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
Gibraltar
Beirut Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll find things tend to stand in line
It's but a link in time
But I'm sure you'll let me try
Oh, sitting on fire
So long we're waiting on by
Say you're like my kind
You loved the times
I sang your loss was mine
Who laid a line?
Say you're like my kind
You loved the times
I sang your loss was mine
In your mind' eye
In your mmm
In your mind's eye
In your mmm
In your mind's eye
In your mmm
In your mind's eye
In your mmm
Ooooh-mmm
Oh, sitting on fire
So long we're waiting on by
Who laid a line?
Say you're like my kind
You loved the times
I sang your loss was mine
Who laid a line?
Say you're like my kind
You loved the times
I sang your loss was mine
The song "Gibraltar" by Beirut is a beautifully crafted piece that showcases the band's prowess in creating intricate soundscapes. The first few lines of the song, "Everything should be fine, You'll find things tend to stand in line, It's but a link in time" suggest a positive outlook on life, insinuating that everything will work out in the end, and one should not worry too much. This message is in line with the internal struggle the lead singer experiences throughout the song with self-doubt and uncertainties. The chorus, "Who laid a line? Say you're like my kind, You loved the times, I sang your loss was mine," represents the loneliness one may feel as they go through trying times. The line "sang your loss was mine" suggests that we all go through similar situations at some point, and we should empathize with each other.
The second verse continues in a similar vein, with the lyrics "In your mind's eye, In your mmm." The mmm sound here is open to interpretation, representing an unknown or possibly something that cannot be expressed; it emphasizes the line's ambiguity. The song's title, Gibraltar, is a British Overseas Territory located in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, depicting a place of security and strength. This line could be an indication that the singer is seeking refuge and strength in this place, maybe symbolizing finding solace in something or someone.
In conclusion, Beirut's song "Gibraltar" is open to various interpretations, but it is apparent that the song delves into the themes of uncertainty, upheaval, and the need for strength in uncertain times.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything should be fine
Things will work out in the end.
You'll find things tend to stand in line
Things tend to fall into place.
It's but a link in time
This moment is just one small part of the bigger picture.
But I'm sure you'll let me try
I have faith that you'll give me a chance.
Oh, sitting on fire
Waiting is hard and painful.
So long we're waiting on by
We've been waiting for a long time.
Who laid a line?
Who created this path for us?
Say you're like my kind
Say that we have something in common.
You loved the times
You enjoyed the moments we shared.
I sang your loss was mine
I understood and shared in your pain.
In your mind's eye
In your imagination, in your thoughts.
In your mmm
In your meditation, in your silence.
Ooooh-mmm
Mysterious and hard to define.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ZACH CONDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joshuakristanto7877
Everything should be fine
You'll find things tend to stand in line
It's but a link in time
But I'm sure you'll let me try
Oh, set it on fire
So long we're waiting on by
Who laid a line?
Say you're like my kind
You loved the times, I sang
Your loss was mine
Who laid a line?
Say you're like my kind
You loved the times, I sang
Your loss was mine
In your mind’s eye
In your eyes
In your mind’s eye
I will open your eyes
Oh, set it on fire
So long we're waiting on by
Who laid a line?
Say you're like my kind
You loved the times
I sang your loss was mine
Who laid a line?
Say you're like my kind
You loved the times
I sang your loss was mine
@eymanyouwell
@@michaelp.4890 It was part of the Australian HSC Music 1 exam paper.
"Question 1 (6 marks)
An excerpt (1 minute 46 seconds) from Gibraltar by Beirut will be played FIVE times for you
to answer Question 1.
This excerpt is from 0:00–1:46 of Gibraltar by Beirut on the ‘No No No’ album (2015).
Times: First playing — 5 second pause
Second playing — 30 second pause
Third playing — 1 minute pause
Fourth playing — 1 minute pause
Fifth playing — 2 minute pause
Describe the structure of this excerpt, with reference to its performing media"
@christianhurry3219
That beautiful baritone voice - adds character to any melody. The little trills and flares in his singing, he sings like he plays trumpet. Can't wait to listen to the new album, horns or no horns.
@ingridsantos7815
Condon is a tenor. And voice has extension (sometimes confuses)
@ingridsantos7815
@@indalcecio ,his voice sometimes remembers a child
@zacksilliman4995
Roads.
@jonabate6152
Knowledge Fight brought me here. Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!
@HotPepperGaming
Damn damn damn 2015 is a blessing. So much good stuff coming out.
@JizzyyMcGuire
Hot Pepper Gaming This year has been a really good year for music! We got new Sufjan, Modest Mouse, Father John Misty, and Passion Pit, and we're getting new Beirut, Chvrches, and Neon Indian!
@truyee1
+Bradley Humphreys New Ratatat as well!
@perforongo9078
+Hot Pepper Gaming And also a new Beach House and Destroyer record.
@mittok
+Eren Mirza shut up