In 2006 Dananananaykroyd released two limited edition 7" singles, "Totally Bone" and "Some Dresses" on Moshi Moshi and Jealous Records respectively. A Japan-only CD EP, collecting both singles, was later released on Kanazawa's Klee/Rallye records. Singer Giles Bailey left the group and was replaced by drummer Calum Gunn while John Baillie Jnr joined the band on drums and additional lead vocals.
Dananananaykroyd released their first EP, Sissy Hits, on London-based Holy Roar Records in June 2008. Shortly after, they introduced ex-Russia drummer Paul Carlin as their new (other) drummer after James Hamilton of Errors left the band. Dananananaykroyd signed to Best Before Records shortly thereafter, and recorded their debut full-length album Hey Everyone! in the US with producer Machine.
The band have toured the UK extensively with bands such as Foals and in 2009 completed a European tour with the Kaiser Chiefs. They played at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2009.
In June 2009, the band announced that bass player Laura Hyde had left, and would be replaced on tour by Ryan McGinness.
In August 2009 during a concert in Sydney, Australia, near the beginning of the band's set, singer John Baillie Junior jumped off stage and broke his arm causing the band to cancel the remainder of their Australian tour, as well as appearances at Pukkelpop and Belladrum festivals. Baillie snapped both bones that run from the wrist to the elbow, shearing a large chunk of bone from his elbow. Emergency surgery was needed in Sydney to fix the injury, leaving four metal screws in his arm permanently. His return show (with Calum and John sharing vocals duties) was Reading Festival only 3 weeks later which the band opened, playing to 10,000+ people on the Radio 1/NME stage. Baillie had said that one day he wanted to return to the venue in Sydney and continue the show from the floor where he fell and from the point in the set where it was cut short. The band were able to do this in July 2011, in which they performed at the Annandale Hotel exactly two years to the date after the accident.
The band announced that they were disbanding on 29th September 2011. Some of the former members of Dananananaykroyd went on to form Alarm Bells. Gunn joined Her Parents, while Baillie took on production duties in pop project Bossy Love.
Pink Sabbath
Dananananaykroyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah! Great fields of blue
Yeah! Vast swathes of pink
Who put the fork in your tongue?
Who broke the belt with a bang?
Try to remember: 'Old dog, new tricks'
It's not your name they're dragging through the mud, it's mine
Who put the fork in your tongue?
Who broke the belt with a bang?
Try to remember your insularity
Say it: "It's alright"
It's not your name they're dragging through the mud
Forget to segregate yourself
Forget to flagellate yourself
Door meets door in the glamorous mansion
Forget to segregate yourself
Forget to flagellate yourself
And it's teeming with shadows;
Paralyzed minds make decisions in the dark
Who put the fork in your tongue?
Who broke the belt with a bang?
Buy it, run it, kick it, fuck it, yeah.
The song "Pink Sabbath" by Dananananaykroyd opens with imagery of majestic landscapes with green skies, blue fields, and vast swathes of pink. The pink may represent the feminine, as traditionally associated with the color, and may allude to societal, political or cultural constructions of gender. The lyrics then shift to questions of aggression and power dynamics, as the singer wonders who is responsible for injuring their tongue with a fork and breaking a belt with force. The lines "It's not your name they're dragging through the mud, it's mine," suggest that the singer is taking the brunt of someone else's misdeeds, perhaps because of some shared characteristic or association such as ethnicity, gender or religion.
The song continues with a call to remember that old adage, "Old dog, new tricks," and to acknowledge one's own insularity. This could be interpreted as a critique of societal bubbles that people live in, where they are surrounded only by those who share the same values, beliefs, and experiences; or it could be a reference to individuals who refuse to change or adapt to new information or ideas. The lyrics then urge the listener to forget to segregate and flagellate themselves, to reject the idea that pain and suffering are necessary parts of growth or that they need to isolate themselves from others for their own protection. The song ends with the lines "Buy it, run it, kick it, fuck it, yeah," which could be interpreted as a call to action, a call to take ownership of one's life and to engage with the world with fervor and passion.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah! Great skies of green
Expressing joy and excitement about the natural beauty of the world around us
Yeah! Great fields of blue
Continuing to express delight and wonder at the natural world, specifically the beauty of blue fields
Yeah! Vast swathes of pink
Further expanding on the beauty of the world, calling attention to the vast amounts of pink in the environment
Who put the fork in your tongue?
Asking who caused the person being addressed to say something rude or unpleasant
Who broke the belt with a bang?
Asking who caused some sort of explosive or violent situation involving a belt
Try to remember: 'Old dog, new tricks'
Encouraging the listener to keep an open mind and be willing to try new things despite being set in their ways
Say it: 'It's alright'
Encouraging the listener to repeat a phrase reminding them that everything is going to be okay
It's not your name they're dragging through the mud, it's mine
Clarifying that any rumors or negative attention being directed towards the listener is actually aimed at the artist
Forget to segregate yourself
Suggesting that social divisions and boundaries may be hindering societal progress and personal growth
Forget to flagellate yourself
Promoting self-acceptance and self-love instead of the damaging practice of self-punishment
Door meets door in the glamorous mansion
Potentially criticizing the empty materialistic pursuits of the wealthy and drawing attention to the shallow interactions between them
And it's teeming with shadows; Paralyzed minds make decisions in the dark
Implying that there is a lot of darkness and corruption lurking beneath the surface of society, and that people in power may be acting without true knowledge or understanding
Buy it, run it, kick it, fuck it, yeah.
Encouraging a hedonistic, consumerist lifestyle of buying, using, and discarding things without regard for their value or consequences
Contributed by Gavin T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.