After working together in the noise rock band Leitoh Lychee, Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda formed Cibo Matto around 1994. While recording tracks for their first album, Viva! La Woman, they collaborated with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Russell Simmons and others, on a side project called Butter 08. The album was released in 1996.
They later enlisted band members Sean Lennon, Timo Ellis and Duma Love to help record their Super Relax EP and final full-length album, Stereo Type A. While Viva! La Woman had strong hip-hop and trip-hop elements, Stereo Type A leaned more more towards their rock, pop and Latin side. The group continued to play live concerts until disbanding near the end of 2001. Yuka Honda went on to release solo albums and continued to collaborate with Sean, while Miho Hatori moved onto bossa nova, teaming up with guitarist Smokey Hormel to form Smokey & Miho, then joining Gorillaz for their self-titled first album and eventually releasing her own solo album.
In 1997, the band guest-performed on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer's second season premiere in the fictional club The Bronze, performing "Spoon" and "Sugar Water".
Since the break-up in 2001, their songs have been played in many different places, including the video game Jet Set Radio Future. "Birthday Cake" was featured in the Kids in the Hall's feature-length film, Brain Candy.
The band announced their reunion on March 18, 2011, to perform as part of a benefit concert for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The concert, which took place on March 27 at Columbia University in New York City also included Yoko Ono, John Zorn, Sonic Youth, and Mike Patton, among others. Following on the success of this show, a second was added, this time featuring the Plastic Ono Band and Patti Smith along with Cibo Matto. They've since performed at the Hollywood Bowl on June 26 in another benefit with Yellow Magic Orchestra. Cibo Matto then went on their formal US reunion tour titled "Yeah Basically Cibo Matto." The tour's first part was from June 21 to June 26 at the Hollywood Bowl and the second part was July 12 to July 20 with stops in NYC, Chicago, Toronto, Washington, D.C. and Boston.
Cibo Matto released Hotel Valentine, their first album in 15 years, on Valentine's Day 2014 through Chimera Music, a label founded by Sean Lennon. They are touring the United States with Salt Cathedral and their current drummer Yuko Araki, as well as guest musicians on some songs.
Le Pain Perdu
Cibo Matto Lyrics
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The ocean, too wide
I'm sick of your cliché
The sky is kind
Love is blind
You can't let go of the lost pain
You're in the maze
I'm in the haze
I want the getaway
You're in the maze
Spending every day
I'm in the haze
I want the getaway
Can you take my silver wheat?
Mix it up with butter and treat
I feel a chill go down my feet
Your maple is so sweet
Can you take my silver wheat?
Mix it up with butter and treat
I feel a chill go down my feet
Your maple is so sweet
So sweet
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
Got to get me out of here
Before it goes stale
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
Got to get me out of here
Before it goes stale
Can you take my silver wheat?
Mix it up with butter and treat
I feel a chill go down my feet
Your maple is so sweet
Can you take my silver wheat?
Mix it up with butter and treat
I feel a chill go down my feet
Your maple is so sweet
So sweet
But it's too mushy
Too mushy
I can't take it, baby!
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
Got to get me out of here
Before it goes stale
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
We've got to get out
To get out the hell out
Got to get me out of here
Before it goes stale
The lyrics of Cibo Matto's "Le Pain Perdu" express a desire to escape from mundane reality and its never-ending cycles. The light of the sun is too much, the ocean too vast, and everything is clichéd. The singer feels lost in a maze of repetition and yearns for some kind of release. The line "Love is blind, you can't let go of the lost pain" suggests that the singer is stuck in a bad relationship or unable to move on from a previous relationship. The repeated refrain "Can you take my silver wheat? Mix it up with butter and treat" is a metaphor for wanting someone to take their experiences and add something new to make life more interesting.
The singer realizes that they need to "get out the hell out" of their current situation before it becomes stale. The repeated use of the phrase "we've got to get out" suggests that the singer is not alone in feeling trapped. The song ends with the line "But it's too mushy, too mushy, I can't take it, baby!" - this could be a reference to both the singer's relationship and their mundane daily life.
Overall, "Le Pain Perdu" is about feeling stuck and wanting a change. The singer is sick of the same old routine and wants to break free, but doesn't know how. The repeated refrain about silver wheat and butter could be seen as a plea for something different, something that will add flavor to their life.
Line by Line Meaning
The sunshine, too light
The sun is not strong enough to bring light to my life.
The ocean, too wide
The ocean seems too vast to traverse, and it reflects the vastness of my problems and emotions.
I'm sick of your cliché
I am sick of your overused, commonplace responses that do not solve any of our issues.
The sky is kind
The sky represents the kind things in life, a refreshing change from the harsh reality on the ground.
Love is blind
Love cannot see past the faults of a partner.
You can't let go of the lost pain
You still hold onto the pain of your past, unable to move forward.
You're in the maze
You feel lost and confused, unable to find your way out of a difficult situation.
Spending every day
Every day seems like a never-ending cycle of the same struggles.
I'm in the haze
I am in a fog-like state, unable to think clearly or make decisions.
I want the getaway
I desire an escape from the difficulties of life.
Can you take my silver wheat?
Can you take my ordinary life and transform it into something magical?
Mix it up with butter and treat
Make something wonderful out of the mundane and ordinary.
I feel a chill go down my feet
A shiver runs through my body, perhaps due to fear or excitement of change.
Your maple is so sweet
Your sweetness and kindness make life better.
We've got to get out
We need a change to get out of this negative situation.
To get out the hell out
The situation we are in feels like a living hell, and we need to escape it.
Got to get me out of here
I need to remove myself from this negative situation.
Before it goes stale
If we stay too long, we will become stagnant and unable to move forward.
But it's too mushy
The situation is too soft and needy, unable to provide any real sustenance.
I can't take it, baby!
I am unable to endure the current state of things.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: MIHO HATORI, YUKA HONDA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind