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."
I Dreamt We Spoke Again
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It'd been so long, it'd been so long my mind filled in the blanks
I dreamt we spoke, I dreamt we spoke again
It'd been so long, it'd been so long, your voice was like a ghost
In my head
In my head
Is anything, is anything the way it used to be?
I dreamt we spoke, I dreamt we spoke again
But when I awoke, when I awoke I could not remember
Anything you said
Anything you said
Anything you said
Anything you said
"I Dreamt We Spoke Again" by Death Cab for Cutie is a song that deals with the theme of nostalgia and reminiscing about a past relationship. The opening lyrics, "I dreamt we spoke, I dreamt we spoke again, it'd been so long, it'd been so long my mind filled in the blanks," poignantly captures the feeling of waking up from a dream where you feel like you've reconnected with someone you've lost touch with. The repetition of the phrase "it'd been so long" emphasizes the distance between the singer and the person they're dreaming of, and the idea that the mind has to "fill in the blanks" suggests that there are gaps in their relationship that have been left unanswered.
Throughout the song, the singer grapples with the feeling of loss and the difficulty of reconciling with a person from their past. The line "Only in, yes, only in a dream is anything, is anything the way it used to be?" highlights the idea that the past can never be relived, even in dreams. And by the end of the song, when the singer wakes up and can't remember "anything you said," it's clear that the past can never be fully reclaimed.
Overall, "I Dreamt We Spoke Again" is a heartfelt reflection on the complexities of nostalgia and the pain of lost relationships. The dream-like atmosphere of the song is emphasized by the dreamy guitar riffs and the haunting repetition of the chorus.
Line by Line Meaning
I dreamt we spoke, I dreamt we spoke again
The singer had a dream where they talked with someone they haven't spoken to in a long time.
It'd been so long, it'd been so long my mind filled in the blanks
The long absence filled the singer's mind with thoughts and assumptions, which translated into the dream.
It'd been so long, it'd been so long, your voice was like a ghost
The voice of the person the singer talked to in the dream was distant and faint, like a memory.
In my head
The conversation happened only in the artist's mind during the dream.
In my head
The dream was not a real-life interaction but a product of the artist's imagination.
Only in, yes, only in a dream
The interaction was purely fictional and could not happen in real life.
Is anything, is anything the way it used to be?
The singer wonders if things have changed so much that the dream doesn't match reality anymore.
But when I awoke, when I awoke I could not remember
The dream was short-lived, and the artist can't recall details or what was discussed.
Anything you said
The artist doesn't remember what the other person said or if they actually said anything.
Anything you said
The lack of details leads to the suspicion that the conversation may not have been very significant or just a figment of the artist's imagination.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lilakilonen5663
Some dreams seem real. Then unbearable sadness touches down after waking up.
@mandanicole6294
God yes... immensely painful disappointment.
@elbenhair
courage is a trainable skill
@NicholasJones-qj4em
I love this, quote it and put it in a poem.
@jessicamaia4118
I cant believe this song is real. My ex and I used to listen to DCFC all the time. It was our band. He recently passed away. I havent seen him in years. I had a dream he visited me and this song comes out... general lyrics or not, this song hits me so fucking hard.
@leizero
I feel like crying just reading this. Oddly, I discovered this song after looking up a friend's spotify. We've never really talked for so long after I confessed then we became strangers. A few weeks ago I dreamt about her confessing that she likes me too, unfortunately I have a girlfriend now. After looking up her name in google recently, it seems like she did like me before too.. it was probably just a bad timing on my part and I wasted our chance.
@jessicamaia4118
@@leizero I'm sorry to hear that. Dreams are certainly mysterious, but I like to think that we play out what can't / doesn't work out for us in reality in our dreams, like an alternate timeline. Sometimes they are wishes, sometimes nightmares. My dreams often trigger things on my mind to the surface and I can easily spiral into "what could have been," only to remember that speculating spirals me into inertia, and I have to accept what is permanent in order to get out of it. It's like a harsh reminder. I actually dreamed of my ex again this week, so this song/comment are relevant. Over two years later, still trying to make peace with his death. I have my regrets on what I could have done better, but I know that is a form of self sabotage, and that I need to give myself more credit and less criticism to lessen the pain. I hope you find your peace. Take it easy on yourself.
@merdith6
That is very sweet. I think this band somehow brings out the best in us.
@rszilvarn
This song is like a breath of fresh air.
Headphones on, laying in the yard in a nostalgic haze.
@HelloThereitsMeAgain123
Nice vibe. I can imagine that. Yeah. This song really rocks with 🎧 on.