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."
Title Track
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It touched the land to the pages of your manuscript.
I took my thumb off the concrete and saved up my strength
To hammer pillars for a picket fence.
It wasn't quite what it seemed,
A lack of pleasantries.
My able body isn't what it used to be.
I must admit I was charmed by your advances,
Talking how the group had begun to splinter,
And I can taste your lipstick on the filter.
I tried my best to keep my distance from your dress,
But call-response overturns convictions every time.
My memory cannot recall (a wave of alcohol),
We shared a cigarette and shaved the hours off.
Talking how the group had begun to splinter,
And I can taste your lipstick on the filter.
Lushing with the hallway congregation,
My best judgment signed its resignation.
I rushed this.
We moved too fast,
Trips into the guest room.
I rushed this.
We moved too fast,
Trips into the guest room.
The song "Title Track" by Death Cab for Cutie is a reflection on the unpredictability of life and relationships, set against the backdrop of a crumbling society. The lyricist is left feeling uninspired by the world around him, symbolized by the "crust of railroad earth," and seeks solace in the act of creation. He saves up his strength to build a picket fence instead of succumbing to the despair of the world.
But despite his efforts to distance himself, he is drawn into a relationship with a woman who overwhelms him with her advances. He is unable to resist her, even though he knows it will end badly. The "wave of alcohol" suggests that he is not in full control of his actions and that his memories of the encounter may be hazy.
As the song progresses, the lyricist becomes more and more disillusioned with his situation, both with society and with his own actions. He reflects on the dissolution of his social group, symbolized by the taste of the woman's lipstick on a filter. He realizes that his judgment has failed him, and he has rushed too quickly into this relationship, as symbolized by the trips to the guest room. Overall, the song is a meditation on the fragility of human connections and the search for meaning in a world that often feels meaningless.
Line by Line Meaning
Left uninspired by the crust of railroad earth;
I felt uninspired and bored with my surroundings, specifically the brown dirt along the train tracks.
It touched the land to the pages of your manuscript.
The dirt from the train tracks ended up on the pages of your writing, symbolizing a connection between our mundane lives and artistic expressions.
I took my thumb off the concrete and saved up my strength
I removed myself from my monotonous routine and prepared myself for a more challenging task.
To hammer pillars for a picket fence.
I took on a difficult project of building a fence and committed myself to it.
It wasn't quite what it seemed,
My initial perception of the project was not accurate.
A lack of pleasantries.
The task was not easy or enjoyable, rather it was a harsh reality.
My able body isn't what it used to be.
I am no longer as physically capable as I used to be, making the project even more challenging.
I must admit I was charmed by your advances,
I was flattered and attracted to the attention and affection you showed me.
Your advantage left me helplessly into you.
Your manipulative tactics left me feeling defenseless and unable to resist your advances.
Talking how the group had begun to splinter,
We discussed how our friend group was falling apart and becoming divided.
And I can taste your lipstick on the filter.
I can taste the remnants of the cigarettes we smoked together, with the flavor of your lipstick still lingering on the filter.
I tried my best to keep my distance from your dress,
I attempted to avoid temptation by staying away from your alluring attire.
But call-response overturns convictions every time.
Our flirtatious conversation ended up breaking down my resistance and I fell for you despite my initial reluctance.
My memory cannot recall (a wave of alcohol),
I cannot clearly remember what happened, likely due to the influence of alcohol.
We shared a cigarette and shaved the hours off.
We spent time together, smoking and enjoying each other's company, which made time seem to fly by quickly.
Lushing with the hallway congregation,
I was surrounded by a group of people in the hallway, feeling overwhelmed and swamped by the crowd.
My best judgment signed its resignation.
Despite knowing what was best for me, I gave in to temptation and made a decision that went against my better judgement.
I rushed this.
I moved too quickly without considering the consequences.
We moved too fast,
Our relationship progressed too quickly without taking the time to fully get to know each other.
Trips into the guest room.
Our relationship was only physical and lacked emotional intimacy or depth.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elaina Brown
My brother became obsessed with DC when I was 15. This was our song. He would play guitar and I would sing and try to soothe our broken hearts. He died when I was 22. I listen to it when I feel alone in this world, which is often, and my soul is comforted for a time. #1 DCFC song!
N-Eon
Sorry for your loss, stay strong, you're beautiful! <3
Bootes Void
you're comment is touching - its amazing what music can do for the soul. this was the first song i ever heard from dc and its always been my favorite. i remember exactly where i was in the world when i heard that kick in at 1:40 for the first time - and i still love it today!
nicotine&gravy
the change from lo-fi at 1:39 is spectacular.
Edward Seely
nicotine&gravy something about airplanes was all in lo-fi this was Chris Walla and Ben throw us a curve and showing us they've grown
induhgo
right ? its so good ! I can't stand how much I love it .
Mike Ainsel
Rather from mono
Ryan Ryan
@Mike Ainsel it's a bandpass filter. no clue what you're talking about.
Nate Atchison
Yes it is. Epic.... This was my introduction into dcfc and definitely my fave...
Jamie
one of the best songs of all time, period.