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.
Song for the Lonely
Drugstore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Underground
Behind the clock
That liberates
Masquerading
Left no replies
No photographs
Passing through
Passing through the walls
There must have been
Some time before
Could understand
But I'm singing for the lonely
Yeah
You keep them in your mind
Oh yeah
Singing for the ones we left behind
Lost in space and time
You keep them in your mind
One single ride
With no return
No address
No Mystery
And no surprises
Caught in the light
there's a lonely boy
On a lonely ride
It must have been
Some time before
Could understand
But I'm singing for the lonely
Yeah
You keep them in your mind
Oh yeah
Singing for the ones we left behind
Lost in space and time
You keep them in your mind
You keep them in your mind
You keep them in your mind
The lyrics of Drugstore's "Song for the Lonely" convey a sense of desperation and isolation. The first verse describes someone who is "dressed to die" and hiding "behind the clock" in an underground location. They have left no traces of their existence, no photos or notes, and have failed to respond to any attempts at contact. The second verse is more ambiguous, yet still hints at a feeling of being trapped or lost. The image of "passing through the walls" suggests a disconnect from reality and an inability to connect with others.
The chorus, "singing for the lonely," is a cry for those who are alone and forgotten. The singer acknowledges that there are people who have been "left behind" in the "lost space and time" of their lives, and encourages us to "keep them in [our] mind[s]." The final verse describes someone taking "one single ride" with no return or destination. They are disconnected from everyone around them, confined to their own solitude. Overall, the message of the song is one of empathy for those who are lonely and disconnected, urging us to remember them and try to reach out if we can.
Line by Line Meaning
All dressed to die
Ready for the worst-case scenario
Underground
Hidden away from everything else
Behind the clock
Out of sight
That liberates
Freeing oneself from societal pressures
Masquerading
Pretending to be someone else
Left no replies
No communication or interaction with others
No photographs
No evidence of existence
No recall
No memories or recollection
Passing through
Moving on from one situation to another
Passing through the walls
Breaking barriers and moving beyond constraints
There must have been
Reflecting on the past
Some time before
A period of time has passed
Could understand
Making sense of past experiences
But I'm singing for the lonely
Emphasizing the importance of remembering those who are alone
Yeah
Expressing affirmation
You keep them in your mind
Remembering those who are lonely
Singing for the ones we left behind
Remembering those who have been left out of our lives
Lost in space and time
Unable to connect with the present world
One single ride
The journey of life
With no return
Accepting the finality of life
No address
Unable to locate oneself
No Mystery
The truth is revealed
And no surprises
Predictable outcomes
Caught in the light
Facing reality
there's a lonely boy
An individual who is alone
On a lonely ride
A solitary journey
You keep them in your mind
Remembering those who are alone
You keep them in your mind
Remembering those who are alone
You keep them in your mind
Remembering those who are alone
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ISABEL MONTEIRO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind