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.
Flying Down to Rio
Drugstore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll be flying down
To Rio
Where every day
The sun comes out and shines
And then
We'll be who we are
For real
In our minds...
We've been running round
Like desperate fools
And every day
We struggle through
The dreams we've had
Have not come true
I feel let down
And so do you
Why?
The plans we have are made
And never mind this fate
We'll turn against the tide
And yeah
I think we've got it made
Whatever it make take
We're flying down tonight
...flying down to Rio - from here?
Where everyone
Is taken for a ride
And then
We'll be who we are
For real
Without a single worry
In our minds...
We've been running round
Like desperate fools
And every day
We struggle through
The dreams we had
Have not come true
I feel let down
And so do you
Why?
The plans we have are made
And never mind this fate
We'll turn against the tide
And yeah
I think we've got it made
Whatever it make take
We're flying down tonight
We've been running round
Like desperate fools
And every day
We struggle through
The dreams we had
Have not come true
I feel let down
And so do you
Why?
The plans we have are made
And never mind this fate
We'll turn against the tide
And yeah
I think we've got it made
Whatever it make take
We're flying down tonight
One day
We'll be flying down
To Rio
Every day
The sun comes out and shines
And then
We'll be who we are
For real
One day
We'll be flying down... I'm just rambling!
The lyrics to Drugstore's song "Flying Down to Rio" are deeply melancholic and explore themes of dashed hopes and unfulfilled dreams. The song is essentially about two individuals who are looking for a new beginning in Rio de Janeiro. They are seeking an escape from their current lives, where they feel trapped and let down by the world around them. The singer seems to suggest that flying to Rio will allow them to be who they truly want to be, free from their worries and troubles. The repetition of the lines "We've been running round like desperate fools, and every day we struggle through" highlights their dissatisfaction and frustration with their current situation.
Despite the melancholy message, the chorus presents a somewhat hopeful tone. The line "I think we've got it made, whatever it may take, we're flying down tonight" suggests that the characters are willing to take a risk in order to achieve the happiness and fulfillment they desire. Ultimately, "Flying Down to Rio" is a song about taking chances, recognizing when life isn't going your way, and doing what you can to change it.
Line by Line Meaning
One day
At some point in the future
We'll be flying down
We'll be traveling by plane
To Rio
To the city of Rio de Janeiro
Where every day
On a daily basis
The sun comes out and shines
The sun rises and there is daylight
And then
After that
We'll be who we are
We'll be ourselves
For real
Completely and honestly
Without a single worry
Without any anxiety or stress
In our minds...
In our thoughts
We've been running round
We've been busy and in a hurry
Like desperate fools
Thoroughly and foolishly
And every day
Everyday
We struggle through
We face difficulties
The dreams we've had
Our aspirations and hopes
Have not come true
Have not been fulfilled
I feel let down
I feel disappointed
And so do you
You also feel the same way
Why?
What's the reason?
The plans we have are made
Our plans are prepared
And never mind this fate
Disregard our destiny
We'll turn against the tide
We'll go against the flow
And yeah
And yes
I think we've got it made
I believe we have succeeded
Whatever it make take
No matter what it requires
We're flying down tonight
We're departing tonight
Where everyone
Where all people
Is taken for a ride
Is fooled or deceived
One day
At some point in the future
We'll be flying down
We'll be traveling by plane
To Rio
To the city of Rio de Janeiro
Every day
On a daily basis
The sun comes out and shines
The sun rises and there is daylight
And then
After that
We'll be who we are
We'll be ourselves
For real
Completely and honestly
Without a single worry
Without any anxiety or stress
In our minds...
In our thoughts
We've been running round
We've been busy and in a hurry
Like desperate fools
Thoroughly and foolishly
And every day
Everyday
We struggle through
We face difficulties
The dreams we had
Our aspirations and hopes
Have not come true
Have not been fulfilled
I feel let down
I feel disappointed
And so do you
You also feel the same way
Why?
What's the reason?
The plans we have are made
Our plans are prepared
And never mind this fate
Disregard our destiny
We'll turn against the tide
We'll go against the flow
And yeah
And yes
I think we've got it made
I believe we have succeeded
Whatever it make take
No matter what it requires
We're flying down tonight
We're departing tonight
We've been running round
We've been busy and in a hurry
Like desperate fools
Thoroughly and foolishly
And every day
Everyday
We struggle through
We face difficulties
The dreams we had
Our aspirations and hopes
Have not come true
Have not been fulfilled
I feel let down
I feel disappointed
And so do you
You also feel the same way
Why?
What's the reason?
The plans we have are made
Our plans are prepared
And never mind this fate
Disregard our destiny
We'll turn against the tide
We'll go against the flow
And yeah
And yes
I think we've got it made
I believe we have succeeded
Whatever it make take
No matter what it requires
We're flying down tonight
We're departing tonight
One day
At some point in the future
We'll be flying down
We'll be traveling by plane
To Rio
To the city of Rio de Janeiro
Every day
On a daily basis
The sun comes out and shines
The sun rises and there is daylight
And then
After that
We'll be who we are
We'll be ourselves
For real
Completely and honestly
Without a single worry
Without any anxiety or stress
In our minds...
In our thoughts
Contributed by Levi A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.