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."
Deifferent Names For the Same Thing
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An outdated map crumpled in my pocket
But I didn't care where I was going
'Cause they're all different names for the same place
The coast disappeared when the sea drowned the sun
I knew no words to share it with anyone
The boundaries of language I quietly cursed
In "Different Names for the Same Thing," Death Cab for Cutie explores the idea that people use different words to describe similar experiences or emotions. The singer of the song is alone while wandering aimlessly on a train, with an outdated map crumpled in his pocket. However, he does not care where he is going, because to him, all the different places are ultimately the same. This idea is reinforced in the chorus, where the singer reflects on how the coast disappeared when the sea drowned the sun, and he had no words to share his experience with anyone. He curses the boundaries of language and laments the fact that there are different names for the same thing.
The song explores the themes of loneliness, frustration, and the universal human experience. The singer is alone, physically and metaphorically, on his journey, and he struggles to express himself to others. He is frustrated by the limitations of language and the fact that different people use different words to describe the same emotions. However, despite all of this, he takes solace in the fact that people all experience the same things, even if they use different words to describe them.
Line by Line Meaning
Alone on a train aimless in wander
Lost and directionless, riding a train with no particular destination in mind
An outdated map crumpled in my pocket
Carrying a useless and worn-out map, symbolizing a journey towards a pointless or unknown destination
But I didn't care where I was going
Feeling apathetic towards the journey, neither excited nor concerned about the destination
'Cause they're all different names for the same place
Realizing that no matter where one goes, different names are used to describe the same or similar thing or experience
The coast disappeared when the sea drowned the sun
Watching the sunset being engulfed by the sea, the horizon vanishing, and the surroundings falling into darkness
I knew no words to share it with anyone
Being unable to express or explain the experience to anyone, lacking the vocabulary or means to communicate the emotions or feelings provoked
The boundaries of language I quietly cursed
Feeling frustrated by the limitations of language and the inability to convey complex emotions and sensations
And all the different names for the same thing
Reflecting on the diversity of languages and cultures, and how they all have different names and expressions for similar experiences or concepts
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Sometimes_Always
Alone on a train, aimless in wonder
An outdated map crumpled in my pocket
But I didn't care where I was going
Cus' there are different names for the same place
The coasts disappear when the sea drown the sun
I've no words to share with anyone
The boundaries of language, I quietly curse
All different names for the same thing
There are different names for the same thing ...
@michaelynwatson1086
Alone on a train aimlessly wander
Outdated map crumpled in my pocket
But I didn't care where I was going
They're all different names for the same place
Coasts disappear when the sea drowns the sun
I've no words to share with anyone
Boundaries of language quietly curse
All different names for the same thing
There are different names for the same thing
@AlexandreBarril
Deus abençoe vocês, Death Cab for a Cutie
@harmansmith84
This is one of the best albums ever made period
@ellewilliford6416
absolutely
@caustic1611
I used to own this DVD and I KNOW there's a version where we get to hear the band kids actually performing it! Time to go looking...
@freeeede
I’m listening to this band for 10 years but right now i’ve understood why, cause they do their thing with heart ♥️
Thanks for sharing
@zinxderobo
If you find it please oh please link it.
@flentaldoss
find it. link it.
@caustic1611
@flentaldoss I don't think it's on youtube, I checked 😭
@zip1tie
just gonna add myself to the thread in case it ever gets linked :,(
@fuelvolts
My favorite song on my favorite DCFC album. Such an awesome song. Love this video as a former “band nerd”.