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.
Joan of Arc
Arcade Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But they like you now
And everything that goes away
Will be returned somehow
They're the ones that spit on you
'Cause they got no heart
I'm the one that will follow you
You're my Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
You had a vision they couldn't see so
They put you down
But everything that you said would happen
It came around
And they're the ones that put you down
'Cause they got no heart
But I'm the one that will follow you
You're my Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
Tell the boys their time is through
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
Tell the boys I'll follow you
I'll follow you
Now they tell you that you're their muse
Yeah, they're so inspired
But where were they when they called your name
And they lit the fire?
When the voices came, you cut your hair
But you're still confused
But I'm the one with a heavy heart
'Cause I'll follow you
My Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
Tell the boys their time is through
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
Tell the boys I'll follow you
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
When the boys are over you
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
Tell the boys I'll follow you
I'll follow you
(I really wanna know you)
Tu dis que tu est mon juge
Mais je ne te crois pas
Alors tu dis que je suis une sainte
Mais ce n'est pas moi
J'entends des voix
Mais ce n'est pas moi
Je ne suis pas Jeanne d'Arc
And if you shoot, you better hit your mark (Hit your mark)
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
Tell the boys their time is through
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
Tell the boys I'll follow you
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
When the boys are over you
Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc)
Tell the boys I'll follow you
I'll follow you
Joan, it's true
I only wanna to know you
Joan, it's true
it's true, I only wanna to know you
But Joan
I only wanna to know you
(First they love you)
(Then they kill you)
(Then they love you again)
(And then they love you)
(Then they kill you)
(Then they love you again)
(Love love you)
(Kill kill you)
And then they love you again
They love love you
Kill kill you
And then they love you again
The lyrics to Arcade Fire's song Joan of Arc delve into the ideas of persecution, admiration, and the changing nature of public opinion. The song takes inspiration from the story of Joan of Arc, a young French peasant who claimed to have been commanded by God to lead the French army to victory during the Hundred Years' War. She was ultimately captured, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake. The song explores how Joan was initially reviled and cast aside by those who did not understand her, but was ultimately recognized as an inspiration and a martyr.
The lyrics begin by acknowledging that Joan of Arc was initially hated by those around her, but that they eventually came to like and admire her. The repetition of the line "they like you now" is a nod to the fickle nature of public opinion. The second verse refers to Joan's vision, which her contemporaries could not see, and how her predictions ultimately came true. Despite her successes, Joan was still put down by those who lacked empathy and understanding. The chorus of the song repeats the idea that the singer will follow Joan of Arc, even when she is treated poorly by others.
The lyrics also reference some inconsistencies in Joan's story that have been debated by historians. For example, the line "When the voices came, you cut your hair, but you're still confused" references Joan's habit of cutting her hair short, which some historians believe was a sign of her devotion to God, while others argue that she simply did not have access to proper grooming tools while on campaign. The final verse includes lyrics in French, with Joan herself denying that she is a saint or Jeanne d'Arc.
Overall, Joan of Arc tells the story of a misunderstood and persecuted figure, and suggests that admiration and respect may come later than deserved. The song also hints at the difficulty of reconciling Joan's own narratives with the differing interpretations of her life and legacy.
Line by Line Meaning
You're the one that they used to hate
You were shunned and disliked by many people.
But they like you now
But now those same people like you.
And everything that goes away
Anything that disappears,
Will be returned somehow
Will come back eventually in some form.
They're the ones that spit on you
They are the people who treated you badly.
'Cause they got no heart
This is because they lack compassion and empathy.
I'm the one that will follow you
I, however, will support and follow you.
You're my Joan of Arc
You are my brave warrior and protector.
You had a vision they couldn't see so
You had an idea or goal that they couldn't understand.
They put you down
So, they ridiculed and belittled you.
But everything that you said would happen
However, all the things you spoke of did come to pass.
It came around
Things eventually came to fruition.
Tell the boys their time is through
Inform the men that they have lost power and influence.
Tell the boys I'll follow you
Let them know that I will be there to support you.
Now they tell you that you're their muse
Now, they see you as a source of inspiration.
Yeah, they're so inspired
They are excited and uplifted by your presence.
But where were they when they called your name
But, were they there for you when you needed them.
And they lit the fire?
Or were they responsible for the troubles that you faced?
When the voices came, you cut your hair
When you heard the call, you changed your appearance.
But you're still confused
But despite this, you're still feeling unsure and conflicted.
But I'm the one with a heavy heart
But, I am feeling deeply saddened for you.
My Joan of Arc
You are my hero and protector.
When the boys are over you
When the men leave and your influence fades.
Je ne suis pas Jeanne d'Arc
I'm not as brave and inspiring as Joan of Arc.
And if you shoot, you better hit your mark
And if someone tries to harm you, they better not miss.
Joan, it's true
Joan, it's true that I admire and respect you.
I only wanna know you
I just want to understand and know you better.
First they love you
First they care for and adore you.
Then they kill you
Then they try to destroy and break you down.
And then they love you again
But, they will eventually come around and love you once more.
Love love you
They will love and cherish you.
Kill kill you
But, they will try to take you down.
And then they love you again
And then they will return to loving and cherishing you again.
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
@beaniedoodle5724
My 6th grade teacher would have a song of the month we would listen to daily, and for the month of November (I think, it was around 8 years ago) this was her chosen song, she introduced me to lots of new music as a kid, one of my favourite teachers I've ever had.
@runnawaywoodstock
Awesome teacher
@inphanta
Your teacher was doing the lord’s work 😊
@leobe8012
Wich songs else can you remember this song made me start reserche about the women in the lyrics
@tomn3821
Yes
@42042O
Love it.
@c-dawg69
Sounds good dudes
@emmal1947
I like your fish 😀
@ShivJ16
This song is incredibly underrated!
@garyjohnson9459
Catchy. I get it. Especially the female bit in the chorus.
Early bit even had early 80s punk vibe. Good tune I like it.