The band's fifth album shows influences of the Arizona desert with producer Craig Schumacher (Calexico, Neko Case) to create a compendium of short stories inspired by the varied moments the band experienced since the release of A Mad & Faithful Telling (Anti-, 2007).
Like many bands, DeVotchKa spent much of their early years traveling the highways and byways searching for gigs and a musical direction. As time went on, the band began to foster important musical collaborations with the unequivocal Calexico and the seminal gypsy punks Gogol Bordello. International tours with Gogol and recordings with Calexico have helped spread the band’s sound around the globe.
Originally a backing band for burlesque shows, in their early years DeVotchKa also toured with fetish model Dita von Teese. Numerous nationwide tours in support of self-released records earned the band an underground following. Their song "How It Ends" introduced the band to a wider audience after being featured in the trailer for Everything Is Illuminated, in a Gears of War 2 trailer called "The Last Day", and in an episode of Everwood (Season 4).
Arcade Fire singer Win Butler suggested to DeVotchKa that they cover the Siouxsie and the Banshees song "The Last Beat of My Heart". The musicians found the idea interesting and they recorded that song for the now critically acclaimed Curse Your Little Heart EP. The band did a world tour in support of their previous album, A Mad & Faithful Telling (released March, 2008). The album reached No. 9 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and No. 29 on the Top Independent Albums chart.["New World" and "Head Honcho" were featured in a season 4 episode of the Showtime television show Weeds.
DeVotchKa's first big break happened when Nic Harcourt, former music director for KCRW, introduced his listeners to a then unknown rock band of worldly sounds on his daily radio show, "Morning Becomes Eclectic". Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, who were listening that day, stumbled upon the sound for their movie, "Little Miss Sunshine". A critical and box office hit, the film was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and, for DeVotchKa's soundtrack, a Grammy. The little gypsy wedding band from Denver was suddenly known all across the US, playing large venues and major music festivals, including Coachella, Bumbershoot, Lollapalooza, and Mile High Music Festival. After years of toiling in obscurity, the band was selling out shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco and First Avenue in Minneapolis, with breakout performances at Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits Music Festival. The love spread to Europe, which has become a yearly destination for the band.
"100 Lovers" is the album DeVotchKa had always wanted to make. "How it Ends" was recorded and mixed in only nine days, mainly due to lack of funds. On "A Mad and Faithful Telling,” the band had more time and conducted complex arrangements and experimental recording techniques. For "100 Lovers", DeVotchKa spent over a year defining their sound, taking multiple trips to the desert studio to craft twelve new recordings. The final product is the bands strongest album to date, filled with songs fans will love, songs to draw in new listeners, and exciting numbers that fit nicely into their rousing live sets. Guests on the album include members of Calexico and Mauro Refosco, David Byrne and Thom Yorke’s go-to percussionist. With a full tour lined up for the spring and dates booked all over the world, 2011 is gearing up to be the biggest year for DeVotchKa yet.
DeVotchKa is:
Nick Urata: Vocals, guitars, Theremin, trumpet, piano
Jeanie Schroder: acoustic bass, sousaphone
Shawn King: drums, percussion, trumpet
Tom Hagerman: violin, viola, accordion, piano
Bad Luck Heels
DeVotchKa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've come to see you
I got all dressed up
Million miles from home
I got nowheres to go
I've come solo baby I know
Things got all messed up
I swear I'm a changed man
I can see you here
With your broken heels
You still put them all to shame
Tesorina
Tesoro mio
I have been such a fool
What a love I have missed
For these days I have wished
Cucciola mia
I still need ya
Let the truth be told
The hills have no gold
The land has no heart
The men have no souls
And there's nothing here
Except these bad luck heels
You will put them all to shame
What have I got to show for this life
If I don't make this thing right
What have I done with this life
I won't make the same mistake twice
I won't let you out of my sight
I'm gonna set this thing right
You will be mine again
Tonight
Sweet Signorina
I can see you
You got all dressed up
Million miles from home
You got nowheres to go
Tesorina
Tesoro mio
You won't get very far
I will know where you are
Write your name in the stars
Fix your bad luck deals
Drink from broken heels
We will put them all to shame
In the song "Bad Luck Heels" by DeVotchKa, the singer is addressing his "sweet Signorina" and expressing his desire to see her. He has come to her dressed up and feeling lost, looking for a fresh start and hoping to win her back. He acknowledges that he has made mistakes and needs to make things right with her. The singer paints a bleak picture of the world around them, emphasizing that their love is the only thing with the ability to overcome the bad luck and emptiness they feel. The final verse shows a determination to fix the past and reclaim his love, promising to never let her out of his sight again.
