Formed in 1995, they were immediately signed to the Spanish record label Siesta. They released a single called Me too and an album called Nouvelle on Siesta before deciding to move on to other labels. The sound at this point could almost be categorised as anorak pop with influences from Sarah bands, Jim Ruiz and The Smiths.
In 1998/1999, their 2nd album The friend I once had and the single Missing You was released. Missing You become a club and indie-radio hit in Spain and somewhat of a college radio fave in the US. The band started playing live. Their first gig was in New York at a March Records CMJ event in 1999. Their sound had by now developed into a more bossa nova and dance oriented one.
Striving for constant change and improvements the band once again changed musical direction on their 3rd and self titled album in 2001. Club 8 is a beautifully laidback album. Almost a chill out album, though it was more compared to Portishead and Air and called a trip-hop album at its release.
In the autumn of 2001, the band locked themselves in the famous Summersound Studios; writing songs and experimenting with different sounds. Dub, C-86, triphop, chill out, 80's and bossa nova are all mixed up here, but without ever losing focus on those wonderfully Scandinavian and melancholic pop melodies. The album was named Spring came, rain fell and was released in the year of 2002.
In 2002, Club 8 started working on a follow up for Spring came, rain fell. The result, Strangely Beautiful peaked at no. 18 on the CMJ charts in the US.
For the first time since 1999 the band released a single and the video from the album. Backed by 5 exclusive tracks, the song Saturday night engine was released as a single in the spring of 2003. The video made no. 16 on the Up North chart on MTV Nordic.
In 2007, the duo re-united to record a new album - The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming.
Club 8's latest album, "The People's Record", was released May 18, 2010 and was produced by Jari Haapalainen.
Where Birds Don't Fly
Club 8 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't want to show it
Took it all for granted
So when I lost it I could say
I didn't want it anyway, it's OK
Where birds don't fly
That's where I'm going to be
That is not me
I had it going
Couldn't really show it
If I did I'd lose it
Superstitious
I stayed too ambitious
Waiting for the final act
And never come back
Where I'm going
You can't see me
You can't meet me
Even if you wanted to
Where I'm going
There are no streets
But I'll be walking
The streets of my home town
The lyrics to Club 8's song "Where Birds Don't Fly" express the feeling of being lost and the desire to escape into an unknown place where you cannot be found. The singer, reflecting on a time when they had something going for them, admits to taking it for granted and not showing appreciation for it. They acknowledge that they only realized its value once it was gone. However, instead of dwelling on what was lost, they choose to move on to a new place, far from the familiar, with the intention of never returning. They don't want to be recognized or be the same person they once were. They are looking for a fresh start, one where they can be free from their former self.
The chorus "Where birds don't fly, that's where I'm going to be" is especially interesting. As birds can fly anywhere, it's likely the singer is looking for a place without restrictions, something that is also tied up with the idea of "walking the streets of my hometown," where the singer hopes to go despite there being no streets in the place they are heading. This seems to paint the picture of a sort of metaphorical journey, where the singer is looking to leave behind familiar things and pursue a new, unexplored path.
Overall, "Where Birds Don't Fly" evokes feelings of loneliness, longing for something new, and the desire for a fresh start, a feeling that many people can likely identify with.
Line by Line Meaning
I had it going
I had success in my life at the time
Didn't want to show it
I didn't want others to know about my success out of fear of losing it
Took it all for granted
I didn't fully appreciate everything I had accomplished and achieved
So when I lost it I could say
When I eventually lost my success, I didn't have to feel bad or regretful about it
I didn't want it anyway, it's OK
I convinced myself that I didn't want success in the first place and it was alright to lose it
Where birds don't fly
I want to be in a place that is desolate and unoccupied by living beings
That's where I'm going to be
I am planning on going to a desolate place
And if you see I'm back the very next day
If I come back quickly, it will not actually be me
That is not me
It will not be the real version of myself if I return so soon
Couldn't really show it
I was uncomfortable with displaying my success to others
If I did I'd lose it
I felt that showing my success to others would cause me to lose it
Superstitious
I was guided by superstition
I stayed too ambitious
I was too driven by my goals, causing me to not fully appreciate what I had accomplished
Waiting for the final act
I was always waiting for the end goal, rather than enjoying the journey towards it
And never come back
I never planned on returning to my past life of success
Where I'm going
The desolate place I plan on going to
You can't see me
No one will be able to see or find me in this place
You can't meet me
No one will be able to meet me in this place
Even if you wanted to
Even if someone wanted to meet me, they would not be able to
Where I'm going
The desolate place I plan on going to
There are no streets
There are no streets or infrastructure in this place
But I'll be walking
I will be walking through this desolate place
The streets of my home town
I will be reminiscing about the streets of my home town while in this desolate place
Contributed by Cameron W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
topgeezer
very nice. high quality band!