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."
09.Death Of An Interior Decorator
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who stormed through your turnstile and climbed to the street
But after conception your body lay cold
And withered through autumn and you found yourself old
Can you tell me why have been so sad?
He took a lover on a far away beach
While you arranged flowers and chose color schemes
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
The girls were all there, they traded their vows
The youngest one glared with furrowed brows
They tenderly kissed then cut the cake
The bride then tripped and broke the vase
The one you thought would spend the years
So perfectly placed below the mirror
Arriving late, you clean the debris
And walked into the angry sea
It felt just like falling in love again
And it felt just like falling in love again
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
Can you tell me why you have been so
sad?
"Death of an Interior Decorator" by Death Cab for Cutie tells the story of a mother who had three daughters who were full of life and energy. However, after her last pregnancy, her body began to weaken and age rapidly. The mother had spent her time arranging flowers and choosing color schemes for her home while her husband had taken a lover on a faraway beach. The song is practically a conversation between the people wondering why the mother was so sad. The song ends with the mother cleaning up debris from her daughter's wedding that leads her to walk into the angry sea. The sea felt like falling in love again. The lyrics can be interpreted to mean that the frustrations of being confined by societal expectations may have led the mother to feel trapped between her maternal duties and her desires.
The imagery of the storming through the turnstile may symbolize how the daughters feel like they are tearing through a barrier or limitation they have in their life. The mother had been an interior decorator, which suggests a person who has an eye for beauty, but perhaps cannot translate it into her life outside of her job. The vase breaking at the end of the song may symbolize the shattered dreams and expectations that accompany traditional societal roles.
Line by Line Meaning
You were the mother of three girls so sweet
You had the joy of being a mother to three sweet daughters
That storm through your turnstile, and climbed to the street
Your daughters were full of energy and always eager to explore the world around them
But after conception, your body lay cold
After giving birth to your daughters, you experienced a sense of emptiness and detachment from your own body
Withered through Autumn then you found yourself old
As time passed, you felt the effects of aging and the changes in your own body
Can you tell me why have been so sad
Someone is concerned and wants to understand the reason behind your sadness
He took a lover on a far away beach,
Your partner cheated on you with someone else in a distant location
While you arranged flowers and chose color schemes
Meanwhile, you were preoccupied with decorating and making your surroundings beautiful
The girls were all there; they traded their vows.
Your daughters got married and exchanged their marriage vows
The youngest one glared with furrowed brow as
One of your daughters was not entirely happy or at ease during the wedding ceremony
They tenderly kissed and cut the cake.
The newlyweds shared a tender moment when they cut the wedding cake together
The bride then tripped and broke the vase,
Unfortunately, the bride made a mistake and accidentally broke a vase
The one you thought would span the years,
It was a vase that you thought would be a timeless and lasting addition to your home decor
So perfectly placed below the mirror
You had carefully chosen the spot where the vase would be displayed, under a mirror
Arriving late, you clean the debris
You arrived at the scene of the accident after it had already happened, and started cleaning up the broken pieces
And walked into the angry sea;
You then walked into the ocean, which represented a wave of emotions you were experiencing
It felt just like falling in love again.
You felt a rush of emotions similar to falling in love, as you were overwhelmed by the situation
And it felt just like falling in love again.
You continued to feel a sense of emotional intensity and excitement
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
The question is repeated, as the person still wants to know why you have been feeling sad
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
The question is repeated again, emphasizing the concern for your well-being
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kosong
You were the mother of three girls so sweet
That stormed through your turnstile and climbed to the street
But after conception, your body lay cold
And withered through autumn and you found yourself old
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
He took a lover on a faraway beach
While you arranged flowers and chose color schemes
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
The girls were all there; they traded their vows.
The youngest one glared with furrowed brow
As they tenderly kissed and cut the cake.
The bride then tripped and broke the vase
The one you thought would span the years
So perfectly placed below the mirror
Arriving late, you cleaned the debris
And walked into the angry sea;
It felt just like falling in love again.
And it felt just like falling in love again.
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
Can you tell me why you have been so...
Guitarkid 1991
In my opinion Chris Walla is hands down the greatest producer around. The production on this album and every album for that matter is second to none. This song does it for me, specifically the bride. The way the layers on sound keep building and building all while adding tension and depth is unbelievable! As if that wasn't difficult enough it somehow never becomes overdone or too busy. Simply amazing!
evanpeartree
Anybody notice that weddings are a very common theme in Death Cab songs? But it always focuses them negatively, which is beautiful, because weddings always have this sort of false delusional perfectness in our minds when we think of them. Death Cab's lyrics are so realistic and true.
Mori Ro
Your opinion...one might disagree...
Mori Ro
In case of weddings I might agree: pumped up events, mostly every time. But a marriage is another thing.
Sturm
Death cab is the only band that reached into the abyss of my anxiety and stress, grabed my hand and pulled me out. since then I 've been looking up and not down. this was the band that gripped my heart and did not let it break when the worse came knocking.
Koryn Galen
The song deserves way more credit then it gets
Origami and Cats
I wonder what Woody Allen thinks of this homage?
kosong
You were the mother of three girls so sweet
That stormed through your turnstile and climbed to the street
But after conception, your body lay cold
And withered through autumn and you found yourself old
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
He took a lover on a faraway beach
While you arranged flowers and chose color schemes
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
The girls were all there; they traded their vows.
The youngest one glared with furrowed brow
As they tenderly kissed and cut the cake.
The bride then tripped and broke the vase
The one you thought would span the years
So perfectly placed below the mirror
Arriving late, you cleaned the debris
And walked into the angry sea;
It felt just like falling in love again.
And it felt just like falling in love again.
Can you tell me why you have been so sad?
Can you tell me why you have been so...
QueenOfAmber
I love how they have stories in every one of their songs. It's like you can actually see the events happening... That's something only truly awesome bands can do. Love Death Cab For Cutie! Im/
Betty Jojoe Harper: Re- Imagination
I've been fans of these guys since I was like six. I didn't fully understand this song until I was around eleven or twelve. But, this song is so good and yet depressing. I can't help but feel a strange mixture of happiness and sadness when I listen to this song. Thank you Ben Gibbard for my childhood soundtrack.