Death Cab began as a solo project of Ben Gibbard, now the band's vocalist and guitarist. Gibbard took the band name from the satirical song Death Cab for Cutie, performed by The Bonzo Dog Band in The Beatles' 1967 experimental film Magical Mystery Tour. As Death Cab for Cutie, Gibbard released a cassette titled You Can Play These Songs with Chords; the release was surprisingly successful, and Gibbard decided to expand the band into a complete project. He recruited Chris Walla (who had also worked on the cassette) as an electric guitarist, Nick Harmer as bass guitarist, and Nathan Good to play drums.
The four released the LP Something About Airplanes on August 18th 1998. The album was favorably reviewed in the independent music scene, and in 2000 the band released We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes. Nathan Good left the band at some point during this album's production. His playing on “The Employment Pages” and “Company Calls Epilogue” were kept, but Gibbard played drums on all other songs.
Michael Schorr would first appear on The Forbidden Love E.P., released on October 24, 2000. In 2001, another LP was released, entitled The Photo Album. Limited editions of this album contained three bonus tracks, which were later released separately as The Stability EP.
In 2003, there was another change of drummer, with Jason McGerr of Eureka Farm replacing Schorr. McGerr would play drums on the next release, Transatlanticism.
Transatlanticism was released in October of 2003. It received critical praise and also became the band's top-selling album, with 225,000 copies sold during its first year out.
In spring of 2004, the band recorded a live E.P. titled The John Byrd E.P., named for their sound engineer. The E.P. was released on Barsuk Records in March 2004.
In November of 2004, Death Cab for Cutie signed a “long-term worldwide deal” with Atlantic Records, leaving their long-time label Barsuk Records. Gibbard stated on the official website www.deathcabforcutie.com that nothing would change except that “Next to the picture of Barsuk holding a 7", there will be the letter "A" on both the spine and back of our upcoming albums.” This was a marked change from Gibbard's earlier views on major-label relations, which he said “are set up to fuck you and take all your money.”. After signing to Atlantic, the band was still nervous about corporate economics, and encouraged fans to download its songs from the Internet.
The first and second singles off the band's Atlantic Record release Plans were “Soul Meets Body” and “Crooked Teeth”, respectively. The full album was released in August of 2005. Plans was somewhat well-acclaimed by critics and fans, and received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album of 2005. It achieved Gold Status in 2006 after charting on Billboard for 47 consecutive weeks.
The band released a touring DVD titled Drive Well, Sleep Carefully in 2005. Known for their contributions to animal rights, the band is supporting the activist group PETA in giving away copies of the DVD to promote animal rights.
In early 2006, the band announced the upcoming release of Directions, eleven short films inspired by songs from the Plans album, each directed by a different person. The videos were posted one at a time at the band's website and the DVD went on sale April 11, 2006.
On May 12, 2008 their album, Narrow Stairs, was released and was well received by both critics and fans. It was their first album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200. The album contains the singles "I Will Possess Your Heart", "Cath..." and "Grapevine Fires".
The band's latest released The Open Door EP, which was released on March 31, 2009. Their main styles consist of slow progressive rock with dark lyrics.
The band's seventh album, Codes and Keys, was released on May 31, 2011. The album's first single was "You Are A Tourist".
On October 11, 2013, the band reportedly began working on their eighth studio album. This was then confirmed by the group's official Instagram profile in which an image was uploaded with the caption "DCFC LP8 begins". The new album will be produced by Rich Costey and is expected to be released in early 2015. In an interview with Stereogum, Gibbard said of the new album, "I do think from start to finish it's a much better record than Codes And Keys. If that record turned anybody off, I feel pretty strongly that this one could win them back. There are threads in this one that connect back to our earliest stuff that people love." On October 29, 2013, the band released a remastered tenth-anniversary version of their 2003 album Transatlanticism. The new album included a vinyl LP and MP3 download, with demos for all the songs from the album.
As part of the 2014 Record Store Day, the band released its first live album, a vinyl-only double LP recorded during various 2012 tour dates with Magik*Magik Orchestra. Included within the packaging was a code for a digital download of the recording.
On August 13, 2014, after 17 years as a member of Death Cab for Cutie, guitarist and songwriter Chris Walla decided to part ways with the band, with his last performance occurring on September 13, 2014 at the Rifflandia Music Festival in Victoria, British Columbia. Walla states that he plans to "...continue making music, producing records, and erring on the side of benevolence and beauty whenever possible." When asked in an interview about Walla's involvement in the eighth album, McGerr confirmed that Walla "played on everything and has been involved all the way through, even in the mixing. Even though he's played his last show with us, he's still been involved in everything involving this record."
04 A Lack Of Color
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I really see you upside down
But my brain knows better
It picks you up and turns you around
Turns you around, turns you around
If you feel discouraged
When there's a lack of color here
It's really bursting at the seams
From absorbing everything, the spectrum's A to Z
This is fact not fiction
For the first time in years
All the girls in every gillie magazine
Can't make me feel any less alone
I'm reaching for the phone
To call at 7:03 and on your machine
I slur a plea for you to come home
But I know it's too late
And I should have given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay
This is fact, not fiction
For the first time in years
"A Lack of Color" by Death Cab for Cutie is a melancholic song that displays a sense of loneliness and despair. The opening lines state that when the singer sees the subject of their affection, they see them upside down; a metaphor for how they view them versus how they view themselves. The song describes the internal struggle of the singer's sentiments, as their brain tries to make sense of the situation. The lyrics suggest the singer is aware of their situation but feels helpless in rectifying it. The chorus focuses on the idea that someone special is missing from their life, and although they're not together, they know that they're absorbing all of the surrounding activity.
The second verse reveals the singer's loneliness and their attempts to fill the emotional void by reaching out to people they care about. They highlight the desperation and sadness in their tone throughout this verse, as the person they long for is not present. The chorus echoes the same pessimistic tone as earlier, which serves as an emphasis on the idea that while there is so much color to the world, they can't seem to see it, and it holds no meaning without the presence of their loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
And when I see you
Whenever I catch a glimpse of you
I really see you upside down
My perception of you may not be accurate
But my brain knows better
My mind understands reality
It picks you up and turns you around
It corrects the image of you in my head
Turns you around, turns you around
Until you are right-side up and clear
If you feel discouraged
When you lose hope
When there's a lack of color here
When there is nothing that inspires you
Please don't worry lover
Do not fret, my dear
It's really bursting at the seams
The world is overflowing with opportunity
From absorbing everything, the spectrum's A to Z
Every experience and emotion, from the beginning to the end, is available to explore
This is fact not fiction
This is the truth
For the first time in years
After a long time
All the girls in every gillie magazine
The beautiful images of women in magazines
Can't make me feel any less alone
Cannot cure my loneliness
I'm reaching for the phone
I'm trying to make contact
To call at 7:03 and on your machine
To leave a message for you
I slur a plea for you to come home
I beg you to return
But I know it's too late
I must accept it's over
And I should have given you a reason to stay
I understand now that I should have done more to keep you
Given you a reason to stay
I should have convinced you to remain with me
Given you a reason to stay
I should have shown you how much you meant to me
Given you a reason to stay
I should have been a better partner
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mandatory210
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And when I see you
I really see you upside down
But my brain knows better
It picks you up and turns you around
Turns you around, turns you around
If you feel discouraged
When there's a lack of color here
Please don't worry lover
It's really bursting at the seams
From absorbing everything, the spectrum's A to Z
This is fact not fiction
For the first time in years
All the girls in every gillie magazine
Can't make me feel any less alone
I'm reaching for the phone
To call at 7:03 and on your machine
I slur a plea for you to come home
But I know it's too late
And I should have given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay
This is fact, not fiction
For the first time in years"
@anima099
After 13 years of knowing this song, I think I finally understand what it really means.
The song is about someone who wasn't exactly attractive by modern standards, but he saw something in her (I really see you upside down, but my brain turns you around) and that made the feeling "fact," not fiction. He actually feels love for this woman, not just something physical, but everything.
She was insecure, but he reassures her that he truly loves her; the "lack of color" is her insecurity (or trust issues because of past relationships) when his love is really "bursting at the seams, spectrums a to z," i.e. it's as good as love can get.
The problem is, the narrator just didn't convey his love properly. So, she left, maybe out of fear that she'll have her heart broken, or perhaps he didn't feel "serious" enough to commit to something long-term. He thought about calling a prostitute (girlie magazine) thinking it would make him get over her, but he instead got drunk by himself and probably thought hard about calling her until he ultimately did at 7:03 am.
In the end, the narrator regrets not making his love feel more visible, more felt, because he forgot what it means to show you love someone. He would hint why in the line "fact, not fiction for the first time in years," which tells us he also went through a similar relationship, where he felt insecure and "ugly."
tl;dr the narrator was in his "player" era, felt love for the first time in a long time, but fucked it up because he acted like a player.
@kyledavies3871
This song makes me realize that I get caught up in other people's lives simply because I'm terrified of living my own.
@Callubsta
Kyle Davies Amazing
@MrShahid0072
You just blew my mind!😨
@chickenman515
Profound!
@marktiba5432
I hope you wound up finding a beautiful reason to live and enjoy your own life to the very last drop of it.
@makingsirensounds
Gay
@michaelallegrini222
I've been watching this video when I'm sad for the whole 9 years its been up since I was 13. I'm 22 now. Thank you SO much for this video
@stevecrangle3174
Same here
@ElliottLowen
+Hebrew Hammer listen to Sedona - Houndmouth. Similar?
@ShaluMishra
+Hebrew Hammer Are you okay ?