The band's founder and singer Craig Minowa has a degree in Environmental Science, and his environmental, political, and social awareness is reflected in much of Cloud Cult's music. (Note: Craig Minowa actually has stated he intentionally doesn't sing about environmental awareness because he lives it...he doesn't need to preach it) The band's self-created non-profit record label, Earthology Records, uses the most environmentally friendly methods available to ensure minimum damage to the environment.
After two solo LP's, The Shade Project (1995), and Who Killed Puck? (2000), Minowa's sudden loss of his two-year-old son and subsequent separation from his wife, Cloud Cult emerged with They Live On The Sun in 2003, combining concepts of Minowa with performances by cellist Sarah Young and drummer Dan Greenwood, who shortly became members of the band. This album was deeply personal and painful album for Cloud Cult and you don't often hear songs from it in concert.
Minowa continued to use music to cope with the loss of his son on the following album Aurora Borealis. This album did begin to branch out more into exploration of pain and loss instead of just feeling it.
Minowa reunited with his wife, and the next album is widely considered their crowning achievement. Advice From The Happy Hippopotamus involved collaboration from a variety of musicians and has garnered praise from critics, even being acclaimed as "a work of insane genius". This album is capped off with the "happy-go-lucky" song, Lucky Today. This album was selected by esurance to be animated into a commercial. This was a contest for the most environmentally sound band because esurance labels themselves as the paperless insurance provider.
On April 10th 2007 Cloud Cult officially released their sixth LP, The Meaning of 8 (although it was available for sale online in late January): the first single was titled "Take Your Medicine." In April 2008, the band followed it with Feel Good Ghosts.
In 2009 band announced a break till 2010, though they released limited re-releases of their albums Lost Songs from the Lost Years, They Live on the Sun and Aurora Borealis (the last two as a double-disc).
Their concerts are certainly a sight to be seen. Along with Minowa on Guitars (and other fun things), they have got bass, drums, violin and cello. There are two official band members who actually do very little music during the shows; Minowa's wife Connie and Scott are painters. They create original works of art during the show (breaking only occasionally to sing or sometimes Scott plays Trumpet). Then, at the end of the show, they silent auction these paintings off to the highest bidder.
Their official website is www.cloudcult.com.
Your 8th Birthday
Cloud Cult Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You did
Then you gave it
To the ghosts and
The witches
Who can say goodbye with a yodel-ay-hee-hoo yeah
You did
That the dead are now magicians
This hymn rings with the singing of three cheers
For the king of the jungle gym
He's the kid who swore it is a one handshake
A birthday cake imitation
You make traffic jams feel like parades
You bury the dead with the faith
That makes lightning bugs swarm
As if it was graduation
Who could change your silly life into a screaming supernova?
You do
Who could change my sleepy brain into the eye of a hurricane?
The lyrics of Cloud Cult’s song, Your 8th Birthday, are written from the perspective of a parent reflecting on their child’s imaginative and adventurous spirit. The opening lines, “Who could hang a dead man’s swing-set from the moon yeah / You did”, speaks to the child’s ability to create fantastical scenarios and make them come to life. The child then gives their creation to the “ghosts and the witches”, indicating that their imagination is not limited to ordinary or mundane things.
The song goes on to mention the child’s ability to say goodbye with a yodel, promising that the “dead are now magicians”. This line could be interpreted in several ways, but it seems to suggest that the child sees death as a transformative process, where the dead become something magical or supernatural.
The chorus of the song celebrates the child’s creativity and their ability to make the ordinary extraordinary. They are praised as the “king of the jungle gym” and described as someone who believes that a simple handshake is enough to create a party atmosphere. The image of a birthday cake imitation speaks to the child’s unbridled enthusiasm and their willingness to pretend.
Line by Line Meaning
Who could hang a dead man's swing-set from the moon yeah
It's amazing what an imaginative child can accomplish - like hanging a swing-set made from a dead man's things on the moon.
You did
The child being described is the one who created this fanciful swing-set on the moon.
Then you gave it
After creating the swing-set, the child gave it away.
To the ghosts and
The child gave the swing-set to ghosts, beings traditionally associated with the dead.
The witches
The child also gave the swing-set to witches, imbuing it with a magical quality.
Who can say goodbye with a yodel-ay-hee-hoo yeah
This line suggests that the child in question has a fun and unique way of saying farewell - with a yodeling cry.
You did
The child being described is the one with the yodeling goodbye.
With the promise
When saying goodbye, the child offers a promise.
That the dead are now magicians
The promise is that even though someone has died, their spirit will live on and have the power of magic.
This hymn rings with the singing of three cheers
The song being sung is uplifting and celebratory, with three cheers.
For the king of the jungle gym
The focus of the song is a child who is viewed as the king of the jungle gym - perhaps the leader of their peers on the playground.
He's the kid who swore it is a one handshake
The child being celebrated made a promise, perhaps related to something as simple as a handshake.
A birthday cake imitation
The promise made by the child was to create or do something that was an imitation of a birthday cake - something festive and celebratory.
You make traffic jams feel like parades
The child being celebrated can find joy and excitement in even the most mundane things, like a traffic jam.
You bury the dead with the faith
The child has a belief or faith that extends to the realm of the dead.
That makes lightning bugs swarm
This faith or belief is powerful, and may manifest in the natural world - in this case, making lightning bugs swarm.
As if it was graduation
This line suggests that the child's faith and belief is so strong that it is comparable to the occasion of graduation - a major milestone.
Who could change your silly life into a screaming supernova?
The child being celebrated has the power to transform someone's life from something silly and mundane to something intense and powerful.
You do
This power is wielded by the child being described.
Who could change my sleepy brain into the eye of a hurricane?
The child has the ability to change someone's state of mind from tired and dull to something tumultuous and chaotic, like the eye of a hurricane.
Contributed by Charlie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.