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.
Electric Light
Drugstore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without a reason?
Do you ever wish your life
Kind of had a different start?
Oh how I wish I could see your mind
Wish I could get inside
The electric light
And as the hours, go by
We're all in danger
Do you wonder what it's like
The final surrender?
Oh how I wish I could see your mind
Wish I could get inside
The electric light
The lyrics to Drugstore's song "Electric Light" touch on themes of regret and introspection, exploring the idea of waking up without any real purpose or direction in life. The first two lines of the song set the tone, as the singer asks if we ever wake up without a reason and wonder if things could have been different had our lives started out differently. It's a common human experience to occasionally feel lost or uncertain about our path in life, and the lyrics tap into that feeling of searching for something more.
The chorus of the song, "Oh how I wish I could see your mind / Wish I could get inside / The electric light" is particularly poignant. It speaks to the desire to truly understand another person's perspective or experience, to see things from their point of view and see the world through their eyes. The idea of the "electric light" is left somewhat open to interpretation - it could be a reference to the metaphorical light that illuminates our thoughts and emotions, or it could be a nod to the actual electric light that illuminates our physical surroundings.
The second verse of the song shifts focus slightly, asking listeners to think about what it must be like to face the end of life and wonder about what lies beyond. It's a somber thought, but one that can inspire us to seize the day and make the most of our time on earth.
Overall, "Electric Light" is a thought-provoking song that encourages listeners to reflect on their own lives and relationships, and consider what it means to truly understand another person's experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you ever wake up
Have you ever experienced waking up without any particular reason or purpose?
Without a reason?
Did you wake up with no specific motivation or drive?
Do you ever wish your life
Have you ever had thoughts of wanting your life to be different?
Kind of had a different start?
Is there a part of you that longs for a fresh beginning or a new story?
Oh how I wish I could see your mind
Expressing a desire to understand what's on someone's mind
Wish I could get inside
Wishing to be able to understand someone's thoughts or emotions more deeply
The electric light
Metaphor for the human brain or consciousness
And as the hours, go by
Over the course of time
We're all in danger
We are all susceptible to harm or danger
Do you wonder what it's like
Have you ever imagined or thought about what it feels like?
The final surrender?
Metaphor for death or the final moments of life
Contributed by Peyton T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.