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
Empassant
Black Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She saw at me at a bar, at Empassant
I moved like a pon whose chasing a swan
Whose singing a song, a real bad song
I feel it each day but I do it my way
And I turn on the radio, and I hear the voice of Tammy Faye
She says: "Reach out, reach out, friend, for my sake"
When my life don't seem so sweet
And realizing that your time is slow
Imagine a soldier in Iraq getting his head blown off
If in life it seems you can only fail
Imagine a poor boy whose getting raped in a prison cell
And you can have your cake, and you can eat it too
Pushing right into there that's Jericho
Thank God either way
The Lord and Savior and live it each day
When life starts to seem so sad
Just remember it ain't so bad
So pray to the Lord that they may survive
'Cause were only here for a little while
The song Empassant by Black Lips is an intriguing piece that tells a story of a girl living in our world. The singer seems to have a fascination for this girl and recalls meeting her at a bar called Empassant. The lyrics are a mix of random thoughts that seem disconnected at first, but upon closer scrutiny, it becomes clear that they all relate to the theme of life.
The song has a melancholic feel to it, but at its core is a message of hope. The lyrics urge the listener to keep pushing on, even when life seems bleak. The singer mentions turning on the radio and hearing the voice of Tammy Faye urging him to "reach out" in times of trouble. He also paints a vivid picture of the struggles people face every day, from a baby bleeding on a toilet seat to a soldier losing his head in Iraq. These images serve to remind us that even in our darkest moments, there are those who are worse off.
The final lines of the song encourage the listener to pray for those who are struggling because we are all here for a short time. The song's message is profound, and the lyrics are expertly crafted to convey it.
Line by Line Meaning
I know a girl who lives in this world
The singer knows a girl who exists in the same world as he does.
She saw at me at a bar, at Empassant
He met the girl at a bar named Empassant.
I moved like a pon whose chasing a swan
The singer moved clumsily, like a pony chasing a swan.
Whose singing a song, a real bad song
The swan is singing a bad song while being chased by the pony.
I feel it each day but I do it my way
The artist feels something every day, but he does things his own way.
And I turn on the radio, and I hear the voice of Tammy Faye
The singer listens to the radio and hears Tammy Faye's voice.
She says: "Reach out, reach out, friend, for my sake"
Tammy Faye tells her listeners to reach out for her sake.
When my life don't seem so sweet
Tammy Faye speaks about life not always being sweet.
Imagine a baby bleeder on the toilet seat
The artist prompts the listener to imagine a disturbing scenario involving a baby and a toilet seat.
And realizing that your time is slow
The artist reflects on the slow passage of time.
Imagine a soldier in Iraq getting his head blown off
The singer makes the listener imagine a violent death of a soldier in Iraq.
If in life it seems you can only fail
If life seems like a succession of failures.
Imagine a poor boy whose getting raped in a prison cell
The singer prompts the listener to imagine a disturbing scenario of sexual violence involving a juvenile in prison.
And you can have your cake, and you can eat it too
The singer implies that one can indulge in what they want in life.
Pushing right into there that's Jericho
The singer talks about an unspecified location named Jericho.
Thank God either way
The artist thanks God for an unknown reason.
The Lord and Savior and live it each day
The artist invokes the Lord and Savior's help in living each day of life.
When life starts to seem so sad
When life appears depressing.
Just remember it ain't so bad
The singer suggests that things aren't as bad as they seem.
So pray to the Lord that they may survive
The artist urges the listener to pray to the Lord for others' survival.
'Cause were only here for a little while
The artist reflects on the temporal nature of human existence.
Contributed by Nolan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
christopher pesce
omygod this is really moving
Zumi Rosow
I wrote these lyrics and they are written wrong on a bunch of spots in the text below the video
-Cole