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.
Thin White Lie
Black Lab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One more second to let you save my life
'Cause I don't need it anymore.
But oh my darling,
Here we go.
You get me high in that long white summer dress
Take it off outside in the long green grass and I don't need it anymore
Oh my lord.
We talk about it
We take the long way 'round
Come on angel
There's only one way out
One way.
You can make it easy
Just walk away now baby
One way.
Make it easy on me
Just walk away now,
Please.
Are you a siren?
You call me out
You make it hard on me
It's hard to turn you down
But I don't need it anymore.
So keep your distance,
Oh my lord
We talk about it
There's only one way out.
The lyrics of Black Lab's "Thin White Lie" outline the struggle of trying to resist temptation and break free from an addiction. The song's opening lines poetically describe the singer's internal conflict, as they concede to allowing their addiction to provide one last high in order to save their life, before ultimately realizing they don't need it anymore. The second verse paints a picture of euphoria, as the addiction allows the singer to feel good despite knowing it's time to let it go.
The chorus marks a turning point in the song, as the singer confronts their addiction and acknowledges there's only one way out. The repetition of "one way" signifies that there's only one path to take towards recovery. However, the addiction still has a hold on the singer, as they plead for the source of their temptation to make it easy on them and walk away. The final stanza sees the singer giving in to temptation, to the point where they have to keep their distance from the source. They acknowledge that there's only one way out, but that doesn't mean the journey towards recovery is easy.
Line by Line Meaning
You get me high one last time
One final rush of adrenaline, even though it's not needed anymore.
One more second to let you save my life
The feeling of being rescued by someone, who is causing the addiction but also providing a temporary solution.
'Cause I don't need it anymore.
The realization of being addicted, but not wanting it anymore.
You get me high in that long white summer dress
The euphoric feeling of being under influence, triggered by someone's visual appearance and presentation.
Take it off outside in the long green grass and I don't need it anymore
Subconsciously realizing that there is no need for the addiction, while being involved in the moment and getting high off of it.
But it feels so good,
The pleasant sensation of being under the influence, which can be hard to resist.
Oh my lord.
An exclamation of pleasure, awe or disbelief towards the intensity of the addiction.
We talk about it
A discussion about the addiction and its effects, which signals an attempt to quit or move away from it.
We take the long way 'round
A strategy to avoid the source of addiction by choosing a more challenging but safer path.
Come on angel
An emotionally-charged invitation towards someone to provide support and guidance in the process of quitting the addiction.
There's only one way out
The understanding that there is only one surefire way to get rid of the addiction, and that is to stop entirely.
You can make it easy
An acknowledgment that the source of addiction can facilitate the quitting process by leaving or breaking away from the situation themselves.
Just walk away now baby
A plea to the source of addiction to remove themselves completely from the equation and not provide any temptation.
Make it easy on me
A request to the source of addiction to not make it harder than it already is by avoiding contact and making the process smoother.
Please.
An earnest plea to help and understanding fueled by the desperation one faces when quitting addiction.
Are you a siren?
Questioning the motives of the source of addiction, and likening them to the sirens from greek mythology, who lure sailors to their doom.
You call me out
The source of addiction beckoning the victim to return to it and partake in it once more.
You make it hard on me
Acknowledging that the source of addiction makes it difficult to quit, and is trying to keep the person trapped in the cycle of addiction.
It's hard to turn you down
The struggle to resist the temptation of the addiction, despite it being destructive.
So keep your distance,
Creating boundaries between oneself and the source of addiction to aid in quitting.
We talk about it
Continuing the conversation about quitting and the steps to achieve that goal.
There's only one way out.
A reminder that there is only one solution to get rid of addiction, and to keep that in mind while navigating the process.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL DURHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind