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."
Cooked Teeth
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As we sat beneath a willow tree
Whose tears didn't care, they just hung in the air
And refused to fall, to fall
And I knew I'd made horrible call
And now the state line felt like the Berlin Wall
And there was no doubt
'Cause I built you a home in my heart
With rotten wood, it decayed from the start
'Cause you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
No you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
I braved treacherous streets
And kids strung out on homemade speed
And we shared a bed in which
I could not sleep at all
'Cause at night the sun in retreat
Made the skyline look like crooked teeth
In the mouth of a man
Who was devouring, us both
You're so cute when you're slurring your speech
But they're closing the bar and they want us to leave
And you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
No you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
I'm a war, of head versus heart and it's always this way
My head is weak, my heart always speaks before I know what it will say
And you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
No you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
And you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
There were churches,theme parks and malls
There was nothing there all along
The lyrics of "Crooked Teeth" by Death Cab for Cutie are rich with imagery and metaphors, exploring themes of regret, vulnerability, and the difficulties of navigating relationships. The song begins with the singer sitting with someone under a willow tree, feeling the heat and humidity of a hot day. The tears of the tree hang in the air, refusing to fall, mirroring the feelings of the singer who knows they have made a mistake. The state line, which separates the two protagonists, feels like an insurmountable barrier, like the Berlin Wall. The singer knows which side they are on, but the relationship is fraught with decay and rot: "I built you a home in my heart / With rotten wood, it decayed from the start."
As the relationship progresses, the singer describes braving dangerous streets, sharing a bed with someone they can't sleep beside, and feeling like they are being devoured. The "crooked teeth" of the skyline serve as a visual metaphor for the ugliness and imperfections of the relationship. The song concludes with the singer acknowledging the war between their head and heart, and the realization that there was nothing there all along. Overall, "Crooked Teeth" is a bittersweet exploration of the complexities of relationships, reflecting the pain and regret that can arise even when things seem good at the start.
Line by Line Meaning
It was one hundred degrees
The weather was hot.
As we sat beneath a willow tree
The singer and someone else were sitting under a willow tree.
Whose tears didn't care, they just hung in the air
The willow tree's branches were hanging down and swaying in the air.
And refused to fall, to fall
The branches of the willow tree were not dropping any leaves.
And I knew I'd made a horrible call
The artist realized they had made a mistake.
And now the state line felt like the Berlin Wall
The singer felt like there was a big division between them and someone else.
And there was no doubt
The singer was certain about something.
About which side I was on
The artist knew which side they were on in a situation.
'Cause I built you a home in my heart
The artist had strong feelings for someone.
With rotten wood, it decayed from the start
The artist's feelings for the person deteriorated from the beginning.
'Cause you can't find nothing at all
You cannot discover something that was never there.
If there was nothing there all along
If something never existed in the first place, it cannot be found.
I braved treacherous streets
The singer overcame dangerous situations.
And kids strung out on homemade speed
There were drug-addicted children around.
And we shared a bed in which
Two people were sleeping in the same bed.
I could not sleep at all
The artist was not able to sleep, despite sharing a bed.
'Cause at night the sun in retreat
The sun would disappear at night.
Made the skyline look like crooked teeth
The singer saw the city's skyline as crooked and unsettling.
In the mouth of a man
The cityscape resembled the teeth of a person.
Who was devouring, us both
The city seemed to be overwhelming and consuming the artist and the other person.
You're so cute when you're slurring your speech
The other person was endearing to the artist, even when they were drunk.
But they're closing the bar and they want us to leave
The bar was closing and the artist and the other person needed to leave.
I'm a war, of head versus heart and it's always this way
The singer's mind and emotions were in conflict.
My head is weak, my heart always speaks before I know what it will say
The artist's emotions tend to overpower their rational thinking.
And there were churches, theme parks, and malls
The location had religious buildings, amusement parks, and shopping centers.
There was nothing there all along
Despite the location having things to offer, it did not bring the singer happiness.
Contributed by Nora P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bones
I love this song.
"I braved treacherous streets, and kids strung out on homemade speed.
And we shared a bed in which I could not sleep at all...
Cause that night the sun in the tree made the skyline look like crooked teeth in the mouth of a man who was devouring us both."
I think this song is talking about.. I'm so scared and unsure of myself, I can't love you. I don't want to go anywhere, I don't want to leave you but I can't love you if I don't love myself. And I hate myself enough to do drugs with you, so that I feel less alone.
"You're so cute when you're slurring your speech, but they're closing the bar and they want us to leave."
You're good company, but not good enough to waste my time.
You can't find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along.
Liz Cruz
It was one hundred degrees as we sat beneath a willow tree
Whose tears didn't care they just hung in the air
And refused to fall, to fall
I knew I'd made a horrible call
And now the state line felt like the Berlin wall
And there was no doubt about which side I was on
'Cause I built you a home in my heart
With rotten wood that decayed from the start
'Cause you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
No, you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
I braved treacherous streets
And kids strung out on homemade speed
And we shared a bed in which I could not sleep at all
'Cause at night, the sun in retreat
Made the skyline look like crooked teeth
In the mouth of a man who was devouring us both
You're so cute when you're slurring your speech
But they're closing the bar
And they want us to leave
And you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
No, you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
I'm the war of head versus heart
And it's always this way
My head is weak, my heart always speaks
Before I know what it will say
And you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
No, you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
And you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
There were churches, theme parks and malls
There was nothing there all along
Fiona Ann
First time I’m hearing this song in over 12 years . I have goosebumps everywhere. Nostalgia is sooo strong. Reminds me of easier days..
Julie Wickstrom
You just took the words out of my mouth! Same
Local Disk D
Whenever i feel sad, i listen to this song to fuel more sadness inside me and eventually get used to it.
SomeGuyWhoPlaysGames333
I thought this was a happy song, until I read the lyrics.
Dustin Steude
i like to listen to sad songs to purge the sadness out of me. It hurts but its better than letting it stew and fester.
Kristian Stanley
but it's so cheeky and underlyingly angry. that's why i love it lol
Matt Kaluza
The way he finds that extra syllable in devouring is perfect. He’s such a gifted lyricist I can’t wrap my head around it
A M
This song brings me back to my first love. God I was only a child back then but those times were tumultuous. There’s nothing quite like experiencing your first love. I’m 23 now and waiting for the next.
Not Applicable
We're 25 now. I wanna be 23 again honestly. Hell I'll take being 20 again.
Ultra Instinct Yamcha
bruh i wasn't even alive when this music came out but it still feels nostalgic.