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 Will Possess Your Heart 10" mix
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The potential of you and me
It's like a book elegantly bound but
In a language that you can't read just yet
You gotta spend some time love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find love, I will possess your heart
You gotta spend some time love, you gotta spend some time with me
There are days when outside your window
I see my reflection as I slowly pass
And I long for this mirrored perspective
When we'll be lovers, lovers at last
You gotta spend some time love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find love, I will possess your heart
You gotta spend some time love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find love, I will possess your heart
I will possess your heart
I will possess your heart
You reject my advances and desperate pleas
I won't let you, let me down so easily, so easily
You gotta spend some time love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find love, I will possess your heart
You gotta spend some time love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find love, I will possess your heart
You gotta spend some time love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find love, I will possess your heart
I will possess your heart
I will possess your heart
"I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab for Cutie is a song that explores the idea of unrequited love, obsession and possession. The song is divided into two parts, the first part which is an instrumental introduction that sets the mood for the rest of the song, where the repetitive bass line signifies the relentless pursuit of the singer. The second part of the song is where the vocals come in, and the singer talks about his love interest, whom he believes is a potential match for him. He is obsessed with the idea of them being together, so much so that he is willing to do whatever he can to make her fall in love with him.
The opening lines, "How I wish you could see the potential, the potential of you and me, it's like a book elegantly bound, but in a language that you can't read just yet" suggest that the singer sees something in the other person that they are potentially unaware of. He wants them to see the "potential" that they have together, but it seems that he is the only one thinking this. The phrase "It's like a book elegantly bound but in a language that you can't read yet" reflects the idea that the other person might not fully comprehend how amazing their relationship could be.
The repeated lines, "You gotta spend some time, love, you gotta spend some time with me, and I know that you'll find love, I will possess your heart" are haunting and possessive. It shows that the singer is desperate for the other person to spend time with them so that they can make them fall in love. It not only shows the obsessive nature of the singer but also highlights the unhealthy aspect of the relationship.
Overall, "I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab for Cutie portrays the obsession and desire of a person who wants to be in love. Their relentless pursuit may not be healthy, and it displays the darker side of love.
Line by Line Meaning
How I wish you could see the potential
I want you to see how wonderful we could be together.
The potential of you and me
Our relationship could be something truly amazing.
It's like a book elegantly bound
Our love story is beautiful and well put together.
But in a language that you can't read just yet
You haven't realized how much I care for you yet.
There are days when outside your window
I think about you often, even when we're apart.
I see my reflection as I slowly pass
I constantly ponder how we could be together in the future.
And I long for this mirrored perspective
I hope you feel the same way I do and want to be together.
When we'll be lovers, lovers at last
I dream of a time when we will finally be united as lovers.
You reject my advances and desperate pleas
You are not interested in being with me and it hurts.
I won't let you let me down so easily
I will not give up on us and will continue to pursue you.
So easily
I won't let our potential slip away without a fight.
You gotta spend some time, love
If you give us a chance, we could fall in love.
And I know that you'll find love
I believe that we could be perfect for each other.
I will possess your heart
I will do everything in my power to win your heart and keep it.
I will possess your heart
With determination, I will make you mine.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard, Christopher Walla, Jason Mcgerr, Nicholas Harmer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Frank
on I Will Follow You Into The Dark
This song sucks