Black Lab is a rock band which formed in 1995 in Berkeley, California, Unit… Read Full Bio ↴Black Lab is a rock band which formed in 1995 in Berkeley, California, United States. The band is lead by Paul Durham (vocals, guitar), who has been the only constant member of the band. The only other official member is Andy Ellis (keyboards, guitar), who has been in the band since 2000.

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.

She Loves Me
Black Lab Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Creep down to the waterline
You're twisting away.
The game is over
You can't keep twisting away.

Buy myself a rose
At the end of the day.
Please believe me

You can't keep twisting away.

She loves me
She loves me not
Whether she knows it
She loves me
She loves me not.

Whether it's suicide
Shake the bottle out
You're shaking it clean
You shake
No you can't keep twisting away.

Crack me open, do you know what I mean?
You shake, shake you're twisting away
She loves me
She loves me not.

Slip outside of your mind
Slip the far side over the ice
Slide you're taking it on
Slip I hope you're not already gone.
She loves me.

She loves me.
She loves me not.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Black Lab's song "She Loves Me" describe a desperate attempt to hold onto a relationship that seems to be slipping away. The singer is struggling to keep their lover from "twisting away" and leaving them behind. The metaphor of the "waterline" suggests that they are drowning in their own emotions, unable to keep their head above water.

The singer attempts to appeal to their lover's sentimentality by buying themselves a rose, as if to say, "I'll love you even if you won't love me back." But the repeated refrain of "she loves me/she loves me not" reveals the underlying uncertainty and insecurity that permeates this relationship. The second verse introduces the idea of suicide and addiction, hinting at the darker aspects of this struggle.

The bridge of the song takes a surreal turn, with the singer urging their lover to "crack me open," as if they want to expose their own vulnerabilities and secrets. The imagery of slipping and sliding takes on a more desperate tone, as they realize that they may have already lost their grip on the situation. Yet the final repetition of "She loves me" suggests that there may still be a glimmer of hope.

Line by Line Meaning

Creep down to the waterline
Walk slowly down to the water's edge.

You're twisting away.
You're trying to avoid something important.

The game is over
You can't keep playing games anymore.

You can't keep twisting away.
You can't keep avoiding the truth.

Buy myself a rose
Treat yourself to something nice.

At the end of the day.
After all is said and done.

Please believe me
Trust what I'm saying.

She loves me
She has feelings for me.

She loves me not
Uncertainty about her feelings.

Whether she knows it
Even if she's not aware of her emotions.

Whether it's suicide
Regardless of how serious the situation is.