The band was originally called "Dinosaur", but changed its name following the release of its debut album Dinosaur in 1985, after a band called Dinosaurs, featuring ex-members of Country Joe and the Fish and Jefferson Airplane, threatened them with legal action. (They still used the name Dinosaur on their albums until 1987 at the latest, and some copies of You're Living All Over Me still lack the "Jr").
In 1987, Dinosaur Jr. signed to SST Records on the recommendation of Sonic Youth, and with them released what is often considered their best album, You're Living All Over Me. Bug followed the next year, an album which, in the UK, was released by Paul Smith's Blast First Records (home to Sonic Youth, Big Black and Butthole Surfers). During this period Dinosaur Jr. became known for their very loud concerts.
Despite not gaining much commercial success, the band has enjoyed something of a cult following. The success of singles Freak Scene and Just Like Heaven, and recommendations from the likes of Sonic Youth saw them signed by Warner Brothers. The signature Dinosaur Jr. sound is the melodic tunes saturated in layers of guitar noise and punctuated by J Mascis' elaborate, yet laconic guitar solos. They were a major influence on the up-and-coming band Nirvana.
Tensions ran high between Mascis and Barlow, and in 1989 Barlow was kicked out of the band. As a result, Barlow continued to work with his own band, Sebadoh. The two famously fell out on stage with Mascis attacking Barlow. Dinosaur Jr. subsequently became little more than a pseudonym for Mascis. He switched labels to Blanco y Negro in the UK, Warner/Sire in the US, with Green Mind (1991) being his first release in that deal.
After Barlow left the band, Van Conner, from the Screaming Trees, played bass for at least one live show in 1990, and Donna Dresch, from Team Dresch played bass at least once live with the band in 1990.
In 1991, Mike Johnson joined Dinosaur Jr as full-time bass player. He was in the band for 1991's Whatever's Cool With Me, 1993's Where You Been, 1994's Without A Sound, and 1997's Hand It Over.
Murph left the band in late 1993, after the Lollapalooza tour.
George Berz took over on drums, and drummed from 1994-1997. He was on Without A Sound, and Hand It Over. He later drummed for J Mascis + the Fog in 2000, 2001, and 2003.
Through the 90s, Mascis sometimes explored quieter and more tranquil shores than Dinosaur Jr. had in the 80s. The band formed part of the 1992 "Rollercoaster" tour. A package tour based on the successful "Lollapalooza". The tour featured The Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine & Blur. On the 1993 release, Where You Been, the opening track ("Out There") had an accompanying video and was aired on MTV for a short time. After 1994's Without a Sound and 1997's Hand It Over, Mascis began to release albums with the band J Mascis and the Fog.
In 2004, J Mascis regained the master rights to the first three Dinosaur Jr. albums from SST, and arranged for their reissue on the Merge label in early 2005. The reissues coincided with an announcement that the original lineup of J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph (Emmett Patrick Murphy) were reuniting for a summer tour. The success of this tour resulted in a new album entitled Beyond (2007) and single Been There All The Time. They are Lou Barlow's first recording with the band since 1989. The original line-up of Dinosaur Jr. has been touring extensively since 2005. They are currently on a world tour.
On February 20, 2009, Pitchfork Media announced that the band had signed with indie label Jagjaguwar, and their first release on the label entitled Farm was released June 23, 2009, to largely positive reviews.
Sideways
Dinosaur Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't rely on me to
Get you there
Only one way
I could tell you not to stall
Antique is rare
Flyin' sideways
Where you're going
It's the same day
But I feel it callin' me
Instead I've flown
Flyin' sideways cause
I can't rely on me to
Get you there
Only one way
I could tell you not to stall
Antique is rare
The lyrics of Dinosaur Jr.'s "Sideways" are somewhat enigmatic, but there's definitely a sense of anxiety and urgency to them. The repeated phrase "flyin' sideways" implies a lack of control and a sense of being out of alignment with normal expectations. This feeling is reinforced by the lines "cause I can't rely on me to / get you there," which suggest that there's some sort of important destination that the singer is responsible for reaching, but they don't feel confident in their ability to make it happen.
The phrase "antique is rare" is also intriguing. It's not entirely clear what this means, but it could imply something about the value of old things, or maybe the idea that something that's unusual or unconventional (like flying sideways) is also valuable. Overall, the mood of the song is tense and introspective, with the singer feeling a strong pull towards something that they're not sure they can reach.
Line by Line Meaning
Flyin' sideways cause
I am flying my plane at an angle because
I can't rely on me to
I cannot depend on myself to
Get you there
take you to your destination
Only one way
there is only one method
I could tell you not to stall
I can advise you to not lose speed
Antique is rare
I think my plane is uncommon and old-fashioned
Flyin' sideways
I am flying my plane at an angle
Cause it's the only way to get to
because that's the sole method to reach
Where you're going
the place you're traveling to
It's the same day
it's still the same time period
But I feel it callin' me
but I sense an instinct or impulse driving me
Instead I've flown
instead of driving or taking another mode of transportation
Flyin' sideways cause
I am flying my plane at an angle because
I can't rely on me to
I cannot depend on myself to
Get you there
take you to your destination
Only one way
there is only one method
I could tell you not to stall
I can advise you to not lose speed
Antique is rare
I think my plane is uncommon and old-fashioned
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOSEPH DONALD MASCIS JR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fish Chen
Flyin' sideways cause
I can't rely on me to
Get you there
Only one way
I could tell you not to stall
Antique is rare
Flyin' sideways
Cause it's the only way to get to
Where you're going
It's the same day
But I feel it callin' me
Instead i've flown
Flyin' sideways cause
I can't rely on me to
Get you there
Only one way
I could tell you not to stall
Antique is rare
insofar
This song was played at my cousins funeral in 98, that was my introduction to Dinosaur. To me he'll always be the coolest older cousin ever. We shared some wild adventures, he taught me how to skate, & always told me about the best bands. His last gift to me was Dinosaur Jr. Thanks Lee Lee, I love you & still miss you horribly.
ianm1973
This album and "Where you been" is the best of the early 90s. It really takes me back. I love all the music from this period but Dinosaur Jr brings back the memories more than any other band. I love Nirvana, Soundgarden, AIC, and Pixies especially, but when Dinosaur Jr comes up on my iPod or Pandora, it transports me back to that time...
John Kristant
I could literally listen to this song over and over, and it just doesn't get old..
Shad Zion
Yeah, Dino jr and chill!
David Neumann
im just now getting into dino jr in 2018 n im loving their stuff. cant wait to get it all.
Paul Mueller
Same man. I've known about them for years but never dived in. I've bought every record in the last few months. Amazing music
ThePhenix236
I love the laid-back aspect of this song.
spleengrrrl
This song used to make me cry buckets because it made me think of someone. I could not even listen to it very much in the 90s but now that I am waaaaayyyyy over that person I thought I'd look it up cause I figured it was probably a pretty good song. I wasn't disappointed.
Fish Chen
Flyin' sideways cause
I can't rely on me to
Get you there
Only one way
I could tell you not to stall
Antique is rare
Flyin' sideways
Cause it's the only way to get to
Where you're going
It's the same day
But I feel it callin' me
Instead i've flown
Flyin' sideways cause
I can't rely on me to
Get you there
Only one way
I could tell you not to stall
Antique is rare
Kill 'em' All
One of J's best songs lets hear a new band put out a song like this . If Jr wasn't so underground this would be a huge hit