A t… Read Full Bio ↴Bad Books, simply put, is Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra.
A true accident if there ever was one; Bad Books was never an intended nor calculated side project of Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull. Though the two musicians have collaborated and performed together on tour and within the Favorite Gentlemen community of artists for years now, the genesis of Bad Books came from a simple idea to fill space and time off the road by collaborating on a small batch of songs together at the top of the year. With no agenda and no expectations, what was birthed just one week later was Bad Books, a fully realized album encompassing five compositions each from both Devine and Hull, with the members of Manchester Orchestra filling out the sound and the band. The self-titled debut will be released October 19th, 2010 via Favorite Gentlemen Recordings, the record label that was founded and has been run by Manchester Orchestra since 2007.
As songwriters go, Hull and Devine could not be further apart in terms of creative approach. The methodical wordsmith Devine, an English major from Fordham, is known to pine away for great lengths of time just to accurately pin-point one word within a lyric. “I was doing a take of ‘You’re A Mirror I Cannot Avoid’ and stopped myself for fifteen minutes because I was having trouble justifying ending two lines in the same chorus with the word ‘back.’ Just sitting there, staring at the screen, writing different word choices. I asked Andy if he thought it mattered, and he said, ‘Of course it doesn’t.’ Somewhere in that exchange is I think what differentiates us as songwriters. I think Andy trusts his instincts to lead him to the right place in a song, and sometimes I want to outthink my instincts because I’m scared of repeating myself, of resting on my laurels. And I think together, those two approaches meshed really, really well,” Devine said.
Hull echoes that sentiment: “Kevin is very meticulous, where I came in with a few ideas and fleshed them out literally as we were recording. Kevin’s songs were awesome and he was cool enough for me to throw in some ideas to change a part or add a bridge here or there.”
In contrast to previous outputs from Manchester Orchestra and Devine, Bad Books cradles a much more noticeable pop aesthetic and energy than either artist has probably ever showcased before. Nowhere is this more evident than in songs like “You Wouldn’t Have To Ask” and “Holding Down the Laughter”.
Engineered by Robert McDowell (of Manchester Orchestra) with help from drummer Ben Homola, and mixed by Chris Bracco (of Devine’s ‘Goddamn Band’), Bad Books progressed in the most organic and natural way possible. Free from any boundaries or restrictions, Devine and Hull were able to craft a beautiful body of melodies, highlighting arcs of high and low throughout, and utilizing the stark imagery and storytelling for which both of them are known. “There was no governing framework,” Devine says: “No, ‘let’s write these kind of songs and say these kind of things’. We just wrote, arranged and played each song to its end, followed where it led, and I think it brought us both to some pretty unexpected places.”
For Devine, Hull, and the rest of Manchester Orchestra, choosing the direction of the road less travelled resulted in sonic harmonies and woven textures that meshed what these best friends do best. Some accidents were just meant to be.
Forest Whitaker
Bad Books Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We started a fire
That was never supposed to burn out
You started a band
That was cool for awhile but it turned pretty bland
I started a fight
And his pesky wife
You started a job
That you hate when your sober
And hate even more when you're not
I know you hate me too
Always say you do
And you moved to Japan
Thought a clean bill of health and a camera
Could show you the plan
I bought a bird that repeats what I say
But I'm lonely is all that he's heard
You found a guy
That is clearly that is opposite me
With the black-motored bike
I digged around
But its just like a movie that it's picture
Is off with the sound
I know you hate me too
You always say you do
And you started to write
It was subtle at first
But the danger was clearly insight
I don't reply
Due to a lack of an ego
And laziness that cuts like a knife
You say that you're good
Had a baby with biker
And named him Forest Whitaker
I'm laying low
On a probable chance
You convince me to give him a home
I know you hate me too
You always say you do
And I know you that hate me too
Always say you do
In Bad Books's song "Forest Whitaker," the lyrics describe two people who were once close but now have grown apart. In the first stanza, they both make choices that seem exciting at first but ultimately lead to disappointment. One starts a fire that cannot be extinguished, while the other starts a band that becomes boring. The singer starts a fight with a neighbor and his wife, while the other gets a job they hate. Despite their differences, they both seem to share a mutual dislike for each other, with the other person always saying they hate the singer.
The second stanza shows the two growing even further apart, with one moving to Japan and trying to find direction through photography, while the other is left with only a bird that repeats their words. The person in Japan finds a partner who is nothing like the singer, with a black-motored bike, while the singer only finds disappointment when trying to find something meaningful. The person in Japan starts to write, but the singer doesn't respond out of laziness and lack of ego. Eventually, the person in Japan has a baby and names it Forest Whitaker, and the singer contemplates giving the child a home, even though he knows the other person hates him.
Overall, "Forest Whitaker" is a poignant song about growing apart from someone you were once close to, and the hope that you can still connect even when it seems impossible. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of two lives that have taken different paths, but still have a deep connection that can't be ignored.
Line by Line Meaning
The second half right?
Confirming that the other person understands where the situation lies
We started a fire
That was never supposed to burn out
We began something that we thought would never end, but it did and we can't fix it
You started a band
That was cool for awhile but it turned pretty bland
You had a good thing going with your band, but it lost its novelty and became uninteresting
I started a fight
With the neighbor next door
And his pesky wife
I got into a pointless argument with our neighbor and their annoying spouse
You started a job
That you hate when your sober
And hate even more when you're not
You took a job that you dislike when you're sober and despise even more when you're intoxicated
I know you hate me too
Always say you do
I am aware that you have negative feelings toward me as you frequently express them
And you moved to Japan
Thought a clean bill of health and a camera
Could show you the plan
You relocated to Japan, thinking that good health and a camera would help you find direction in life
I bought a bird that repeats what I say
But I'm lonely is all that he's heard
I got a pet bird that can mimic me, but all it hears from me is my loneliness
You found a guy
That is clearly that is opposite me
With the black-motored bike
You have a new partner that contrasts with me in many ways, including owning a black motorcycle
I digged around
But its just like a movie that it's picture
Is off with the sound
I tried to find a way back to us, but it feels like watching a movie where the picture doesn't match the sound
And you started to write
It was subtle at first
But the danger was clearly insight
You began writing, and while it started off innocently, I sense that it could become problematic
I don't reply
Due to a lack of an ego
And laziness that cuts like a knife
I don't respond because I lack ego and motivation, causing emotional harm to myself
You say that you're good
Had a baby with biker
And named him Forest Whitaker
You claim that you're doing well, having a child with your new partner who rides motorcycles and naming him after an actor
I'm laying low
On a probable chance
You convince me to give him a home
I am avoiding contact with you, fearing that you'll convince me to take in your child with your new partner
I know you hate me too
You always say you do
And I know you that hate me too
Always say you do
I acknowledge that you dislike me and express those feelings frequently, which I can't change
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@denizkacan8007
The Mother:Linus,whoever that bestman is I would like to buy him a double of your finest scotch.
Linus:Here you go.
Ted:This is from one of you guys?
Gang:Nah
Ted:Whao this is incredible,what is this?
Linus:It's Glen McKenna 35 year.
Barney:Wait a minute.This whole time you had Glen McKenna 35 year?Why didn't you say something?
Linus:You didn't ask about the 35. :D
Future Ted:And kids,that's the first drink your mother ever bought me.
Thanks How I Met Your Mother for such a great adventure and these wonderful songs. :)
@fishaki
Lyrics
We started a fire;
That was never supposed to burn out
You started a band;
That was cool for awhile but it turned pretty bland
I started a fight;
With the neighbor next door
And his pesky wife
You started a job;
That you hate when your sober
And hate even more when you're not
I know you hate me too
Always say you do
And you moved to Japan;
Thought a clean bill of health and a camera
Could show you the plan
I bought a bird that repeats what i say
But I'm lonely is all that he's heard
You found a guy
That is clearly the opposite me
With a black motor bike
I dicked around
But its just like a movie that's picture
Is off with the sound
I know you hate me too
Always say you do
And you started to write
It was subtle at first
But the danger was clearly in sight
I don't reply
Due to a lack of an ego
And laziness cuts like a knife
You say that you're good
Had a baby with biker
And named him Forest Whitaker
I'm laying low
On the probable chance
You convince me to give him a home
I know you hate me too
Always say you do
@manthanjadhav4132
Me and my best friend used to watch himym together, but he never got the chance to know about the mother.
The first lines of this song brings shiver to my spine, tears.
And it goes on, a flash of memories;
"We started a fire, that was never supposed to BURNOUT"...
The epiphany behind life is so sad, everything is temporary, friends , families , and HIMYM❤️
2nd half,
" You're call for me came like a quake,
Took me while and I ran.
It cut me - the wind
And dried the heavy rain of dismay.
What was I thinking...
Driving so fast...
Into nothingness....
---------
The moment of great realization,
Life! When it freezes
It was first one for me;
-------
When I had my eyes full with tears,
The blurred faces around vanished,
But the sobs, echoed
On the endless tunnels of my ears;
Of deep - valleys and into
Where lives only but cries.
And I climbed the tallest stairs ever,
With heavy legs
Carrying the oceans of misery.
-------
And you were sleeping
Laying there
In endless dreams;
First floor - infinite storey building,
HER thoughts tied
To one of your hands,.......
I fell down
With gravity of no hopes
Reaching for you,
Another of your hands.
So rude of you
To not let go of those fists.
---------
Like a dead cotton plant
You're skin felt so soft
Of hard bones paralyzed eternally;
And a force dragged me behind,
Apart
And away from you;
They carried you
In your deepest slumber.
.........
3rd
...what a nightmare
To see you,
Buttered like a bread;
The visible hundred hands
That explored
Every inch of your remains,
And you....
Disappeared
Into the dry woods,
Where rose a forest fire
-the ashes they soared
Into the blue of sky,
Forming a dark cloud
That follows me around,
And when it rains Everytime,
Our memories kiss me on the skin like a knife,
Untill I'm soaked and drowned in my own tears...
1st half
In two hours,
I'd be riding towards you,
The same moment,
At the same time
Coincidence,
What a devil it is.
You felt but only pain,
Said it faded,
The lights that bugged you,
The lights that never defeated the darkness around you,
And told you're dad
That it's all black....
And I wrote on the walls of
Darkest augury ever;
Should've followed my intuition,
But a fake lie kept me
Imprisoned on the laps of sanguine
Five hours before
I saw how
the red signal never turned
~but I shouldn't have......... 22:17
For Sarthak,
For you were,
An avalanche of epiphanies.🖤
@lutentemedio
Thank you Linus
@kyriakimichael2180
Ily, ily, ily, "and that kids, is how i met your mother"
@Mapple.
There are no more glases
@re-vampconstructions4840
Hallelujah
@seabirdcj7442
Thankyou linus
@marten4765
@@seabirdcj7442 Yes thank you for all your support
@petermun3987
Does anybody else feel happy but sad at the same time after listening to this song?
@nguyenduyhung9611
+Peter Mun omg you too @@
@luz5785
Yes! The rhythm is like happy, but at the same time sad and the lyrics are kind of sad, it's confusing. 😢
@kimyuanxu
+Peter Mun The more I listen to this song, the more sadness I got.