Had anyone actually thought about it, Drugstore should have been branded Alt-indie-country - as Isabel’s smoky vocals and pitch-dark lyrical subject matter, coupled with the band’s minimalist, melancholic guitar and string arrangements, stick them firmly in the lovelorn, caustic company of Low, Dusty in Memphis and Leonard Cohen.
Throughout the band's eventful career (although Isabel prefers to describe it as an adventure rather than a professional enterprise), the band have landed 2x top 50 album charts and a top 20 single.
Drugstore's music nimbly hops over the ages, from 1920s Berlin cabaret through the French chanson tradition, via The Velvet Undergrounds woozy melodic charm and Tom Waits’bar-room badinage, across PJ Harveys earnest intellect and The Bad Seeds’rumbling, angry melancholia, with an intoxicating mix of heartfelt and carefree disarming vérité.
The band was formed in 1993 when Isabel Monteiro and american drummer Mike Chylinski got together via a flat-share in East London. Soon after their self-financed debut single ‘Alive’ was released, and having only performed a handful of gigs, the band signed a major deal with maverick label GoDiscs.
The single immediately draw an unprecedented amount of attention, earning the band their first of many 'single of the week' in Melody Maker, Music Week, Q and others.
Another 2 critically acclaimed albums followed: White Magic for Lovers’, in 1998, which features the top 20 sinle ‘El President’, a duet with Thom Yorke – and ‘Songs for the JetSet’, released in 2001.
In the summer of 2001, while the band were in the middle of promoting the 'Songs for the Jetset' album, to the surprise of band members and dismay of the Record Company, Isabel suddenly decided to 'walk away from it all' and the band went into hibernation.
8 years later, in 2011, Isabel Monteiro reappeared with the semi-acoustic intimate album ‘Anatomy’, released by RocketGirl and partly financed by the fans.
In 2013 the band teams-up with London based label Cherry Red Records, for the release of a 'Best of' compilation, released on September 2013, which includes tracks spanning the band’s 20 year career and 4 albums.
The band now plays special gigs, and Monteiro is currently writing material for a new album.
Baby Don't Hurt Yourself
Drugstore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the evening starts
Fading
And your guiding star
Seems to be so far away
You've lost your touch
Spending far too much
Now your weary heart
Slowly beats away
Start thinking
Start thinking now
Baby don't hurt yourself
Baby don't hurt yourself
Baby don't hurt yourself
Baby don't hurt yourself
Baby don't hurt yourself
Guess it takes some time
Maybe you should try
Thinking
Tomorrow looked so far
Only yesterday
Start thinking
Start thinking now
Baby don't hurt yourself
Baby don't hurt yourself
Baby don't hurt yourself
Baby don't hurt yourself
Baby don't hurt yourself
Baby don't hurt yourself
Baby don't hurt yourself
In "Baby Don't Hurt Yourself," Drugstore offers empathetic support to someone who is struggling. The verses of the song recognize the hardships that the person faces, acknowledging the overwhelming feeling when one's hopes and dreams seem unreachable. The lines "When the evening starts fading/ And your guiding star seems to be so far away" create a sense of loneliness and a loss of direction. The character has "lost [their] touch" and is "spending far too much waiting," waiting for a change that has yet to come. The chorus, "Baby don't hurt yourself," reminds the person that they can still recover, that all they need to do is think and work towards their goals.
Drugstore's "Baby Don't Hurt Yourself" can be interpreted in various ways. At its core, the song encourages people who may find themselves in a dark place to keep going, that they are stronger than they think. The lines "Start thinking/ Start thinking now" asks us to reassess our thoughts, to challenge our negative self-talk and focus on the good that our lives offer. The song demonstrates that pain is transitory and can be overcome. Yet, this is easier said than done. Sometimes all that we can do is take things one day at a time, and try: "Maybe you should try/ Thinking/ Tomorrow looked so far/ Only yesterday." The song serves as a reminder that even in our darkest moments, we must not give up.
Line by Line Meaning
I know it's hard
I understand that life can be difficult
When the evening starts
Especially when the day is ending
Fading
Becoming darker and quieter
And your guiding star
Your source of direction and hope
Seems to be so far away
Appears to be unreachable
You've lost your touch
You're not as skilled or competent as you used to be
Spending far too much
Using up too much of your time and resources
Waiting
Being patient for something to happen
Now your weary heart
Your heart that is tired and worn out
Slowly beats away
Is gradually getting weaker and weaker
Start thinking
Begin to consider new options or ideas
Baby don't hurt yourself
Please don't hurt yourself emotionally or physically
Guess it takes some time
It probably requires a certain amount of time
Maybe you should try
Perhaps you should attempt to
Tomorrow looked so far
The future seemed remote
Only yesterday
But it was only recently
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ISABEL MONTEIRO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vommoormann
sooo beutiful i could cry than laugh... i love this band.........just wonderful...... just love them......
@lucyalternative93
drugstore remember me Mazzy star another great band that i love
@Bobany
mazzy star is great
@MrMarsari
I love this woman!
@ajourneytoalastinglegacy5713
I like drugstore since i've found this song's
@ajourneytoalastinglegacy5713
i want you girl drugstore since early 90's i've heard that band
@jorgeluisgomez9446
Ta buena la banda recien la escucho
@javgtz6118
what every girl should know