Death Cab for Cutie is an American indie rock band formed in Bellingham, Wa… Read Full Bio ↴Death Cab for Cutie is an American indie rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nicholas Harmer (bass), Jason McGerr (drums), Dave Depper (guitar) and Zac Rae (keyboards).

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."

The Face That Launcehed 1000 Shits
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And I'm standing up in my practice room.
I'm all alone.
Speakers almost blown and my new Gibson,
And oh what the hell.

Things are not so different in my vocal master.
You're the face that launched one thousand shits.
Quakes and Trojans and a thousand shits.

The shits lining the shores of Asia minor.
Lining all the shores of Asia minor.
You can tell that I'm not a minor in Asia no more.

I'm standing up.
His is the face that launched a thousand shits.
I'm standing up.
This is the face that launched one thousand shits.

This is the face that shot.
You'll never have replaced.

Splitting up his kingdom into 3 separate parts,
For his sons and their 3 separate hearts.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Death Cab for Cutie's song "The Face That Launched 1000 S***s" seem to contain a lot of imagery and metaphors that require some interpretation. The song starts with the singer being alone in his practice room with his new instrument, a Gibson guitar. The initial lines setup a sense of isolation, which may imply that the singer is experiencing some inner turmoil or distress. As the song progresses, the lyrics move towards a reference to a deity-like figure; it is unclear who or what is being represented, but this entity has launched "a thousand shits," which could mean a thousand unfortunate events.

The imagery continues to allude to natural disasters like quakes and Trojans, which could be a reference to historical occurrences, such as the Trojan War. The line, "The shits lining the shores of Asia minor," also adds to this historical context since Asia minor was known to be a significant region in ancient Greek history. The last line of the verse, "You can tell that I'm not a minor in Asia no more," suggests that the experiences the singer has undergone have led to some sort of growth or transformation.

The chorus then repeats, "I'm standing up. This is the face that launched one thousand shits." The second verse seems to add more nuance to the character of the deity-like figure being referenced, and it suggests that this figure was also responsible for dividing its kingdom into three separate parts. It ends with the sentence, "For his sons and their 3 separate hearts," which could imply a parallel between the deity-like figure and the singer, suggesting that they both may have experienced some inner turmoil related to familial relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

And I'm standing up in my practice room.
I'm upright and stationary in my place of rehearsal.

I'm all alone.
There is no other person present in my vicinity.

Speakers almost blown and my new Gibson,
The loudspeakers are close to being damaged, and I have just purchased a new Gibson guitar.

And oh what the hell.
I am perplexed, feeling somewhat frustrated or disappointed.

Things are not so different in my vocal master.
My vocal coach/trainer is currently experiencing a similar issue.

You're the face that launched one thousand shits.
You are the cause behind a series of negative events or outcomes.

Quakes and Trojans and a thousand shits.
Earthquakes, Trojans, and numerous other negative occurrences resulting from your actions.

The shits lining the shores of Asia minor.
The negative effects resulting from your actions have accrued and are evident in Asia Minor.

Lining all the shores of Asia minor.
Your actions have created negative outcomes throughout the entire coastline of Asia Minor.

You can tell that I'm not a minor in Asia no more.
I have experienced significant growth or change since the time I considered myself a minor player in Asia.

This is the face that shot.
This is the person who has caused significant problematic results.

You'll never have replaced.
You are one of a kind and cannot be substituted.

Splitting up his kingdom into 3 separate parts,
Dividing ownership of his kingdom into three distinct pieces,

For his sons and their 3 separate hearts.
To satisfy his three sons, each with their own unique emotional needs.

I'm standing up.
I am maintaining my upright posture.

His is the face that launched a thousand shits.
This individual's actions have resulted in numerous, negative consequences.

I'm standing up.
I continue to be standing.

This is the face that launched one thousand shits.
This individual is responsible for many detrimental occurrences.

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS