Break Mirrors is Mills’ debut solo album and the latest step in a remarkable musical career that has seen everyone from Kid Rock to Cass McCombs solicit his services as a guitarist. Mills’ trip began with Simon Dawes, the young L.A. rock outfit he formed with his childhood pal Taylor Goldsmith. They made an album, Carnivore, and eventually shared stages with some of the biggest bands in America, cranking out a fresh yet classic sound the Los Angeles Times called “exhilarating.”
After his collaboration with Goldsmith ran its course, Mills moved into the next phase of his career, as sideman to the stars. He moved quickly, too: In only a few short years Mills has become one of the most in-demand session guitarists in all of Los Angeles, touring with Cass McCombs, Jenny Lewis, Band of Horses and Julian Casablancas and recording with Weezer, Kid Rock, Jakob Dylan , Andrew Bird, and Jesca Hoop, among others.
“When it comes to playing guitar for other people,” he says, “...a lot of my dreams have already come true.”
Now Mills is taking center stage with a set of tunes that reflect that extraordinary wealth of experience. Recorded in casual bursts between other gigs over the course of much of 2009, Break Mirrors strikes a perfect balance between talent and tastefulness: You won’t miss Mills’ impressive playing—check out the fuzzy slide guitar solo on “Hiroshima,” for starters—but what sticks with you is his songwriting, which hits a bittersweet coming-of-age note.
In “It’ll All Work Out” he analyzes his parents’ marriage and comes to some surprising conclusions, and “History of My Life” ponders the best way to celebrate one’s privileges. (“It’s about a humility that comes with the transition into adulthood,” Mills says with typical thoughtfulness.) Elsewhere, “Cheers” documents a painful breakup, while “Hey Lover” celebrates the healthy relationship Mills is in right now.
“I wrote that song while I was on a tour and showed it to her when I got back home,” he says. “And then we actually ended up singing it together on this record.” With a laugh Mills describes the track as “my first song of having someone after one too many songs of longing.”
“Hey Lover” may only be rivaled by the album's artwork, for which Mills sought the help of acclaimed artist Sage Vaughn; together, the two collaborated in creating a collage that represents each song.
The music on Break Mirrors comes out of a long tradition of mellow Southern California rock. Yet, perhaps thanks to Mills’ work for other artists, the songs also reveal traces of something entirely different.
There’s also a sly sense of humor in much of the material that Mills credits to his time with Ben Bridwell and Ryan Monroe (Band of Horses). “There's a humor in some people's music that is not kitschy,” he explains. “And in some of those cases it ends up uncovering a certain kind of despair.”
The result is a record that feels as expansive as it does intimate, as forward-looking as it is nostalgic. Blake Mills is much more than the session guy, the band member, or the solo artist. Break Mirrors is the proof.
Hiroshima
Blake Mills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coming in for a day
We both stay alive well okay
Feels like emotional
There's nothing I wouldn't do
Nothing I wouldn't do
Nothing in the world I would not do
There's nothing left to do
Somehow worries attract my check
Feels like a heart attack
I find it comforting
It's just a matter of when
For something or if it happens again
Feels like emotional
The song "Hiroshima" by Blake Mills is a deeply emotional and reflective piece that draws on themes of love, loss, and the bombshell reality of life in a post-apocalyptic world. The lyrics are evocative and deeply personal, delving into the raw and complex emotions that are triggered by the mere thought of an emotional attack. The song opens with the line "Feels like emotional, coming in for a day," suggesting a sense of intense vulnerability and exposure that is akin to being caught off guard by a sudden emotional onslaught. The singer acknowledges both their own strength and struggles with the line, "We both stay alive well okay," indicating that they are able to persevere through emotional pain, but that it still leaves a mark.
As the song progresses, the lyric "Feels like a heart attack" introduces a new layer of intensity and danger to the singer's emotional journey. The metaphor is apt, as it suggests a level of pain and vulnerability that is both intense and potentially life-threatening. Yet the singer finds some measure of comfort in this pain, acknowledging that it's a matter of "when" rather than "if" it will happen again. This suggests a kind of acceptance of the hardships of life, and perhaps even a strange sense of comfort in the regularity of emotional pain.
