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
Mimizan
Beirut Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the wind blows
The children are here but the women just stare
From the windows
See the lawns outside, groomed green lawns
Oh how they glow
And I spotted you there with curlers in hair
On the telephone
And I, longed for you.
Yes I, long for you.
Oh I'll move for you.
Yes, I'll move for you
Years spent round on the foyer
As the maid sweeps dust
And leaves from the back door
My heart could be yours
Within dreams we're free
But you'd always ask for more.
So I'll move for you
Yes, I'll move for you
Oh I'll move for you.
Oh I'll move for you.
The song "Mimizan" by Beirut is a poetic creation that reflects the longing for something or someone that is far away. The song begins with a description of a peaceful offshore - where the lines are on board, and the wind blows gently. But this calm setting is disrupted by the piercing stare of women from the windows, while the children are carefree, running around. There is a stark contrast between the women's disapproving gaze and the innocence of the children. Then the lyrics shift to a different setting: a lawn on which the grass is perfectly groomed and green, which glows in the sunlight. In this picture-perfect setting, the singer spots someone who is special to them - the person is on the phone, with curlers in her hair. The singer feels a deep longing for this person. The chorus "Oh I'll move for you" emphasizes how important the subject of the song is to the singer.
As the song progresses, we are given a glimpse into the singer's past, where they seemed to be in a state of limbo, spending years around a foyer. The maid swept dust and leaves, and the singer's heart might have yearned for the person they sing about in the first stanza. And yet, in their dreams, they were free, and their heart could belong to this person - but they always wanted more. The final chorus emphasizes how much the singer is willing to do for their beloved, emphasizing that they are willing to move for them, both physically and emotionally.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of both longing and willingness to put effort into a relationship - a juxtaposition that makes the emotions of the song feel especially raw and honest.
Line by Line Meaning
The lines are on board, it's quiet offshore
But the wind blows
The boat is offshore, and although everything appears calm, the wind is blowing.
The children are here but the women just stare
From the windows
The women inside the house are not actively engaged in child care, but rather staring out the window.
See the lawns outside, groomed green lawns
Oh how they glow
The well manicured lawns outside are beautiful and glowing.
And I spotted you there with curlers in hair
On the telephone
The artist sees the person they desire with curlers in their hair, talking on the phone.
And I, longed for you.
Yes I, long for you.
The artist desires their loved one greatly.
Oh I'll move for you.
Yes, I'll move for you
The singer is willing to make sacrifices and change their life for their loved one.
Years spent round on the foyer
As the maid sweeps dust
And leaves from the back door
The singer has spent many years in the foyer of the house while the maid cleans dust and leaves from the back door.
My heart could be yours
Within dreams we're free
But you'd always ask for more.
The artist's heart belongs to their loved one in their dreams, but in real life, their loved one always wants more.
So I'll move for you
Yes, I'll move for you
The artist reiterates their willingness to move and make changes for their loved one.
Oh I'll move for you.
Oh I'll move for you.
The artist emphasizes that they truly mean it when they say they will move for their loved one.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ZACH CONDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind