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 โThe Employment Pagesโ and โCompany Calls Epilogueโ 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 โlong-term worldwide dealโ 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 โNext to the picture of Barsuk holding a 7", there will be the letter "A" on both the spine and back of our upcoming albums.โ This was a marked change from Gibbard's earlier views on major-label relations, which he said โare set up to fuck you and take all your money.โ. 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 โSoul Meets Bodyโ and โCrooked Teethโ, 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."
Blue Bloods
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have come out west
And I watch them argue about who loved you the best
And I was conspicuously of my kind
Over dressed, but woefully under refined
With a story held together
Like boulders with a piece of twine
Retreating and returning
Your photographs were on the news
And I was there
Just out of view
I was standing with a smile
Chiseled into my head
With a mind in retreat
To the places I wished I would've been
When you caught my gaze I turned away
Planned an exit like a grand escape
As I watched you spinning through the revelers
Like a cheap ballet
These words all sound familiar
Convictions up forever
You tied a witch to a balloon
Watched it fly into the blue
But you will find someday soon
That it will fall
Yes it will fall
They all do
Yes, they all do
They all do
They all do
'Cause they all do
The song "Blue Bloods" by Death Cab for Cutie speaks of a protagonist standing on the sideline, watching people from the east coast, known for their status, wealth and privilege, argue about who loved someone the most. The singer feels out of place as he views himself as overdressed but under-refined. The song also talks about the helicopter circling and returning, and as the news flashes out, the singer stands in the back with a smile chiseled into his head. He thinks about all the places he wished he would have been while he was retreating from his mind. When the singer sees the person he loves, he turns away and plans an escape. He watches as the person he loves, spinning through the crowd like a cheap ballet.
The line "These words all sound familiar, convictions up forever," talks about people who think that they have finally found something they can believe in, but the singer knows from experience that all convictions eventually fall apart, and the people holding them will come crashing down like a witch tied to a balloon. The last line, "they all do, 'cause they all do," emphasizes how all things come to an end eventually.
Overall, the song paints a picture of someone on the outside looking in at a group of people he or she doesn't belong to. The person is trapped in their own head, watching the world pass by them, and realizing that everything they've held onto will ultimately crumble.
Line by Line Meaning
All the east coast blue bloods
The wealthy aristocrats from the East coast have migrated west
Have come out west
They have traveled to the western part of the country
And I watch them argue about who loved you the best
I observe as they debate over who had the strongest affection for you
And I was conspicuously of my kind
I stood out among them due to my unique qualities
Over dressed, but woefully under refined
I was dressed too extravagantly but lacked cultural sophistication
With a story held together
Trying to maintain the facade
Like boulders with a piece of twine
Like binding heavy stones with flimsy string
Three helicopters circling
Three helicopters flew around
Retreating and returning
They flew away and then came back
Your photographs were on the news
Media coverage was featuring your pictures
And I was there
I was also present
Just out of view
But, I remained hidden from the public eye
I was standing with a smile
I put on a grin
Chiseled into my head
Etched into my mind
With a mind in retreat
My subconscious was in escape mode
To the places I wished I would've been
Imagining the places I wanted to be
When you caught my gaze I turned away
I looked away when our eyes met
Planned an exit like a grand escape
Formulated a dramatic exit strategy
As I watched you spinning through the revelers
I saw you moving through the crowd in a drunken dance
Like a cheap ballet
Like an inferior performance
These words all sound familiar
These expressions have a recognizable ring to them
Convictions up forever
Sincere beliefs will persevere over time
You tied a witch to a balloon
You attached a sorceress to a balloon
Watched it fly into the blue
You observed it ascend into the sky
But you will find someday soon
One day soon you will realize
That it will fall
It will inevitably decline
Yes it will fall
It will indeed decline
They all do
Everything falls apart eventually
Yes, they all do
They all do
They all do
Repetitive emphasis on the idea that everything declines eventually
Lyrics ยฉ Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard, Zachary Rae
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@felipesoares9671
Best DCFC song in years.
@chrisinreallife7969
Agreed. At least since narrow stairs album
@nickrandles1102
Dude, this song with repeated listens ranks up there with Transatlanticism. It just gets better. I canโt wait for them to drop the entire thing.
@joshuabergen84
Never quit. Music needs you.
@micaelagabaglio931
Being 14 in my bed, looking up, listening to death cab. Sometimes wanna go back, this brings me back
@colleensarmento9660
๐๐๐
@andrewholliger2473
I love all of Death Cabs music but this song in particular really resonates with the old school vibes
@aleswanson4152
Damn, you were 14 and into Deathcab? When I was 14 I was into Blink 182 and Jimmyeatworld. Props to you. I found them out when I was 18 but was exposed to The Postal Service first.
@micaelagabaglio931
Ale Swanson I love them. I discovered them because I was very depressed at that time and constantly looking for music, I search the frase on YouTube โmy mirror speaksโ, and a song came up. Death cab, I fell in love. I donโt know if u can understand me, Iโm from Argentina and my English sucks
@aleswanson4152
@@micaelagabaglio931Jamas me hubiese dado cuenta si no me no decias. Tranki, su Ingles es muy bueno.