In 1998, Paul Durham and his rock band, Black Lab, released their Geffen Records debut Your Body Above Me to critical acclaim. The album yielded the top 10 rock and alternative single "Wash it Away," and the top 40 ac and pop track "Time Ago."
Paul Durham grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho before moving to San Francisco to pursue his passion for musical invention. He recorded and toured with a group of friends under the moniker “Durham,” and made an acoustic-based singer/songwriter record with celebrated jazz producer Lee Townsend. (now available at blacklabworld.com under the title Ten Million Years: songs from the nineteen nineties).
“Durham” split, but a deal with Geffen Records followed, a new band was built, and Black Lab's debut was tagged as "one of this year's breakout records" (Billboard). Hollywood called, and the band contributed songs to the soundtracks for Can't Hardly Wait, Varsity Blues, Permanent Midnight, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After a year of touring, Black Lab was poised to fulfill their destiny as "the American U2" (San Francisco Chronicle) when their record label was quickly shuttered. Over the next two years, Durham left his band, fired his manager and moved to LA. "In the end, all I had were my guitars and the songs I was writing." Durham wanted to control the sound around his voice, so he bought a computer and learned to use it. "I had to get back to how it was in high school -- just me and my four-track."
The resulting demos got Durham a new deal with Epic Records. "The first thing I did was buy a giant ProTools system." The only problem was, he didn't know how to install the software. On advice from a friend, Durham hired Andy Ellis to set up his studio. "So, we're sitting around waiting for the computer to reboot," remembers Durham, "And this guy picks up my guitar, without asking. I was cringing inside, afraid of what he would play. But he was great. I wanted to sing over the top of everything he played. Pretty soon, we were writing together."
At 23, Ellis was already an accomplished guitarist, keyboard player and programmer. He had been working as an assistant to some of the best engineers in the business and knew how to twiddle some serious knobs. Durham had found the missing link between what he heard in his head and what came out of the speakers. "Working with Andy is the first time collaboration has ever been easy," says Durham. "Instead of the whole hell-is-other-people thing, we have a blast just making sounds.
See the Sun has a depth and emotional range that broadens with each listen. Much of the album was mixed by Tom Lord-Alge (Live, Blink 182, Avril Lavigne). What shines brightest is the band's pop sensibility – the liquid swirl of "Remember," the epic sweep of "See the Sun," the raging loss of "Without You," and the open-armed surrender of "Lonely Boy."
“Learn to Crawl” was tapped as the fourth track on the platinum Spider-Man soundtrack. Produced by Durham and veteran mixer/producer Tom Lord-Alge, the song wraps an aggressive guitar riff around what Rolling Stone calls "Black Lab's tightly spun, highly melodic rock."
The title of "Ecstasy," a pulsing shadow that wakes to full rock glory, was inspired by Durham's experience recording: "The freedom to do what I wanted – in the studio across the hall from my bedroom – was amazing. I would get up late, go to the beach, then work until four or five in the morning. I got to record this album the same way I wrote it."
While See the Sun represents a zenith in Black Lab’s songwriting and production, the band continues to push and expand its sound into uncharted territory, contributing a vicious techno track called “This Blood” to the worldwide hit movie Blade : Trinity. Black Lab also continues to produce music for television (MTV’s Real World, “What I Like About You,” “The Days”) as well as the upcoming film Lovewrecked.
The third Black Lab album, entitled "Passion Leaves A Trace" was released on January 16th, 2007. Highlights include the majestic "Mine Again", the jet-black remorse of "This Night" (featured in the trailer for The Shield Season 6, and on the episode "Out of the Chute" of House), the hook-laden driving force that is "The Real You", and the achingly beautiful "Ghost In Your Mind".
All things Black Lab, including streaming and free downloads from the new and past albums, can be found at blacklabworld.com.
Black Eye
Black Lab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep herself believing she'll be all right
Keep herself awake to a body that's close
To the hands and the feet that nobody else knows
All the way from London she looks away
Laughing at herself and her black eyeshade
Boy can't keep his pain under the glass
I know this black eye wastes these days
Wastes this light
I know this black eye wastes these days
Wastes this sunlight
Maybe permission ain't good enough
Maybe you need someone who can stand your love
Maybe there's somebody who's cool to the touch
Keep yourself for hurting yourself so much
I know this black eye wastes these days Wastes this light
I know this black eye wastes these days
Wastes this sunlight
Let me crucify you
Let me sacrifice our love
Let me resurrect you
Be my resurrection now
Let me celebrate you
Let me hold your head up high
Let me hang you from the sky
I know this black eye wastes
It wastes
I know this black eye wastes
It wastes
I know this black eye wastes these days
Wastes this sunlight
This sunlight
This sunlight
Sunlight
The song "Black Eye" by Black Lab is a powerful and emotional piece that deals with themes of heartbreak, resilience, and perseverance. The lyrics describe the struggles of two individuals, Jane and the Boy, who find themselves in unhappy situations but are unable to escape them. Jane is unable to keep herself home or believe that she will be okay, and the Boy is struggling with pain and unable to connect with the world around him. Both of them are dealing with internal struggles that are not visible to others, exemplified by the reference to their "hands and feet that nobody else knows."
The chorus of the song, "I know this black eye wastes these days, wastes this light," is a powerful metaphor for the pain and struggles that these two characters are going through. The line "Maybe permission ain't good enough, maybe you need someone who can stand your love" speaks to the idea that sometimes we need more than just permission or understanding from others, we need someone who can really stand by us and support us through our struggles.
The final lines of the song, "Let me crucify you, let me sacrifice our love, let me resurrect you, be my resurrection now, let me celebrate you, let me hold your head up high, let me hang you from the sky," is a plea made by the singer to his love. He is willing to sacrifice and resurrect their love, to celebrate and hold them up high. This is a powerful message of hope and resilience, even in the face of darkness and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Jane can't keep herself home tonight
Jane is unable to stay at home tonight due to her emotional turmoil.
Keep herself believing she'll be all right
Jane is trying to convince herself that everything will be okay.
Keep herself awake to a body that's close
Jane is up at night with someone, feeling their physical presence close to her.
To the hands and the feet that nobody else knows
The physical closeness is intimate and personal, something only they know about.
All the way from London she looks away
Despite coming from a faraway place, she avoids facing her problems.
Laughing at herself and her black eyeshade
She makes fun of herself, hiding her pain behind a black eyeshade.
Boy can't keep his pain under the glass
The boy in the song can't hide his pain, it is apparent to others.
Laughing at the world as it just slides past
Despite the pain, he seems to laugh it off and let life pass him by.
Maybe permission ain't good enough
Just having someone's permission isn't enough to make things better.
Maybe you need someone who can stand your love
One needs someone who can handle the intensity of their love.
Maybe there's somebody who's cool to the touch
Perhaps there is someone who is emotionally detached and can balance out the intensity.
Keep yourself for hurting yourself so much
Try to avoid causing yourself more pain.
Let me crucify you
Perhaps someone should be willing to bear the burden of another's pain and suffering.
Let me sacrifice our love
To help, someone may need to give up on the relationship and focus on healing and growth.
Let me resurrect you
With time and effort, someone can help the other heal and return to a better place.
Be my resurrection now
Perhaps a partnership is needed to heal and move forward.
Let me celebrate you
Let's acknowledge and celebrate each other's progress and growth.
Let me hold your head up high
I'll be here to support and encourage you as you work towards healing.
Let me hang you from the sky
Together, we can aim high and achieve great things.
I know this black eye wastes
The pain and suffering caused by the situation is draining and destructive.
It wastes
The situation is not productive or beneficial, it only causes harm.
I know this black eye wastes these days
The negative impact of the situation is persistent and long-lasting.
Wastes this sunlight
It has a negative impact on something as positive as sunlight and brightness, further emphasizing the negativity of the situation.
Sunlight
Repeating the word sunlight emphasizes that the positivity is being wasted and lost to the negativity.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL DURHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind