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."
World Shut Your Mouth
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She seems to have a will of her own
She's flying in the face of fashion now
She seems to have it all chromed
The time was going so frequently
She said if I try harder again
She's flying in the face of fashion now
She sells the world annually to a friend
She sings, "World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth
World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth"
She always used to live so secretly
She'd be seen in and out of the sound
She's taking on the role of the four winds now
She's having tea there out in the crowd
She's flying in the face of fashion now
She seems to have a will of her own
In lieu of what you're saying so frequently
She seems to have, it all adds up
She sings, "World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth
World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth"
She sings, "World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth
World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth"
She sings, "World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth
World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth"
"World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth
World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth"
In the song "World Shut Your Mouth," Death Cab for Cutie explores the theme of conformity vs individualism. The singer, who is described as "flying in the face of fashion," is someone who refuses to conform to societal norms. Instead, she chooses to live life on her own terms, with her own set of values, beliefs, and preferences. This is evident in lines like "She seems to have a will of her own" and "She always used to live so secretly." The singer is seen as a rebel, someone who defies the expectations of others and follows her own path.
The chorus of the song, which consists of the line "World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth, put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth," seems to be a message to the world to stop trying to impose its values on those who choose to live differently. It's a call for acceptance of individual differences, a plea to let people be who they are without judgement. The singer seems to be saying that she doesn't want to conform to societal expectations, and she doesn't want the world to try to force her to do so.
Overall, "World Shut Your Mouth" is a powerful song that encourages individualism and self-expression while critiquing societal conformity and values. It is a call for people to be true to themselves and embrace who they are, rather than trying to fit into a mold that society has created.
Line by Line Meaning
She's flying in the face of fashion now
She's defying societal norms and expectations to be herself
She seems to have a will of her own
She is independent and confident in her choices
She seems to have it all chromed
She is successful and polished
The time was going so frequently
Time passed quickly
She said if I try harder again
She is encouraging herself to keep going
She sells the world annually to a friend
She shares her experience and knowledge with others
World, shut your mouth, shut your mouth
Stop talking and listen
Put your head back in the clouds and shut your mouth
Stop being so grounded and open yourself up to imagination and wonder
She always used to live so secretly
She was once very private and reserved
She'd be seen in and out of the sound
She was involved in the music scene
She's taking on the role of the four winds now
She has become powerful and influential
She's having tea there out in the crowd
She is socializing and enjoying herself
In lieu of what you're saying so frequently
Contrary to what others are saying often
She seems to have, it all adds up
She has everything figured out
Contributed by Parker F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Frank
on I Will Follow You Into The Dark
This song sucks