Archive was formed by Londoners Darius Keeler and Danny Griffiths in 1994 and began as an electronica project. At the beginning, they mixed Bristol-style, Massive Attack, Portishead with Rap. The first album of the band, Londinium released in 1996 (with Roya Arab and Rosko John as guest vocalists). The second album, Take my Head, (which the band hates) was released in 1999 (with a new guest vocalist Suzanne Wooder), it is much more melodic than Londinium. The first song of the album, You Make Me Feel, illustrates this change in the Archive's music. After being dropped by their label and more changes in the lineup, the band seemed to hit its stride on the third album You All Look The Same To Me (2002), featuring singer Craig Walker (formerly of Power of Dreams), which took a decided turn toward more progressive music (with some Progressive Rock influences, notably Pink Floyd whose indelible influence is audible on tracks such as 'Finding it so Hard' and 'Again'), while still maintaining electronic elements. The band saw growing popularity and critical acclaim, especially in France, Greece, Germany and Poland. After recording two more artistically—but not too commercially—successful albums, Michel Vaillant (2003) and Noise (2004), Walker left the band for reasons the band and he will not talk about. The project continued on as a Collective, with new vocalists, Pollard Berrier and Dave Pen. In May 2006 they released the album Lights with Pollard Berrier on lead vocals, who is also a member/guest member of the innovative group, "Bauchklang" - a completely vocal beat-box (Vocal Groove) group based in Vienna, Austria. Archive released a live album, entitled,Live at Paris Zenith, in May, 2007 - which was recorded on January 20th, 2007 at the sold out Zentih Arena in Paris. Rolling Stone called it, "The best live album ever made." Archive continues to tour and is working on a number of forthcoming releases in the near future.
Archive are a Collective, not a band.
PILLS
Archive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
they’re taking me down
breakout
with pills in my hand
freak out
I move with the crowd
you think it’s only you
it really kills me too
it’s taking me down
you really got me wanting now
you think it’s only you
it really kills me too
how can you tell the truth?
When your heart is bleeding the lies
feeding the lies
falling apart
breaking apart
it really kills me too
it’s really got me hurting now
it’s really got me hurting.
The Archive's song Pills depicts the intricacy of addiction and how medications turn into a source of comfort for individuals. The lyrics convey the singer's state of mind, which is filled with anxiety and fear of losing control. The first line "These days, they're taking me down," reflects the singer's feeling of being consumed by something that is beyond their control. The word "they" refers to the personification of the pills that the singer is taking to cope with their problems.
The line "freak out, I move with the crowd" suggests how the singer is a part of the population that is struggling with addiction. The phrase "you think it's only you, really kills me too" might mean that the singer is aware of the fact that they are not alone in their struggles. They feel that there are other people who are also struggling with addiction.
The chorus portrays the devastating effects of addiction, where the heart bleeds lies and breaks apart. The phrase "it really kills me too" reiterates how addiction is harming the singer and others around them. They are unable to tell the truth and have a hard time separating fact from fiction. The song's interpretation is a profound insight into the struggles of addiction, and it serves as a reminder that many people out there need help.
Line by Line Meaning
These days
In this current time period
they’re taking me down
I am feeling overwhelmed and defeated
breakout
Expressing a desire to escape from this situation
with pills in my hand
Using medication to cope with the stress
freak out
Panic and lose control
I move with the crowd
I am going along with what everyone else is doing
you think it’s only you
You believe that you are the only one dealing with this
it really kills me too
This situation is also causing me great pain and discomfort
you really got me going now
You are aggravating my current struggles even more
it’s taking me down
I am being dragged under and overwhelmed
you really got me wanting now
You have created a sense of desperation within me
how can you tell the truth?
Expressing disbelief in the honesty or sincerity of others
When your heart is bleeding the lies
When you are emotionally wounded by dishonesty
feeding the lies
Adding to the falsehoods and deceit
falling apart
Breaking down and losing control
breaking apart
Shattering and losing cohesion
it really kills me too
This situation is causing me great pain and discomfort
it’s really got me hurting now
I am in considerable emotional pain
it’s really got me hurting.
I am in considerable emotional pain
Contributed by Isabella J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.