Overall, "Hiroshima" is a powerful and deeply moving song that speaks to the human experience of grappling with intense emotions in a world that can be both beautiful and cruel. Blake Mills masterfully captures the nuances of emotional pain, and the result is a touching and hauntingly beautiful piece of music that will stay with listeners long after the song has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
Feels like emotional
The emotions that are being experienced are strong and intense
Coming in for a day
These emotions are temporary and will not last forever
We both stay alive well okay
Despite the intensity of the emotions, both parties are able to handle them and come out okay
There's nothing I wouldn't do
The artist is willing to do anything for the other person in order to maintain the relationship
Nothing I wouldn't do
Reinforcement of the previous line - the artist is emphasizing their willingness to do anything for the other person
Nothing in the world I would not do
The singer's devotion to the other person is infinite and there is nothing they wouldn't do for them
There's nothing left to do
The singer has done everything they can to show their love and devotion
It comes like a heart attack
The emotions the artist is feeling are sudden and overwhelming, like a heart attack
Somehow worries attract my check
The artist is acknowledging their own anxieties and insecurities, which can sometimes interfere with the relationship
I find it comforting
Despite the anxieties, the artist finds comfort in their relationship with the other person
It's just a matter of when
The singer knows that the intensity of the emotions will eventually dissipate, but is uncertain when that will happen
For something or if it happens again
The artist is unsure if the intensity of the emotions will recur in the future, or if this is a one-time occurrence
Writer(s): Blake Mills
Contributed by Alexis B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jeff Monroe
Feels like emotional
Coming in for a day
We both stay alive well okay
Feels like emotional
There's nothing I wouldn't do
Nothing I wouldn't do
Nothing in the world I would not do
There's nothing left to do
It comes like a heart attack
Somehow worries attract my check
Feels like a heart attack
I find it comforting
It's just a matter of when
For something or if it happens again
Feels like emotional
FryingWithTheAntidote
The real lyrics
Feels like Hiroshima
On a different day
Well people always say “well like ok”
Feels like Hiroshima
Theres nothin’ i wouldnt do
Theres nothing in the world that i would not do
Theres nothing left to do
It comes like a Heart Attack
But its not for the rest
it somehow remains a-trapped in my Chest
It feels like a Heart Attack
I find it comforting
Its just a matter of when
‘Fore something horrific happens again
It feels like Hiroshima
Jeff Monroe
Feels like emotional
Coming in for a day
We both stay alive well okay
Feels like emotional
There's nothing I wouldn't do
Nothing I wouldn't do
Nothing in the world I would not do
There's nothing left to do
It comes like a heart attack
Somehow worries attract my check
Feels like a heart attack
I find it comforting
It's just a matter of when
For something or if it happens again
Feels like emotional
Jeff Monroe
Feels like emotional
Coming in for a day
We both stay alive well okay
Feels like emotional
There's nothing I wouldn't do
Nothing I wouldn't do
Nothing in the world I would not do
There's nothing left to do
It comes like a heart attack
Somehow worries attract my check
Feels like a heart attack
I find it comforting
It's just a matter of when
For something or if it happens again
Feels like emotional
Jim V
god that solo is ecstasy
Dave C
@Julia Stege it's all there. reminds me of Derek Trucks before he found a life partner.
Julia Stege
+vadnais art totally, I have to keep turning it back to 3:00 and listen again. ECSTASY!!!~
Kimberly
this song is incredible why aren't there more thumbs up on it
jamie thomson
this is lovely, does anybody know the lyrics? cheers
Jeff Monroe
Feels like emotional
Coming in for a day
We both stay alive well okay
Feels like emotional
There's nothing I wouldn't do
Nothing I wouldn't do
Nothing in the world I would not do
There's nothing left to do
It comes like a heart attack
Somehow worries attract my check
Feels like a heart attack
I find it comforting
It's just a matter of when
For something or if it happens again
Feels like emotional
FryingWithTheAntidote
The real lyrics
Feels like Hiroshima
On a different day
Well people always say “well like ok”
Feels like Hiroshima
Theres nothin’ i wouldnt do
Theres nothing in the world that i would not do
Theres nothing left to do
It comes like a Heart Attack
But its not for the rest
it somehow remains a-trapped in my Chest
It feels like a Heart Attack
I find it comforting
Its just a matter of when
‘Fore something horrific happens again
It feels like Hiroshima
Jeffrey Perez
The slide solo made me stay
Funky ms
yes, i can feel it tooo :)
Ivana Tondato
I wanna the lyric, please share it!