Condon recorded before Beirut was established: when he was fifteen and under the name of Realpeople, he made an electronic record, fashioned after his love for The Magnetic Fields. Condon was a straight-A student until he dropped out at the age of 17 to travel Europe with his cousin in a drunken haze, cavorting and partying with the locals wherever he ended up. It was during one of these evenings that he was first exposed to Balkan music (notably including the Boban Marković Orkestar and Goran Bregović), blasting from the upstairs apartment. Condon ended up with the Serbian artists all night, going through albums country by country, note for note.
The first album under the Beirut moniker, Gulag Orkestar (2006), was the direct result of what he learned that night. While it may sound like an entire Balkan orchestra playing modern songs as mournful ballads and upbeat marches, the album was performed and recorded almost entirely by Condon alone. He did so on Pro Tools while skipping school in Albuquerque and at Sea Side Studios in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Jeremy Barnes added percussion and some violin overlays.
After recording, Condon formed a full band which at times varies in the number of members, from six to ten. Live he is accompanied by Perrin Cloutier (cello/accordion), Jason Poranski (guitar/mandolin/ukulele), Nick Petree (drums), Kristin Ferebee (violin), Paul Collins (organ/keys/tambourine/ukulele), Jon Natchez (baritone sax/mandolin/glockenspiel), and Kelly Pratt (trumpet/euphonium).
In November 2006 Condon was "briefly hospitalized for extreme exhaustion", the band's website said, and as a consequence the band cancelled the rest of the tour. They resumed performing in March 2007 and released their second album, The Flying Club Cup the same year on October 9th. Parts of the album were performed and recorded by Condon in his bedroom again, but others were recorded with the live band, which resulted in a more organic, live sound. While writing, Condon said he was inspired by French music, like Jacques Brel (whose song Le Moribond he covered on his Elephant Gun EP), and he moved to Paris for a while. During the extensive tour in support of The Flying Club Cup, Condon and the band more or less fell apart from exhaustion once again and disappeared from the radar in April 2008.
Condon took a long break and returned in 2009 with a double EP, March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland. The first was partly recorded in Mexico with the Mexican Band Jimenez and had a more South-American flavour to it than Condon's previous efforts. The second EP 'Holland' was credited to Condon's old name Realpeople and consisted of five electrotracks, once more in the vein of The Magnetic Fields.
The band's album "The Rip Tide" was released in 2011.
Albums
* Gulag Orkestar (May 9, 2006)
* The Flying Club Cup (October 9, 2007)
* The Rip Tide (August 2, 2011)
* No No No (September 11, 2015)
* Gallipoli (February 1, 2019)
* Artifacts (January 28, 2022)
EPs
* Lon Gisland EP (January 30, 2007)
* Pompeii (February 28, 2007)
* Elephant Gun (June 25, 2007)
* March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland (February 17, 2009)
* East Harlem (June 7, 2011)
* The Berlin-Albuquerque Sessions (November 22, 2022)
Official website: www.beirutband.com
Brandenburg
Beirut Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A light turns out, the winds are colder
The love we've had will turn all over
Going south and we are older
On the one tightrope you walked down
On a night like this you all turn around
No but I, I won't hold you anymore
And some days we're all alone
On the banks of the rhine
And some days all we had
The salt in the sea
?
And some days we're all alone
On the banks of the rhine
The first verse of Beirut's song "Brandenburg" encapsulates the bittersweet nostalgia that often accompanies the end of a relationship. The lyrics "Send me now, the winter's over" and "The love we've had will turn all over" imply that while the couple may have once been deeply in love, that love has passed its peak and is now waning. The line "Going south and we are older" suggests that time has passed, and with it, perhaps the passion that once fueled the relationship. The second verse seems to capture a moment of clarity for the singer. He acknowledges that he can't hold onto his past love anymore: "No but I, I won't hold you anymore / No and I, I can't have you anymore." The repetition of "anymore" emphasizes the sense of finality and acceptance, even as the singer looks back on the beauty of what he had.
Line by Line Meaning
Send me now, the winter's over
The singer is ready to move on from hardship and coldness towards new beginnings.
A light turns out, the winds are colder
The singer senses the arrival of darker days, as opportunities and warmth fly away from their reach.
The love we've had will turn all over
The singer fears that their love story will soon become a thing of the past, as their relationship faces an inevitable change.
Going south and we are older
The artist is heading towards new horizons, but they are also becoming more mature, more experienced, and perhaps more cautious.
On the one tightrope you walked down
The artist is describing a solo journey, a daring feat, and a balancing act that requires skill, determination, and courage.
On a night like this you all turn around
The singer implies that other people may doubt, judge, or reject the person who takes risks and follows their own path.
No but I, I won't hold you anymore
The singer decides to let go of someone or something that they used to cling to, despite the pain and the memories.
No and I, I can't have you anymore
The artist admits that they have lost something or someone that they valued, and they now face a new reality without it.
And some days we're all alone
On the banks of the rhine
The artist reflects on moments of solitude and contemplation, when they may feel isolated or disconnected in a specific place or memory.
And some days all we had
The salt in the sea
?
The artist suggests that some things they experienced or shared with others may dissolve or vanish, leaving no tangible trace or comfort.
And some days we're all alone
On the banks of the rhine
The singer repeats the previous lines to reinforce the idea that some days can be marked by introspection and doubt, especially when revisiting a symbolic location.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ZACH CONDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind