While Molko was brought up in a strict household that disapproved of artistic expression (his father wanted him to become a banker) he rebelled by affecting an androgynous image, wearing nail polish, lipstick and eyeliner, and listening to punk and glam rock. In his late teens, he came out as bisexual.
Molko and Stefan Olsdal both attended the International School of Luxembourg in Luxembourg, but they were never friends. When Molko moved to London to study drama at Goldsmiths College, where he graduated with a degree, he met Olsdal at South Kensington Tube Station. Molko invited Olsdal to one of his gigs in a club, which he played with Steve Hewitt. Olsdal was impressed with Molko's voice, and together they formed Ashtray Heart; eventually they changed the name to Placebo. Together with drummer Robert Schultzberg (a friend of Olsdal's from Sweden) performed together in 1996. Schultzberg did not fit in the band, however, and was soon replaced with Steve Hewitt, who played on Placebo's demo tracks.
Molko's musical influences include David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Nick Drake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Joy Division, The Cure and The Pixies. Molko taught himself to play guitar. At the age of 16 he got a Telecaster replica as a present from his parents. Soon After, he bought a real telecaster. He plays other instruments such as bass, harmonica, keyboard, saxophone, drums and turntables. Occasionally, Molko works as a disc jockey at clubs, he's definately not very good at it. Nowadays Molko listens to electro-clash artist Peaches, his old favourite, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and many others.
Along with Hewitt and Olsdal, he had a small role in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine, for which Placebo performed the T. Rex song 20th Century Boy. He played Malcolm, a singer of the fictional glam rock band, The Flaming Creatures.
In 2005, Molko's long-term partner, Helena Berg, gave birth to his first child, Cody. He said he named the child after his long-time friend who died in a car accident.
He has performed as a guest vocalist on tracks by:
Timo Maas - Pictures, Like Siamese and First Day
Alpinestars - Carbon Kid
Trash Palace - The Metric System, Je t'aime, moi non plus (duet with Asia Argento)
the AC Acoustics - Crush
Kristeen Young - No Other God
Dream City Film Club - Some
Jane Birkin - Smile.
He also wrote the English lyrics to 'Pink water' version 3, a song by Indochine from the album that is due to be released at the end of 2006. Molko is friends with David Bowie, with whom he sang Placebo's Without You I'm Nothing and 20th Century Boy live. He has used a Fender Jaguar, Fender Thinline Telecaster, Gibson SG in the past and currently plays Gretsch guitars .
He lives in London but frequently travels to Paris.
The April 17th, 2007 Placebo show in Omaha, Nebraska, at the Sokol Auditorium was canceled after Molko was rushed to the emergency room after fighting flu symptoms for a number of days. The band has promised to re-schedule that show near the end of the summer.
Five Years
Brian Molko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So many mothers sighing
News had just come over
We had
Five years left to cry in
News guy wept and told us
He said 'Earth was really dying'
Then I knew he was not lying
I heard telephones, opera house, favourite melodies
There were boys, toys, electric irons, and T.V.s
My brain hurt like a warehouse, it had no room to spare
I had to cram so many things to store everything in there
And all the fat-skinny people
And all the tall-short people
And all the nobody people
And all the somebody people
Never thought I'd need so many people
A girl my age went off her head
Hit some tiny children
If the black hadn't a-pulled her off
And I think she would have killed them
A soldier with a broken arm fixed
His stare to the wheels of a Cadillac
A cop knelt and kissed the feet of a priest
And a queer threw up at the sight of that
Well, I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlour
Drinking milk shakes cold and long
Smiling and waving and looking so fine
Don't think you knew you were in this song
And it was cold and it rained so I felt like an actor
And I thought of Ma and I wanted to get back there
Your face, your race, the way that you talk
I miss you, you're beautiful
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
We've got
Five years.
The song “Five Years” by Brian Molko, lead singer of Placebo, is a commentary on the inevitable and impending end of the world, and the different reactions and behaviors of people in the face of it. The lyrics describe a market square where people are going about their daily lives, but news has just come over that the earth is dying and there are five years left to cry in. The news reporter cries so profusely that Brian knows it is not a lie.
As the song progresses, Brian describes the various reactions and experiences of people around him, including a girl going off her head and wanting to kill children, a soldier with a broken arm fixating on a Cadillac, a cop kissing the feet of a priest, and a queer vomiting at the sight. Through these vignettes, Brian highlights the different ways in which people react to intense stress and pressure, and how their actions can be both shocking and unexpected.
The chorus of the song comes back to the main message of the earth only having five years left, and the singer’s reflection on this reality. The line “we’ve got five years, that’s all we’ve got” is repeated several times, emphasizing the limited time frame and the gravity of the situation.
