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
Napoleon On The Bellerophon
Beirut Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Round the sea I'm not floating by the saints of heaven
And you said that i was liar and i'm lost somewhere on the inside, forever alone.
The lyrics of Beirut's "Napoleon On The Bellerophon" are rich in metaphors that explore themes of loneliness and isolation. The first line, "They never heard you play their loud songs, on the Bellerophon," refers to the ship that Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. The reference to "loud songs" suggests that Napoleon was a powerful and dynamic figure, but his voice is now unheard and forgotten on the ship. This can be interpreted as a commentary on the fleeting nature of fame and success.
The second line, "Round the sea I'm not floating by the saints of heaven," can be interpreted in a number of ways. Perhaps it refers to the fact that Napoleon, who was once a great leader, is now adrift and lost without any divine intervention. Alternatively, it could be a reference to the fact that Napoleon's sins have damned him to a life without the comfort of the saints. The final line, "And you said that I was a liar and I'm lost somewhere on the inside, forever alone," is perhaps the most straightforward. It speaks to feelings of isolation and disconnection, suggesting that Napoleon's persona has been stripped away and he is left with only his own thoughts and regrets.
Line by Line Meaning
They never heard you play their loud songs, on the Bellerophon
The people who were supposed to listen to your music and appreciate it never did, even though you played it with all your heart and soul on the Bellerophon.
Round the sea I'm not floating by the saints of heaven
I'm not blessed by the holy and divine beings around the sea, even though I wander aimlessly without any sense of direction.
And you said that i was liar and i'm lost somewhere on the inside, forever alone.
You accused me of being dishonest and deceitful, but the reality is that I'm just lost and confused on the inside, feeling like I'll always be alone.
Contributed by Annabelle J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.