While still teenagers, they formed after guitarist Cole Alexander and bassist Jared Swilley left the Renegades, and guitarist Ben Eberbaugh left the Reruns. Drummer Joe Bradley joined a few months later. They released their first 7" in late 2001/early 2002 on their own Die Slaughterhaus label.
Just days before a tour was to begin in December 2002, Ben Eberbaugh was killed in a car accident after his car was hit by a drunk driver. The band carried on believing that Eberbaugh would want them to continue.
The band's debut full length album was released on Bomp! Records in 2003. Eberbaugh was replaced by Jack Hines, a friend of the band members, but he too was eventually replaced by current guitarist, and former Renegades member, Ian St. Pe , in 2004.
The Black Lips have a reputation for crazy live shows that have included vomiting, urinating, nudity, band members kissing, fireworks, and a chicken. They have slowly built a fanbase that appreciates their energy and style that is a rough mishmash of blues, rock, doo-wop, country, and punk.
They gained national attention in 2006 with features in Spin and Rolling Stone magazines. The band got exposure in the New York Times for being the hardest working band during the 2007 South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, in which they played a dozen shows over a three-day period.
In September 2007 their most recent album entitled Good Bad Not Evil was released. The Black Lips made their American national television debut in October 2007 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and played O Katrina.
The band also has songs from previous recording sessions, and they will eventually be released by In The Red Records.
The Black Lips are going to star in a film called Let It Be. They will play musicians in a fictitious '1980s era DIY band called The Renegades. The movie is set for production in 2008.
Cole, Jared and Joe also play in a band called The Spooks, along with members of Deerhunter and The Kiwis. The Spooks have recorded an album which should be released in 2007 or 2008 on the Die Slaughterhaus label. Ian also plays in a blasphemous garage punk band called The Original Three. There is a full length record out on Empty records and a single out on SYA records (Italy). The Original Three will have a new single coming out in December 2007 on Savage records (Sweden). Jared plays in a band called The Gaye Blades. Rob's House Records has released one 7" by The Gaye Blades, and another one should be released before the end of 2007. Cole has also released solo material under the name Old King Cole Younger. There is one split 10" release of his material on Rob's House Records that features Bradford Cox of Deerhunter, under the name of Atlas Sound, on the other side.
In 2009, the band released their fifth album, "200 Million Thousand", on Vice Records.
Band Members
* Cole Alexander (Old King Cole Younger) - Vocals, Guitar (2000 - present)
* Jared Swilley - Vocals, Bass Guitar (2000 - present)
* Joe Bradley - Vocals, Drums (2000 - present)
* Ian St. Pe - Guitar (2005 - 2014)
* Jack Hines - former Guitar (2002 - 2005, 2014 - present)
* Ben Eberbaugh - Guitarz(2000 - 2002) - deceased
Ain't No Deal
Black Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was acting just like a teen
She had an abortion on the street
Her fetus fell on the toilet seat, yeah
It's just a little bug, it's just a little bug, ain't no deal at all
She was, she was on the run
She ran an hour started to moan
She didn't want to talk without these drones, yeah
It's just a little bug, it's just a little bug, ain't no deal to breathe
The Black Lips' song "Ain't No Deal" is a gritty and raw track that deals with some difficult subject matter. The opening verse tells the story of a seventeen-year-old girl who has just had an abortion in a very unsanitary and unsafe way. She is acting like a teenager, which is unsurprising given her age, but her situation is anything but normal. The mention of her fetus falling on the toilet seat is particularly jarring and shocking, bringing to mind a sense of the ugly and dark reality that the song is dealing with.
The chorus of the song, which repeats throughout, takes a very different tone. The band sings that "it's just a little bug," repeating the phrase twice in succession, before stating that "ain't no deal at all." This contrast, between the horrific situation described in the verses and the dismissive, almost flippant tone of the chorus, is one of the most interesting aspects of the song. It suggests a sense of nihilism or fatalism in the face of a world that is often cruel and unfair, where even the most devastating events can be dismissed as insignificant.
The second verse continues with a similarly bleak tone. This time, the singer describes a woman who is on the run and doesn't have anyone to call. She is experiencing physical pain and discomfort, but nobody is there to offer comfort or support. The line "She didn't want to talk without these drones" is particularly ambiguous, but it seems to suggest that the woman is isolated and disconnected from the world around her.
Overall, "Ain't No Deal" is a dark and pessimistic song that deals with some difficult subject matter. The contrast between the graphic descriptions in the verses and the dismissive tone of the chorus creates a sense of nihilism and hopelessness, suggesting that sometimes the only way to cope with the cruelties of the world is to simply accept them as they are.
Line by Line Meaning
She was, she was about seventeen
The girl in the song is roughly seventeen years old
She was acting just like a teen
She exhibited typical teenage behavior
She had an abortion on the street
She terminated her pregnancy in an alleyway or non-medical environment
Her fetus fell on the toilet seat, yeah
The unborn child was accidently delivered onto the toilet seat
It's just a little bug, it's just a little bug, ain't no deal at all
Using the metaphor of a bug, the situation being described is not considered a big issue or problem
She was, she was on the run
The girl was trying to leave or escape from something
Nobody to call her on the telephone
She did not have anyone to contact by phone
She ran an hour started to moan
She ran for an hour and began to make strained and pained sounds
She didn't want to talk without these drones, yeah
She preferred not to speak without the help of some sort of electronic device
It's just a little bug, it's just a little bug, ain't no deal to breathe
Again referencing a bug, the problem is not considered a big deal, even when it comes to breathing
Contributed by Matthew R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.