The lyrics of "Bad Luck Heels" convey a sense of longing and desperation for lost love. The singer is portrayed as remorseful for his past mistakes and pleading for a second chance. The song is an exploration of the power of love to overcome the challenges of life, including bad luck and emptiness. By emphasizing that their love is the only thing of value in a world devoid of meaning, the singer is suggesting that love is not only worth fighting for but also the only path to fulfillment in life.
Line by Line Meaning
My sweet Signorina
The singer is addressing a woman and calling her his sweet Signorina
I've come to see you
The singer has come to meet the woman he is addressing
I got all dressed up
The singer has made an effort to dress well for the occasion
Million miles from home
The singer is far away from his home
I got nowheres to go
The singer has no plans and nowhere specific to go
I've come solo baby I know
The singer has come alone and acknowledges it
Things got all messed up
Something went wrong in the singer's life
Come to you hat in hand
The singer is coming to the woman humbly
I swear I'm a changed man
The singer claims to have changed for the better
I can see you here
The singer can visualize the woman's presence
With your broken heels
The woman's heels are broken, suggesting hardship
You still put them all to shame
Despite her difficulties, the woman still impresses others
Tesorina
The singer addresses the woman as 'little treasure'
Tesoro mio
The singer address the woman as 'my treasure'
I have been such a fool
The singer regrets his past actions and behavior
What a love I have missed
The singer realizes he has missed out on a great love
For these days I have wished
The singer has wished for love and happiness for a long time
Cucciola mia
The singer affectionately calls the woman 'my little puppy'
I still need ya
The singer conveys that he still has strong feelings for the woman
Let the truth be told
The singer wants to express the truth and be honest
The hills have no gold
The singer suggests that riches and wealth do not bring happiness
The land has no heart
The land or environment lacks emotions and life
The men have no souls
The singer has a negative opinion of men and suggests they lack empathy
And there's nothing here
The singer perceives a sense of emptiness in his surroundings
Except these bad luck heels
The woman's shoes are associated with bad luck, suggesting hardship
You will put them all to shame
Despite the hardship, the woman will still impress others
What have I got to show for this life
The singer questions his accomplishments in life and what he has to show for it
If I don't make this thing right
The singer wants to make things right in his life and correct past mistakes
What have I done with this life
The singer questions the meaning and purpose of his life
I won't make the same mistake twice
The singer vows to learn from his past mistakes and not repeat them
I won't let you out of my sight
The singer expresses his desire to keep the woman close to him
I'm gonna set this thing right
The singer is committed to fixing his life and making it better
You will be mine again
The singer expresses his desire to be with the woman again
Tonight
The singer wants to make things right and be with the woman tonight
You won't get very far
The singer suggests that the woman won't succeed on her own
I will know where you are
The singer plans to keep track of the woman's whereabouts
Write your name in the stars
The singer wants to express his love for the woman in a grand way, by writing her name in the stars
Fix your bad luck deals
The singer wants the woman to fix the aspects of her life that are associated with bad luck
Drink from broken heels
The singer suggests that the woman should embrace her hardships and use them to her advantage
We will put them all to shame
The singer and the woman together will impress and outdo others
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind