1996–2001
We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, Destroyer's 1996 debut, is made up of sixteen lo-fi home-recordings. One reviewer suggested that the album combines Bejar's "gift for melodies" with “a concerted effort to make the recording downright inconsumable; the guitars are always out of tune, and the vocals of Fisher-Price quality. 'Static means punk / tuning is junk,' Bejar moans on one track.” [5] (Ideas for Songs, released on cassette in 1997, features songs akin to those on his first album. The cassette stemmed from a request to contribute songs for a compilation album.[6])
As Bejar gained popularity in Vancouver's music scene, he was joined by producer John Collins for 1998's City of Daughters, which was recorded at a proper studio. Pitchfork noted that the songs still sounded "homespun," also noting "[t]he wordiness that would become something of a trademark is in full effect," but that "unlike much of what came later, not every line is worthy of examination."[7]
Thief (2000) embodied "Bejar's first stab at matching his grandiose, idiosyncratic vision to a showier sound;" it was the first to feature a backing band on every track.[8] The record's "anthemic yet understated"[9] piano-driven ballads have characteristically enigmatic lyrics, though some reviewers interpreted them as critiques of the music industry.[10][11]
Streethawk: A Seduction (2001) realized the sonic refinement started with City of Daughters. Bejar put it this way: "I don't think it gives credence to any kind of conceptualization of the records, but I hope that City of Daughters, Thief, and Streethawk will pop into some kind of a progression that ends with Streethawk.“ [12] A critical success, the album (retrospectively) received a rating of 9.1/10 from Pitchfork.[7]
2002–2007
The 2002 rock album This Night was a dramatic change in style. The looser, less rehearsed style was criticized as "messy [and] haphazard without purpose,"[13] though other critics praised the "beautiful mess of sounds" as "challenging... [and] a powerful, cohesive whole."[11] In a 2006 interview (after the release of Your Blues and Destroyer's Rubies), Bejar said the album "came together pretty quickly - we probably could have used more than four or five days to mix the whole thing, but that's all hindsight. It's still my favorite Destroyer record."[12]
Your Blues (2004) saw Destroyer take another unexpected turn, using MIDI instrumentation for almost all the backing music. Bejar coined the term "European blues" to describe its unique, theatrical sound.[14] One reviewer pointed out that "Bejar’s unusual voice sounds more confident, and higher up" in the synth-rich arrangements.[15] In yet another twist, the EP Notorious Lightning & Other Works reworked six tracks from the record with a live band, the very thing the LP had forsaken (the band was Frog Eyes, who toured with Destroyer in support of Your Blues).
Bejar returned with a live band for 2006's Destroyer's Rubies, delivering arguably his most confident record up to that point. The backing band took new-found prominence and, according to Bejar, "[t]he production seems... warm and lush and pretty focused on just making the band sound good and having everything sit well together."[12] NOW Magazine observed, "[w]hile the sheer density of Bejar’s writing can be overwhelming, Destroyer’s Rubies is, on a musical level, the most ’accessible’ disc he’s released."[16]
2008–2013
For Trouble in Dreams (2008), "there was a scary lack of ideas coming into the record," Bejar admitted.[17] Destroyer's piano player Ted Bois took it upon himself, as an alternative to keyboard and piano accompaniment, to create all string and synth arrangements for the songs.[17] At the time, Bejar said it was the "hardest record" to make.[17]
After the 2009 EP Bay of Pigs came 2011's full-length album, Kaputt (featuring a slightly modified "Bay of Pigs" track). Bejar cited influences such as Miles Davis and Roxy Music for his new jazz-infused, lounge music-inspired, sophisti-pop direction. In multiple interviews, Bejar variously stressed that he "sang in a completely different manner, almost unconscious of even singing, more like speaking into a vacuum, and was really happy with the results."[18][19] The record entailed a number of firsts for Destroyer: first national television performance (on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon); first official music video; first female backing vocals; and the first time Bejar performed without an instrument on tour - his concentration placed solely on his singing. Kaputt was short listed for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize [20] and was Pitchfork's second best album of 2011.[21]
Although smaller in scale, Destroyer's fourth EP "Five Spanish Songs" continued to surprise listeners. Sung entirely in Spanish, Bejar covered songs by Sr. Chinarro (es). Bejar's own tongue-in-cheek press release announcing the new songs began: "It was 2013. The English language seemed spent, despicable, not easily singable."[22]
2014–present
Bejar released Poison Season on August 28, 2015. Bejar notes that the album's sound grew from "just really getting into what we were sounding like playing live [following Kaputt]."[4] Bejar added that he would not have been able to make such an ambitious album if Kaputt had not been successful.[23] Recorded with a live band and a pronounced string section, the album's "grand cinematic set of songs"[23] feature Bejar singing with a broader range than before: "This is the first record that I've ever done that comes close to my idea of myself as a singer," Bejar said.[24]
In 2017, Bejar released ken.
Poor in Love
Destroyer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was poor in wealth
I was okay in everything else there was
Oh, I was poor in love
I was poor in love
I was poor in love
I was okay in everything else there was
Oh, I was poor in love
I was poor in love
She took me aside and said
Look, I don't do this every day
You've got style
All you've got is style
I can see it from a mile away
Oh, I was poor in love
I was poor in love
You were born again, rich in name alone
Your Jesuit profile will suit the coming apocalypse
Oh, I was poor in love
Poor in love
Why's everybody sing along
Why's everybody sing along
When we built this city on ruins
Why's everybody sing along
Why's everybody sing along
When we built this city on ruins
Oh, ruins
Oh, ruins
Oh, ruins
The singer in the song "Poor In Love" by Destroyer, is lamenting his experiences with love, specifically how he was poor in that department. The repetition of the line "I was poor in love" emphasizes the singer's hopeless romanticism, and perhaps even the feeling of inadequacy that comes with being single or unloved. The repetition creates a rhythmic chant that could imply a sense of resignation or even a prayer for a change in circumstances. He also expresses how he was poor in wealth, which may suggest that he lacked the resources to pursue a relationship or provide for a partner. Despite these shortcomings, the singer mentions that he was "okay in everything else there was," which might imply that the singer, while lacking in certain areas, is generally content with his life, but for this one area in which he wishes to have more.
However, a glimmer of hope appears in the form of the woman who says to him, "You've got style / All you've got is style / I can see it from a mile away." While this could also be interpreted as an empty compliment, it seems to have an effect on the singer, as he doesn't repeat the line "I was poor in love" afterwards. Perhaps, for a moment, he feels seen and appreciated for something other than his lack of wealth or love.
The final verses of the song introduce a new theme - that of the city built on ruins. The lines "Why's everybody sing along / When we built this city on ruins" might suggest that society at large is celebrating something that was built on the ruins of what came before - without considering what was lost in the process. The final refrain of "oh, ruins" is a haunting way to close the song, leaving the listener to ponder what exactly has been lost, and if it's possible to build something new on top of it.
Line by Line Meaning
I was poor in love
The singer lacked love in their life
I was poor in wealth
The singer did not have much money or financial stability
I was okay in everything else there was
Despite the singer's lack of love and wealth, they were content with everything else in their life
Oh, I was poor in love
Reinforcing the previous statement of the artist's lack of love
She took me aside and said
An unknown female individual had a conversation with the artist
Look, I don't do this every day
The female individual is not used to giving compliments
You've got style
The singer has a unique sense of fashion, personality, or demeanor that stands out
All you've got is style
The artist feels that their style is the only positive thing they have going for them
I can see it from a mile away
The uniqueness of the artist's style is noticeable from a great distance
You were born again, rich in name alone
A reference to someone being given a new identity or a fresh start, but not necessarily being rich in any other way besides their name
Your Jesuit profile will suit the coming apocalypse
The singer believes that the individual being referenced has qualities that will be beneficial in a time of disaster or chaos
Why's everybody sing along
The artist questions why everyone is joining in on a particular activity or song
When we built this city on ruins
The city or society being referenced was constructed on top of pre-existing destruction or disaster
Oh, ruins
Reinforcing the previous imagery of the city being built on top of ruins
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Daniel Bejar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@americanangel101010
I don't know why, but I was expecting something horrible to happen after the song stopped. Almost like something appearing in the corner of my eye. I love this song.
@ElviraMyron
the following track dovetails so seamlessy
@fiza5275
The weather is nice today
@aliisse2023
when we built this city on ruins. epic way to end a song that stands on love. beauty of love is both heartache and triumph and there is a hint of ruin in both.
@katidoj
i've been a fan of destroyer for about a year now ever since i hear their song 'blue flower blue flame' so when i heard them on welcome to night vale i let out such an excited noise.
@codyleejones5317
so good.
@pmpllo
Relax. Lo mejor de todo.
@rohanrkamthe
so dreamy so beautiful............. so lost
@HazelGraceSaidOkay
I give you, the weather
@frickfrack6454
Night Vale!