Blue Hawaii, Arbutus Records and many of their Montreal counter-parts all began with the same breath in early 2010. Their debut album Blooming Summer (2010) was recorded following the pair’s travels in Central America. It frames a time of warmth and novelty, featuring dense female harmonies, tape saturated synths, guitars and drum machines. Eventually Ra (Raphaelle Standell-Preston) returned to her role in Braids, touring constantly, while Agor (Alexander Cowan) moved to Europe, treading deeper into dance music, electronics, and production.
The two decided to make Untogether in 2012; they began recording on New Years Day in Vancouver and intermittently worked on the project until summer broke in Montreal. The music followed their winter in Canada, it became colder, more introspective. It again captured a time and place, but instead of a dense saturation of love and excitement, this record reflects the vast world of self-awareness and delicacy. It takes for its subject the question of belonging, despite overwhelming space.
Musically, the production on the album is more spacious and physically it was recorded in separation. Despite this, it belongs together in its final form. It demonstrates successful creative process in a pair who composed apart, and in doing so it is a meditation on communication: how technology and art influence modern human relationships. It contains the vast space of two years passing, including watching their Montreal scene change as some launched into international success and others turned deeper inwards. Here, the album finds the conflict of separation/belonging to one’s self and community.
The duo notice that throughout the changing social and personal landscape which is one’s twenties, these divided notions and people somehow stay together. Even the name Blue Hawaii suggests a kind of melancholic, jaded paradise, but a paradise after all. It is because – or perhaps in spite of – these disjointed intersections that the record is called Untogether.
The Other Day
Blue Hawaii Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't, don't give up now.
And wait, is still much time
There's still much time for your life.
On your life.
There's, don't give up now
There's, there's so much much now
And.so much time.
On the other day, I had the beautiful thought
On the other day I had the beautiful thought
What if I did it really care?
What if I did it really care?
The lyrics to Blue Hawaii's song "The Other Day" seem to offer words of encouragement and hope to the listener. The lines "Don't, don't give up now" suggest that the individual should not give up on whatever they are struggling with at the moment. The repetition of this line emphasizes its importance and the urgency of not giving up.
The second stanza, "And wait, is still much time / There's still much time for your life / On your life," suggests that the individual should not rush into anything and should take their time to make decisions. The phrase "there's still much time for your life" implies that there is still a lot of living to do and that the individual should not give up hope.
The chorus is then repeated, with the addition of the line "There's so much much now / And so much time." This reinforces the idea that the individual should not give up because there is so much left to experience and so much time to do it.
The final stanza, "On the other day, I had the beautiful thought / What if I did it really care? / What if I did it really care?" suggests that the singer had a realization that they should care more about what they are doing. This could be interpreted as a call to action for the listener to care more about their own endeavors and not give up on them.
Overall, the song seems to be a message of hope and encouragement to those who may be struggling with something in their lives. It emphasizes the importance of not giving up and taking the time to make decisions, and encourages the listener to care more about their own endeavors.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't, don't give up now.
Encouraging the person not to give up in whatever they may be going through.
And wait, is still much time
Reminding the person that there is still plenty of time for their life and there's no need to rush.
There's, don't give up now
Reiterating the importance of not giving up and persevering through tough times.
There's, there's so much much now
Highlighting the abundance of opportunities and experiences that are available in life.
On the other day, I had the beautiful thought
Reflecting on a previous moment when the artist had a positive and uplifting thought.
What if I did it really care?
Contemplating the idea of putting in more effort and truly caring about the outcome of a certain situation.
Contributed by Caroline K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.