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.
Meds
Brian Molko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying my best not to forget
What happened to us, what happened to me
What happened as I let it slip
I was confused by the powers that be
Forgetting names and faces
Passers by were looking at me
Baby, did you forget to take your meds? [Repeat: x 2]
I was alone staring over the ledge
Trying my best not to forget
All manner of joy, all manner of glee
And our one heroic pledge
How it mattered to us, how it mattered to me
And the consequences
I was confused by the birds and the bees
Forgetting if I meant it
Baby, did you forget to take your meds? [Repeat: x 4]
And the sex, and the drugs, and the complications [Repeat: x 4]
Baby, did you forget to take your meds? [Repeat: x 6]
I was alone, falling free
Trying my best not to forget
The lyrics in the song "Meds" by Brian Molko explore themes of confusion, forgetfulness, and the consequences of one's actions. In the beginning of the song, the singer expresses feelings of loneliness and falling without any support. The phrase "Trying my best not to forget" hints at an underlying struggle with memory or mental health. The vocalist then reflects on what happened to them and their partner, and the consequences of their actions as they let things slip away.
The chorus repeats the question, "Baby, did you forget to take your meds?", which can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically. It may refer to medication for a mental illness, or more broadly as a reminder to take care of oneself and not let things slip out of control. The second verse reflects on the singer's experience of looking out over a ledge with memories of joy and the commitments they had made. However, they express confusion about what mattered to them and the "birds and the bees" which implies confusion and a hazy memory.
The final repetition of the chorus and the bridge brings up the topic of sex, drugs, and complications. This could be interpreted as a reference to dangerous or reckless behavior, which may have contributed to the forgetfulness and confusion mentioned earlier. Overall, the song conveys a sense of confusion, loss and the importance of taking care of oneself to not let things slip out of control.
Line by Line Meaning
I was alone, falling free
The singer was emotionally detached and felt like they were losing control.
Trying my best not to forget
Despite the feeling of detachment, the singer tried to remember the past.
What happened to us, what happened to me
The singer was reflecting on the past and how they used to be before they changed.
What happened as I let it slip
The artist is blaming themselves for not taking control of the situation and allowing things to spiral out of control.
I was confused by the powers that be
The artist lost faith in their ability to control their life and felt at the mercy of external forces.
Forgetting names and faces
The singer suffered from memory loss, which made it difficult to recognize people.
Passers by were looking at me
The singer felt exposed and judged by others in public.
As if they could erase it
The artist felt that others could see the flaws in their character and were judging them for it.
How it mattered to us, how it mattered to me
The artist reflects on how important their relationship with someone was and how it affected them personally.
And the consequences
The artist realized that their actions had consequences and that they couldn't escape them.
I was confused by the birds and the bees
The singer was confused by basic human nature and didn't understand the complex nature of relationships.
Forgetting if I meant it
The artist didn't know if they truly loved someone or if they were simply going through the motions.
And the sex, and the drugs, and the complications
The singer reflects on how sex, drugs, and other temptations led them down a difficult path.
Baby did you forget to take your meds?
The singer questions if the other person's behavior is caused by a lack of medication.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: BRIAN MOLKO, STEFAN OLSDAL, STEVEN HEWITT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pixiefxs
~~Lyrics
I was alone, falling free
Trying my best not to forget
What happened to us, what happened to me
What happened as I let it slip
I was confused by the powers that be
Forgetting names and faces
Passers by, were looking at me
As if they could erase it
Baby...did you forget to take your meds?
Baby...did you forget to take your meds?
I was alone, staring over the ledge
Trying my best not to forget
All manner of joy, all manner of glee
And our one heroic pledge
How it mattered to us, how it mattered to me
And the consequences
I was confused, by the birds and the bees
Forgetting if I meant it
Baby..did you forget to take your meds?
Baby..did you forget to take your meds?
Baby..did you forget to take your meds?
Baby..did you forget to take your meds?
And the sex and the drugs, and the complications
And the sex and the drugs, and the complications
And the sex and the drugs, and the complications
And the sex and the drugs, and the complications
Baby..did you forget to take you meds?
Baby..did you forget to take you meds?
Baby..did you forget to take you meds?
Baby..did you forget to take you meds?
Baby..did you forget to take you meds?
Baby..did you forget to take you meds?
I was alone, falling free, trying my best not to forget
@Quintus40k
For years I thought that this song is about "sex and drugs and complications", like so many commenters here, but then I slipped into depression and now I know exactly what is this song about. Take care of your mental health, peeps.
@josht7468
Hope your doing well now mate. 👊👍😎
@eglwysfawr4076
Bang on boyo hit the nail on the head 👏 👌...hope you're well and all is good with you now 😀 🏴👊✌💯🙏🏴
@Kholaslittlespot1
For me it's all of those things. Hope you're doing OK today. Just live one day at a time and don't give up.
@jumo6959
Haha... For years I thought this song was about depression, but I’ve tried something this week and NOW I know exactly what’s this song about. Don’t do drugs, kids.
@shanelle-rae3309
Maybe its about all of it maybe its how the lifestlye made him felt. I'm only a new fan so I'm not really sure but thats what I got. And sorry to hear that.
@chrisxmichael88
There will never be a band that can duplicate what Placebo has done. 34 years old and still amazed by them.
@garethmurray5901
I turn 34 in 5 months.
@user-dq5mu2dz8f
Мне 45 и я восхищаюсь ими!
@user-sc5no8tx5p
А мне 33 года и видимо это то самое поколение...