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.
Lint of Love
Cibo Matto Lyrics
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The lint of love, it's made of "dust of confusion"
You see, the president is in trouble
Every cent you make is floating in a bubble
My heart's content. I can't find it in the Bible.
Doesn't say how to take away the lint of love
I can't help myself, I can't help myself
What you think is not quite alright at the other side of the nation
Got two eyes, but we only got one mouth
We could live, we could jive, we could live, we could jive
Without the lint of love
I can't help myself, I can't help myself
We can't avoid the lint of love,
And you've got to know how to take it away
In Cibo Matto's song "Lint of Love", there are a few different themes and ideas present within the lyrics. The phrase "lint of love" is used throughout the song, and seems to represent a sort of confusion or messiness that arises in romantic relationships. The singer admits that they aren't good at "cleaning it up", which suggests that they struggle with addressing the problems or misunderstandings that come up in their relationships. The line that follows - "it's made of 'dust of confusion'" - supports this idea, as it suggests that the "lint of love" is something that is created through misunderstandings or a lack of clarity.
The song then takes a turn to more political themes, with a reference to the president being in trouble and a comment on how all money seems to be "floating in a bubble". These lines could be interpreted in a few different ways, but they seem to suggest a sense of instability or uncertainty in the world at large. The singer then returns to the personal, stating that they "can't find [their] heart's content in the Bible", perhaps suggesting that they're struggling with their faith or beliefs. The final lines of the chorus - "Doesn't say how to take away the lint of love / I can't help myself, I can't help myself" - bring us back to the central theme of the song, which is the difficulty in navigating messy, complicated relationships. The singer seems to be acknowledging that there isn't an easy solution to this problem, but they also can't help but be drawn back into it.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't say I'm good at cleaning it, baby
I am not proficient in removing the lint of love from our relationship, dear
The lint of love, it's made of "dust of confusion"
The buildup of emotions in our relationship is complex and perplexing
You see, the president is in trouble
As an analogy, things are going wrong at the top
Every cent you make is floating in a bubble
All the money we earn is fleeting and unstable
My heart's content. I can't find it in the Bible.
My satisfaction cannot be found in any religious scripture
Doesn't say how to take away the lint of love
Religious texts do not provide instructions on how to resolve our emotional issues
I can't help myself, I can't help myself
I am unable to control my emotions and reactions
Human beings always hard to believe
It's difficult to trust people
What you think is not quite alright at the other side of the nation
Different cultures and nations have varying norms and values
Got two eyes, but we only got one mouth
We should observe more and speak less
We could live, we could jive, we could live, we could jive
We could coexist peacefully
Without the lint of love
If we removed the emotional buildup from our relationship
We can't avoid the lint of love,
It's unavoidable that emotions will accumulate in our relationship
And you've got to know how to take it away
We must learn how to resolve these built-up emotions for our relationship to thrive
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: COREY EUGENE LOVE, MIHO HATORI, TIMOTHY ELLIS, YUKA HONDA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind