The band formed in Boulder, Colorado in early 2006 to make live music for haunted houses. Frequenting the Broker Inn on the edge of town for empty late-night jazz shows, Polachek, Pfenning and Wimberly were mystified by the 1980's faux-gothic architecture, oak-cabinet aquariums, vacant dancefloors, fake trees, crystal chandeliers and dark velveteen booths. Relocating to Brooklyn in the summer of 2006, the trio continued on to develop a hypnotic yet tongue-in-cheek style, playing shows around Brooklyn and the Lower East Side.
'Evident Utensil', released on 7" vinyl featuring a remix by MGMT, marked Chairlift's first release on Kanine. Chairlift unleashed their first full-length album, "Does You Inspire You", on Kanine Records on September 30th, 2008. The duo completed their sophomore album, "Something" in 2011 for release in January 2012. Recorded between New York and London, they recruited producers Alan Moulder (Depeche Mode, My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails) and Dan Carey (MIA, Franz Ferdinand, Lily Allen) and Carey also mixed the majority of the record. Three singles, 'Amanaemonesia', 'Sidewalk Safari' and 'Met Before' preceded the album's release. "Moth", the third and final album was released January 22, 2016, preceded by the single 'Ch-Ching'.
Garbage
Chairlift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is waiting somewhere a million miles away
Your condoms and your VCR
Your ziploc bags and father's car
Dark and silent it waits for you ahead
So much garbage will never ever decay
And all your garbage will outlive you one day
Because dark and silent it waits for you ahead
Making so much garbage each and every day
We make this shit for you to throw away
In plastic rooms in factories for you to dispose of as you please
Because dark and silent it waits for you ahead
With stomachs full of oil and vinegar
Stomachs full of oil and vinegar
With stomachs full of oil and vinegar hey hey
With stomachs full of oil and vinegar
Stomachs full of oil and vinegar
With stomachs full of oil and vinegar hey hey
La la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la
La la la la la la la la
La la la la
La la la la la la la la
The song "Garbage" by Chairlift is a commentary on the overconsumption and waste that characterizes contemporary society. Through vivid and evocative lyrics, the song draws attention to the vast amount of garbage that each person generates on a daily basis, and the environmental toll that this has on the planet.
The first verse of the song states that all the garbage that a person throws away is waiting somewhere a million miles away, emphasizing the vastness of the problem and the fact that every individual's actions have far-reaching consequences. The reference to specific items such as condoms, VCRs, and ziploc bags underscores the sheer variety of objects that contribute to the garbage problem. The repetition of the phrase "dark and silent it waits for you ahead" at the end of each verse adds a haunting quality to the song, suggesting that the consequences of our actions will eventually catch up with us.
The second verse reinforces the idea that garbage will outlive us all, and that we should take responsibility for our actions by signing a "fancy signature" to our "messy, messy portraiture." The lyrics also suggest that the production of garbage is a byproduct of the consumption-driven culture that dominates modern society, and that we are complicit in our own waste by creating products that are designed to be disposed of quickly.
The chorus of the song features the repeated phrase "With stomachs full of oil and vinegar" sung in a haunting, almost mournful tone. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the way that our overconsumption and waste is literally turning our bodies into toxic wastelands.
Line by Line Meaning
All the garbage that you have thrown away
Refers to all the waste that has been discarded by individuals.
Is waiting somewhere a million miles away
The garbage does not disappear and is waiting to be dealt with.
Your condoms and your VCR
List of specific objects that are often thrown away.
Your ziploc bags and father's car
More specific objects that are often thrown away.
Dark and silent it waits for you ahead
Describes waste landfills which are often hidden from sight and waiting for more waste.
So much garbage will never ever decay
Implies that most waste will never fully decompose.
And all your garbage will outlive you one day
This waste will be around for a very long time, even after an individual has died.
You should sign a fancy signature to your messy messy portraiture
The waste an individual produces is essentially a portrait of their life.
Because dark and silent it waits for you ahead
Reiterates that waste landfills are hidden and waiting for more garbage.
Making so much garbage each and every day
Describes the constant production of waste.
We make this shit for you to throw away
Implies that products often have very short lifetimes and will eventually be discarded.
In plastic rooms in factories for you to dispose of as you please
Products are made in unnatural environments to be used and thrown away easily.
With stomachs full of oil and vinegar
Refers to the over-consumption of unhealthy products.
La la la la
Ending melody with no clear meaning.
La la la la la la la la
Ending melody with no clear meaning.
Contributed by Audrey O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ZacharyXAE
Electro-pop is my favorite part of living in the 21st century.
@JoseEnrikes
Can’t believe I didn’t hear this as a kid. Now I can enjoy Chairlift at 24.
@luna19768
I just found this band... and love it! They're awesome.
@Kelsvy
awesome song..... i hope it becomes popular and more people discover that chairlift produce great music
@Adridharma1
this picture is like : (from left to right) heroin, weed and LSD ? XD ...great representation
@elmolove69
i heard this song when i was dying. awesome
@burnu2240
you still alive?
@asheep6682
Great music!
@YakovPetrovich
Wow all the comments are like from years ago, that makes me feel sad for some reason.
@pointpoint10
moonking192020 Can you define what you mean by "mainstream"? Does that mean having a big label publishing your music? Or is it measured in sales? Or do you mean aesthetics? The record industry is fragmented. Even Top 40 bands sell only a fraction of what they used to and it's easier for fans to discover bands that aren't hooked into the old pay-to-play model.
There's nothing wrong, either, with extremely produced music: all of Brian Eno, The Beatles' "White Album" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds," Nirvana's "In Utero," Spoon's whole catalogue, everything by Animal Collective, Beck—all these avant-garde musicians and bands use production very smartly and use it a lot. They want a particular sound and use editing and recording techniques to get it. Burzum, for the self-titled album, wanted a very rough sound and used producing techniques to get it. It sounds like it was recorded in the shittiest studio in hell, but all that was very carefully crafted.
All this snobbery about mainstream music and high production value is sort of beside the point. Either the music is good or it isn't. That has basically nothing to do with how it was produced or how many people like it. There's great music made by very successful people and great music made by people who never sell a single download. There are bands making horrible music that sell a lot and equally shitty bands nobody's ever heard of. And it's really hard for most people to see beyond their own preferences to appreciate a wider array of music than what they're familiar with. I'm sure there's a lot of great country and western I know nothing about. I like punk, drone, pop, and metal. I just don't have the headspace for learning about a lot beyond what I typically enjoy, though I assume there's good to be found out there.
Appreciating this stuff isn't just subjective, but you're making some really poorly supported blanket statements with very broad terms that don't necessarily mean a lot. Don't be such a snotty, judgmental dick.