the10thleper
Ryan Rutten Hoy Ryan, 3 years ago I was stuck aboard a 70 foot broken boat at sea for a month and one of the crew turned on a Satellite radio with alternative music. I loved it! Mad as hell on a broken slow ass boat but so happy listening to new music. The voyage was worth it just for being turned onto the music. I'm suppose to set sail on the same vessel in two months. I will make damn sure the radio is working before we weigh anchor. Thanks mate, enjoy.
@mcqueenx75
I am 35, I cherish older music as they have more soul and a story to tell, but arcade fire has revived that old musical fire, they are fucking amazing.