Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is a Brooklyn and Philadelphia-based indie-rock ba… Read Full Bio ↴Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is a Brooklyn and Philadelphia-based indie-rock band lead by Alec Ounsworth. Until 2012, the band also consisted of Lee Sargent, Robbie Guertin and Tyler Sargent. The band also featured drummer Sean Greenhalgh until 2014. All the band members attended Connecticut College, in New London, Connecticut, United States.

Their debut album, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, recorded by Adam Lasus (Genius + Love = Yo La Tengo/the dirt of luck), was self-released in 2005, receiving attention from numerous MP3 blogs and a favorable review from Pitchfork Media, who gave the band a "Best New Music" commendation. The ensuing demand for the album was so great that the band were forced to re-press the CD, as the initial production run was too small. David Bowie and David Byrne were subsequently spotted at some of the band's shows, garnering them even more press. They also received praise from Rolling Stone as the 'Hot New Band' for 2005. On October 3, 2005, they were signed to Wichita Recordings in the UK.

The band released their second album, Some Loud Thunder on January 29, 2007, in the UK, and January 30, 2007, in the United States. On September 18, 2007, Live at Lollapalooza 2007: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was released on iTunes. It features the band's complete live set from Lollapalooza, professionally recorded on August 4, 2007.

May 2011 brought news the third album, reassuring fans that they had not broken up. The band released Hysterical, produced by John Congleton, on September 12 in the UK, Europe, Japan, and Australia, and on September 20 in the United States. It was announced via a post on the band's official website with a video of the band rehearsing a few new songs from the album in the studio. A vinyl reissue of a remastered edition of the first album, released on June 14, 2011, was also announced. A music video for "Maniac" was made by Belgian director Pieter Dirkx. It was released on September 14, 2011.

On August 1, 2013 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah digitally released their EP Little Moments on their Bandcamp page. It consisted of four songs, two of which were to be included in a different form on their forthcoming LP, Only Run. Little Moments featured a new sound for the band that included a heavier reliance on synths and drum machines and fewer guitars. The band recorded the EP in Alec Ounsworth's home studio, mixing and mastering the EP themselves. Additionally, 500 10 inch vinyl EPs were put on sale on the band's Bandcamp page.

On December 31, 2013 the band announced via email the completion of their forthcoming album called Only Run with a release date of June 3, 2014. Its first single, Coming Down, featured vocals from The National's Matt Berninger.

Underwater
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Lyrics

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Some songs see us sailing away
Navigating foreign borders, and climbing the waves
Someday your secret will be revealed
Am I the one you're thinking of when the sun goes down into the water?

We're struck by the still of the moon
Hanging up there in the sky as though a balloon
Anchored by an astronaut's patriot tune

We will buy the ship and fly to the land that would be rediscovered

We'll design a clever disguise
We'll retreat to the bottom of the sea
We were destined to live out our lives underwater, you and me

We'll escape beneath the violet sky
Clouds come and night falls
You seem different on my mind
Upon an endless trail of moonlight
You'll never realize that we have gone, we have gone right out of, out of sight

We'll design a clever disguise

We'll retreat to the bottom of the sea
We were destined to live out our lives underwater, you and me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song 'Underwater' by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is about two people who are trying to escape the world and start a new life together. The song is a delightful mix of storytelling, fantasy, and multi-layered meaning. The song's opening lines talk about how the two are sailing away and venturing into foreign lands, with the hope of starting a new life together. They share this secret with each other, and it becomes somewhat of their shared fantasy.

As the song progresses, they dive deep into their fantasy, and the lyrics are about them making plans to run away and hide beneath the sea's surface. They want to start a new life together and believe that living underwater will be their ultimate escape. The lyrics 'We were destined to live out our lives underwater, you and me' shows their belief that their new life can only start underwater.

The lyrics' overall theme is about escaping reality and living in a dream world that they have created for themselves, a world that is perfect, where they don't have to deal with the difficulties of life. It's about the power of imagination and the lengths some people may go to escape their troubles.

Line by Line Meaning

Some songs see us sailing away
Certain songs take us on a journey, sailing through unknown territories and weathering tumultuous waves.

Navigating foreign borders, and climbing the waves
As we travel, we traverse unfamiliar lands and encounter rough waters that challenge us to ascend.

Someday your secret will be revealed
One day, your undisclosed truth or mystery will be exposed to the world.

Am I the one you're thinking of when the sun goes down into the water?
As the sun sets on the horizon, I wonder if I'm the person you're contemplating and yearning for.

We're struck by the still of the moon
We're awestruck by the silence and presence of the full moon in the sky.

Hanging up there in the sky as though a balloon
The moon appears to be suspended in the air, as if attached to the sky by a string like a helium balloon.

Anchored by an astronaut's patriot tune
Simultaneously, we're held in place by the memory of an astronaut's songs of his homeland.

We will buy the ship and fly to the land that would be rediscovered
We'll take ownership of a spacecraft to embark on a journey to rediscover a newfound planet or land.

We'll design a clever disguise
Creating a cunning disguise, we will conceal our identities.

We'll retreat to the bottom of the sea
We will escape and take refuge at the bottom of the ocean floor.

We were destined to live out our lives underwater, you and me
From birth, we were meant to spend the rest of our days subaquatic, finding solace in each other's company.

We'll escape beneath the violet sky
As night draws in, we'll make our getaway under a violet-hued sky.

Clouds come and night falls
As dark clouds cover up the sky on which night slowly descends.

You seem different on my mind
Thoughts of you make you appear distinct and unfamiliar to me.

Upon an endless trail of moonlight
On an infinite path illuminated by the bright rays of the moon.

You'll never realize that we have gone, we have gone right out of, out of sight
You'll never be aware that we've vanished, completely disappearing from view.

Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: JON HOPKINS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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