Their self-titled album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. In the Future was a finalist for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize and was also nominated for "Best Alternative Album" in the 2009 Juno Awards. The song "Stay Free" from In the Future was featured on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack.
In 2005 the band opened for Coldplay on their Twisted Logic Tour for three weeks, with their final opening in San Diego.
In September 2010 Black Mountain performed in an amphitheater located in the woods of Oisterwijk at the Incubate (festival) in Tilburg, Netherlands.
Leader Stephen McBean also heads another similarly named band, Pink Mountaintops, who are the more experimental side of McBean's musical abilities. Black Mountain is the front line band for Black Mountain Army, a collective of musicians, artists and friends in Vancouver. In an interview the band said "Black Mountain is just the five of us. The Black Mountain Army… which has kind of gotten blown out of proportion, it was kind of just a joke, because everybody thought we were this hippie collective, like we all lived in one house. But it’s basically just our friends at home in Vancouver, just our extended family of creative people that we know."
Several members of the band have, for as long as a decade, worked for organizations that meet the basic living requirements of the chronically poor, drug addicted and mentally ill in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighborhood, such as Insite. In an interview, the band said: "After work we all try not to think too hard about the effect it has on our lives. It keeps us grounded."
Wilderness Heart was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize.
March 11, 2014 The Black Mountain song "Wucan" was featured on season 2 of the FOX drama "The Following" during the eighth episode entitled "Messenger".
The Black Mountain song "Druganaut" is featured in a June, 2014 Father's Day commercial for J.C. Penney.
Stay Free
Black Mountain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you when you aughta know
Well it's stormy outside
So quit, so quit all that runnin'
Were birds on the street
Oh the sweat in your pores
Oh stay free
Money, the sundown
Stiff on their knees
Oh beautiful ponies
So beautiful
They'll kill us all
Lets hide ourselves together
Down under the stairs
Don't you leave
Oh hey what did they say,
To get you so lonesome today?
Oh hey restless brown eyes,
Don't you sound
And there comes a time
When you, when you aughta know
Oh there comes a time
So quit, so quit all that runnin'
Were fire in the sky
Oh the death at your door
Oh stay free
The song Stay Free by Black Mountain is a haunting and mysterious ballad that presents the listener with a series of enigmatic images and phrases that suggest a sense of desperation, danger, and anxiety. The song begins with the singer telling the listener that there comes a time in life when they have to stop running and face their fears. As they look outside, the stormy weather reflects the tumultuous emotions inside. The singer refers to the "birds on the street" and the "sweat in your pores," which may signify the restlessness and unease of urban life.
The lyrics then shift to a scene of death and destruction, as the "beautiful ponies" are "stiff on their knees" and "they'll kill us all." The singer suggests that there is safety in staying hidden and protected, perhaps under the stairs, like lovers in a film. The refrain of "stay free" is repeated throughout the song, creating a sense of urgency and rebelliousness that contrasts with the sense of entrapment and danger evoked in the lyrics.
The final verse of the song brings the listener back to the present moment, with the singer asking the subject why they seem so lonely and restless. Again, the refrain of "stay free" presents a plea for liberation and escape from the pressures and confinement of modern society. The final image of "fire in the sky" and "death at your door" suggests that there is always a threat looming on the horizon, but that staying free is the only way to truly live and thrive.
Line by Line Meaning
And there comes a time
There is a specific moment in life
When you when you aughta know
When you must know what action to take
Well it's stormy outside
There is chaos and trouble outside
So quit, so quit all that runnin'
Stop engaging in futile actions
Were birds on the street
Life is full of surprises
Oh the sweat in your pores
Life can be challenging and lead to hard work
Oh stay free
Remain independent and true to oneself
Money, the sundown
The accumulation of wealth does not bring lasting happiness
Stiff on their knees
Those who worship money lose their freedom
Oh beautiful ponies
The beauty of life can be deceptive
So beautiful
Although the world may seem perfect, it is not
They'll kill us all
In the pursuit of beauty and perfection, we can lose ourselves and cause harm to others
Lets hide ourselves together
We should support each other
Down under the stairs
In times of trouble, we must find refuge
Don't you leave
Stay with me and face our problems together
Oh hey what did they say,
Why are you feeling lonely?
To get you so lonesome today?
What caused your sadness at this moment?
Oh hey restless brown eyes,
You are agitated and searching for meaning
Don't you sound
Do not be discouraged
And there comes a time
There are pivotal moments in life
When you, when you aughta know
When you must understand what is necessary to move forward
Oh there comes a time
Life can be unpredictable
So quit, so quit all that runnin'
Stop wasting your time
Were fire in the sky
Life can be full of danger
Oh the death at your door
Trouble is imminent
Oh stay free
Do not let fear or oppression control you
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Amber Erica Webber, Jeremy Victor Schmidt, Joshua Mark Wells, Matthew Camirand, Stephen Gordon McBean
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind