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
The Penalty
Beirut Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let them seize the way, this once was an island
And I could not stay for I believed them
Left for the lights always in season
Impassable night in a crowd of homesick
Fully grown children, you'll leave the lights
Your family may not wait, Sir, keep on breathing
Let them think what they may, for they've good reason
Left for the lights always in season
The lyrics to Beirut's "The Penalty" describe a feeling of being on trial for something long past, possibly a reference to a historical event or societal issue. The singer is resigned to their fate and admits to leaving because they believed those who asked them to go. The theme of leaving and returning is repeated in the lines "left for the lights always in season" and "you'll leave the lights, your family may not wait". The singer seems to be in the midst of a crowd of homesick individuals yearning for something they cannot attain.
The chorus of the song suggests that the singer's parents may be disappointed in them for their decision to leave and possibly kneel before their oppressors for the sake of survival. The repetitive use of "left for the lights" in both the verse and chorus further emphasize the idea of leaving and searching for something better. The lyrics ultimately leave the listener with a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Like an ancient day and I'm on trial
It feels like I am being judged unfairly in a situation that seems outdated.
Let them seize the way, this once was an island
They can take control of this place that used to be isolated from the surrounding culture.
And I could not stay for I believed them
I had to leave because I trusted what they were saying, even though it was difficult.
Left for the lights always in season
I departed for the places where joy and prosperity are always present.
Impassable night in a crowd of homesick
A dark time when everyone around me longs to be somewhere else.
Fully grown children, you'll leave the lights
As adults, we will all eventually depart from this place where we used to find happiness.
Your family may not wait, Sir, keep on breathing
Don't give up on yourself, even if your loved ones cannot be there for you right now.
Our parents rue the day, they find us kneeling
Our parents would be disappointed if they saw us submitting to the forces that try to bring us down.
Let them think what they may, for they've good reason
People may have valid concerns about our decisions, but we should still follow our own beliefs.
Left for the lights always in season
We went away to find a place where we can always find happiness and fulfillment.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ZACH CONDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind