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.
Normal Person
Arcade Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I don't know if I do
Is anything as strange as a normal person?
Is anyone as cruel as a normal person?
Waiting after school for you
They want to know if you
If you're normal tooWell, are you?
Are you?
I'm so confused, am I a normal person?
You know, I can't tell if I'm a normal person, it's true
I think I'm cool enough, but am I cruel enough?
Am I cruel enough, for you?
Girl break you down
Till everything is normal now, I know
And they will break down
Till everything is normal now, I know
They take their tea at two
All the normal people, they do
They burn the jungle down
While they were sleeping, it grew
You dream in English now
In proper English, look how
You're just the same as me
It's through
And they will break you down
Till everything is normal now, I know
And they will break down
Till everyone is normal now, I knowIf that's what's normal now
I don't want to know
If that's what's normal now
Mama don't make me go
When they get excited, they try to hide it
Look at those normals go
When they get excited, they try to hide it
Look at those normals go
When they get excited, they try to hide it
Look at those normals go
When they get excited, they try to hide it, no!
And they will break you down
Till everything is normal now, I know
And they will break down
Till everything is normal now, I know
If that's what's normal now
I don't want to know
If that's what's normal now
Maybe if you hang together
You can make the changes in our hearts
And if you hang together
You can change us, just where should you start?
I've never really ever met a normal person
I've never really ever met a normal person
I've never really ever met a normal person
I've never really ever met a normal person like you!
How do you do
Thank you
In "Normal Person," Arcade Fire takes a critical look at the concept of normalcy and what it means to be a regular person. The song begins with a question: "Do you like rock and roll music? 'Cause I don't know if I do." This line is a nod to the band's own music style and suggests that the singer is unsure if they fit into the traditional mold of a rock musician. The lyrics then pivot to examine society's obsession with being normal and the pressure to conform.
The chorus asks several questions that highlight the cruelty of "normal" people: "Is anything as strange as a normal person? Is anyone as cruel as a normal person?" The verses describe the mundane routines of normal people, from taking tea at two to burning down the jungle while sleeping. The bridge encourages listeners to reject the pressure to be normal and suggests that sticking together can bring about change.
Overall, "Normal Person" is a critique of societal norms and the pressure to conform. It suggests that there is something strange and perhaps even cruel about "normal" behavior and encourages listeners to reject these standards.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you like rock and roll music?
I'm not sure if I like rock and roll music, do you?
'Cause I don't know if I do
I'm not sure if I like it or not
Is anything as strange as a normal person?
Are normal people as odd as they seem?
Is anyone as cruel as a normal person?
Is anyone as mean as a person who is considered normal?
Waiting after school for you
I'm waiting for you after school
They want to know if you
People want to know if you
If you're normal too
If you are also a normal person
Well, are you?
So, are you?
I'm so confused, am I a normal person?
I'm not sure if I'm a normal person or not
You know, I can't tell if I'm a normal person, it's true
I really can't figure out if I'm normal or not
I think I'm cool enough, but am I cruel enough?
I think I'm alright, but am I mean enough?
Am I cruel enough, for you?
Am I mean enough to be like you?
Girl break you down
A girl can break you down
Till everything is normal now, I know
Until everything feels normal and regular
And they will break down
And they will break you down
Till everything is normal now, I know
Until everything feels normal and regular
They take their tea at two
Normal people drink tea at two
All the normal people, they do
People who are normal do this
They burn the jungle down
Normal people are destructive and don't realize the consequences
While they were sleeping, it grew
While they were ignorant and inactive, the problem grew
You dream in English now
You dream in proper English now
In proper English, look how
You are now speaking grammatically correct English
You're just the same as me
You and I are the same
It's through
It's clear
If that's what's normal now
If that's what everyone thinks is normal
I don't want to know
I don't want to be a part of that
Mama don't make me go
Mother, don't force me to be around those people
When they get excited, they try to hide it
Normal people try to hide their excitement
Look at those normals go
See how the normal people behave
When they get excited, they try to hide it, no!
They really try hard to suppress it, don't they?
Maybe if you hang together
Maybe if everyone works together
You can make the changes in our hearts
Changes can be made in our hearts
And if you hang together
If you all work together
You can change us, just where should you start?
You can change us, where should you begin?
I've never really ever met a normal person
I've never truly met someone who is normal
I've never really ever met a normal person
I've never really met a normal person
I've never really ever met a normal person
It's difficult to find a truly normal person
I've never really ever met a normal person like you!
I've never met someone as normal as you!
How do you do
How are you?
Thank you
Thank you
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
@maureenreid594
One of the best. Underappreciated album
@cara1111
I remember when this album came out a lot of "critics" gave their thumbs down to it. The thing is that Arcade Fire makes music and art that has an amazing re-listening factor. The more you listen to their songs the better they get, the more vibrant, colorful and rich they get. This makes them misunderstood by critics for sure, but also that makes them timeless and unique too.
@erika_bes
I’m an AF fan and this album did not resonate with me much until recently. Ahead of its time for me at least.
@MacronCPP
To be honest, even though I love Neon Bible or Everything Now, Reflektor for me seems... kinda bloated. A lot of the album could get a minute shorter without any losses in content and at the same time, the repetition doesn't really add anything more for interpretation. I still love sounds (the chorus in this song is so awesome!), but I don't find whole songs great just because of it.
@theothertonydutch
@@MacronCPP I feel the album is conceptually great but I only really love Afterlife. I find the whole album hard to listen to in one go.
@JesusGomez-ob2qt
Ironically enough I dislike most of Arcade Fire's work, but absolutely adore Reflektor, the concept was well executed and the ambition was nice, the only song I didn't like was the first here comes the night time, it sounds like a child's lullaby. But damn the way they made the concept work, easily their best record most people don't get it because of the amount of layers it has both musically and thematically. They really entered their David Bowie era, no wonder he was so impressed with the record
@peacebone420
@@erika_bes the songs you grow to love never stick at first. I didn't really love it at first but now its my favorite AF album.
@SCPHero
Best song from the album🦊🧚♂♨
@cKFSDev
This is one of those songs that gets better with each hearing. The buildup of this song is so powerful and the climax so rewarding. One of AF best!
@YELLERHEAD
One of the best intros ever