Snaith grew up in Dundas, Ontario, Canada, which gave its name to a song from his debut album Start Breaking My Heart. He studied at the University of Toronto as an undergrad, but was based in the UK for several years until he completed his Ph.D. in mathematics at the Imperial College, London in 2005.
Snaith previously recorded under the stage name "Manitoba", but changed it under threat of a lawsuit by Handsome "Dick" Manitoba, frontman for The Dictators, a punk-rocker with an appetite for litigation. Uninterested in the legal stoush, Snaith is quoted saying that he chose the new moniker "Caribou" while on an LSD trip with friends in the Canadian wilderness. He then climbed a tree and didn't come down until he finished his first album under the new moniker, which was four months later.
He has recorded five full lengths: Start Breaking My Heart, a jazzy, "folktronica" IDM album, Up in Flames, the critically acclaimed shoegazer with analog synths and sometimes live, sometimes sampled drums, The Milk of Human Kindness, his krautrock-inspired album that bleeds 70's prog and 70's drugscapes, the psychedelic pop record, Andorra which landed him the prestigious 2008 Polaris Music Prize on September 29th, 2008 and Swim a disco / dance inspired album created from the idea of making dance music that sounds like being under water. A few years prior to the recording of the album, Snaith's wife gave him swimming lessons as a Christmas present, prompting him to take it up as a new hobby. This partially led to the eventual ideology behind Swim.
His eclectic live performances are renowned, in part for their use of simultaneous drummers and synchronised visuals. The live band currently consists of Dan Snaith (guitar, keyboards, vocals, drums, flutophone), Ryan Smith (guitar, keyboards), Brad Weber (drums) and John Schmersal (bass, vocals).
All I Ever Need
Caribou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way you treat me wrong
It's not right girl
There's something going on
All my life girl
People treat me bad
But my next love
Will be the best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
I can't take it
The way you treat me wrong
It's not easy
To be here on my own
All my life girl
I just wanna be
With my next love
As much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
Much as I can be
I was wrong
All these years
To be with you is
All I ever need
All this time
I've just been
Waiting for you, waiting for you
Can't you tell
Now I'm gone
It's all I ever need
Take me back
Where I belong
To get you back is all I ever need
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
Best I ever had
The lyrics to Caribou's song "All I Ever Need" appear to capture a sense of desperation and longing for love, partly expressed through the repetition of "Best I ever had." The opening lines of the song suggest a history of being mistreated, which has likely led to feelings of doubt and insecurity regarding relationships. The repeated assertion of the desire for the best love ever may be a reflection of the underlying belief that one has not yet experienced it. The chorus reveals a change in sentiment towards a former partner after recognizing that being with them is all they ever needed. The final lines of the song express a plea to be taken back, further emphasizing the emotional complexity behind the lyrics.
One possible interpretation of the song is that it speaks to the universal experience of loneliness and the search for meaningful connection. The repeated longing for the best love ever may represent the longing for an idealized version of romantic love. At the same time, the acknowledgment that being with the former partner is all the singer ever needed suggests that sometimes the ideal can be found in the familiar.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't take it
I am struggling with the way you treat me
The way you treat me wrong
You are treating me in a hurtful manner
It's not right girl
Your treatment of me is unfair
There's something going on
I suspect there is a problem
All my life girl
I have been mistreated for my entire life
People treat me bad
Everyone has treated me poorly
But my next love
The next person I show affection towards
Will be the best I ever had
Will be the most loving and fulfilling relationship I have ever been in
Best I ever had
The most satisfying relationship I have experienced
It's not easy
Being alone is difficult
To be here on my own
Living and functioning independently can be a challenge
I just wanna be
All I desire is
With my next love
To find emotional satisfaction with the person I pursue next
As much as I can be
As deeply and completely as possible
I was wrong
I now realize that I made a mistake
All these years
For a long period of time
To be with you is
Being with you is
All I ever need
The only thing that will fulfill me completely
All this time
Throughout this period
I've just been
I have only existed
Waiting for you, waiting for you
Patiently anticipating an emotional commitment from you
Can't you tell
Haven't you realized
Now I'm gone
Now that I am no longer with you
Take me back
Allow us to reconcile
Where I belong
To a place where I feel I truly fit
To get you back is all I ever need
Rebuilding a relationship with you is my one true desire
Best I ever had
The most satisfying relationship I have experienced
Best I ever had
The most satisfying relationship I have experienced
Best I ever had
The most satisfying relationship I have experienced
Best I ever had
The most satisfying relationship I have experienced
Best I ever had
The most satisfying relationship I have experienced
Best I ever had
The most satisfying relationship I have experienced
Best I ever had
The most satisfying relationship I have experienced
Best I ever had
The most satisfying relationship I have experienced
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Daniel Victor Snaith, Owen Pallett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hiimpaul9387
The beat progressions in this song are soooo smooth! Genius level production right here!
@Monoq_band
Agreed
@brandontaylor6
Agreed! Their use of swing in the intro synthy/percussiony section is one of my favorite things ever
@lauradavanzo7987
Dan Snaith, you are one talented male. Thank you for the beats.👍💯👏⭐
@pitalopez5733
One of my faves... good for either relaxing or dancing like crazy, love it... it's pure art.
@mtw9592
Best song in album
@ghostindamachine
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥!!!
@Ad-ed1cl
Simplemente genial.
@sheryzo
I love this....the beat is very cool.....yeah nice to dance to it too :)
@scosa4607
beautiful