In summary, “Five Years” is a powerful commentary on the end of the world and the myriad of responses that can occur in the face of this. The lyrics are poignant and thought-provoking, emphasizing the urgency of the situation and the inevitability of what is to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Pushing through the market square
Traveling through a bustling marketplace
So many mothers sighing
Many mothers expressing sadness
News had just come over
New information had just been received
We had Five years left to cry in
There was only five years left until great sorrow
News guy wept and told us
Reporter cried and informed us
He said 'Earth was really dying'
He conveyed that the planet was actually nearing the end of its life
Cried so much his face was wet
The reporter cried excessively, leading to a drenched face
Then I knew he was not lying
This ensured that the reporter wasn't lying
I heard telephones, opera house, favourite melodies
I experienced phones, classical music venues, and beloved tunes
There were boys, toys, electric irons, and T.V.s
Items, including children’s items, toys, electronics, and televisions
My brain hurt like a warehouse, it had no room to spare
My brain suffered like a storage facility, incapable of holding any more thoughts
I had to cram so many things to store everything in there
I had to fit too many things in my head to try and store everything
And all the fat-skinny people
Everyone, regardless of size or shape
And all the tall-short people
Everyone, regardless of height
And all the nobody people
Everyone who is ignored or overlooked
And all the somebody people
Everyone who is acknowledged or famous
Never thought I'd need so many people
I never realized I would require so many people in my life
A girl my age went off her head
A girl who is the same age as me went mad
Hit some tiny children
She struck some small children
If the black hadn't a-pulled her off
If someone hadn't intervened and stopped her
And I think she would have killed them
I suspect she would have murdered them
A soldier with a broken arm fixed
A soldier with a broken arm stared at
His stare to the wheels of a Cadillac
He stared fixedly at the Cadillac's wheels
A cop knelt and kissed the feet of a priest
A policeman knelt down and kissed a clergyman's feet
And a queer threw up at the sight of that
A homosexual person vomited at the scene
Well, I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlour
I believe I saw you at an ice cream shop
Drinking milk shakes cold and long
Enjoying cold, lengthy milkshakes
Smiling and waving and looking so fine
You were happy, waving and appearing great
Don't think you knew you were in this song
You were unaware that you were part of this song
And it was cold and it rained so I felt like an actor
Due to the cold and wet weather, I felt like an actor
And I thought of Ma and I wanted to get back there
I thought of my mother and yearned to go back there
Your face, your race, the way that you talk
I miss your visage, ethnicity, and way of speaking
I miss you, you're beautiful
I long for you, and you're stunning
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
We only have five years left that I can't stop thinking about
Five years, what a surprise
Only five years left, it's shocking
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
The thought of having only five years left ails my brain
Five years, that's all we've got
Just five years left, no more
We've got Five years.
We have exactly five years left
Contributed by Sophie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pektusin P.
Pushing through the market square
So many mothers sighing (sighing)
News had just come over
We had five years left to cry in (cry in)
News guy wept and told us
Earth was really dying (dying)
Cried so much his face was wet
Then I knew he was not lying (lying)
I heard telephones, opera house, favorite melodies
I saw boys, toys, electric irons and TV's
My brain hurt like a warehouse, it had no room to spare
I had to cram so many things to store everything in there
And all the fat, skinny people
And all the tall, short people
And all the nobody people
And all the somebody people
I never thought I'd need so many people
A girl my age went off her head
Hit some tiny children
If the Black hadn't have pulled her off
I think she would have killed them
A soldier with a broken arm
Fixed his stare to the wheels of a Cadillac
A cop knelt and kissed the feet of a priest
And a queer threw up at the sight of that
I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlor
Drinking milk shakes cold and long
Smiling and waving and looking so fine
Don't think you knew you were in this song
And it was cold and it rained, so I felt like an actor
And I thought of Ma and I wanted to get back there
Your face, your race, the way that you talk
I kiss you, you're beautiful, I want you to walk
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
We've got five years, what a surprise
Five years, stuck on my eyes
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
We've got five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
Five years
Five years
Five years
Five years
tofuyan
Pushing through the market square
So many mothers sighing (sighing)
News had just come over
We had five years left to cry in (cry in)
News guy wept and told us
Earth was really dying (dying)
Cried so much his face was wet
Then I knew he was not lying (lying)
I heard telephones, opera house, favorite melodies
I saw boys, toys, electric irons and TV's
My brain hurt like a warehouse, it had no room to spare
I had to cram so many things to store everything in there
And all the fat, skinny people
And all the tall, short people
And all the nobody people
And all the somebody people
I never thought I'd need so many people
A girl my age went off her head
Hit some tiny children
If the Black hadn't have pulled her off
I think she would have killed them
A soldier with a broken arm
Fixed his stare to the wheels of a Cadillac
A cop knelt and kissed the feet of a priest
And a queer threw up at the sight of that
I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlor
Drinking milk shakes cold and long
Smiling and waving and looking so fine
Don't think you knew you were in this song
And it was cold and it rained, so I felt like an actor
And I thought of Ma and I wanted to get back there
Your face, your race, the way that you talk
I kiss you, you're beautiful, I want you to walk
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
We've got five years, what a surprise
Five years, stuck on my eyes
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
We've got five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
Five years
Five years
Five years
Five years
Сергей Панюков
Гениально❤
Лиза Горячева
Полностью согласна с вами
Victor Hugo Delgado
❤❤❤❤ hermosa interpretación de molko eres grande Brian su vos me cautiva 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹👍👍
ttm tom
it's incredible how everyone - from the host of the show, through steve hewitt, to the lady from the audience - looks at brian with such a delight and admiration, fully deserved btw
Holly Moore
Wow!! what a performance, he's voice is so special and so unique.
magiearwed
Absolutely stunning. Voice, performance, guitar,smile. Goes straight to my soul.Divine Brian Molko... he s just divine, hope he knows it, hope he s been told oft enough how unique und gifted he is.
Alexa Bella Muerte
He is one of a kind
A person
I feel like Brian is a continuation of Bowie's existence, like he's a piece of him that's still with us and it's a comforting idea.
Meds
+The Minimalista bowie is bowie brian is brian. but ridiculous i dont think so. is a great singer/writer/artist. the 2 last albuns are genious. i think you dont's understand the concept of the band anyway
Birgit Weigelt
The Minimalista I don't think that ridiculous is the right word.Brilliant sounds much better.Yes they are brilliant!!!