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.
The Party Is Over
Drugstore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another party's over
Everybody's gone away
I should be gone but she asked me to stay
It's late but she's still talking
The things that she says
I should be gone but the strand of her hair
When she said...
Isabel:
My heart is like a fire
Maybe you should know
Just looking for desire
Got nowhere to go
Baby think I'd better stop
Before I lose control baby
Before I lose control baby...
Daron:
Another party's over
Everybody's gone away
I should be gone but she asked me to stay
It's late but she's still talking
The things that she says
I should be gone but the strand of her hair
When she said...
Isabel:
My heart is like a fire
Maybe you should know
Just looking for desire
Got nowhere to go
Baby think I'd better stop
Before I lose control baby
Before I lose control baby
Before I lose control baby
Daron:
Another party's over
Everybody's gone away...
The song "The Party Is Over" by Drugstore is a melancholic love song about a party that has ended, and everyone has left except for the singer and their love interest. The first verse, sung by Daron, explains that everyone has gone home, but the singer's love interest has asked them to stay. The singer feels like they should leave, but they are drawn to her and her words, even if they know they shouldn't be.
In the chorus, Isabel sings about her heart being on fire and looking for desire but having nowhere to go. She's struggling to control herself and doesn't want to lose control. The second verse is a repeat of the first, with Daron repeating that everyone has left, but she's still talking, and he is drawn to her.
The song has an overall feeling of vulnerability and the struggle to control one's emotions. The singer is conflicted between leaving when they know they should and staying with someone they have feelings for, even if it's not the right thing to do.
Overall, "The Party Is Over" is a beautiful but sad love song that captures the complicated feelings that come with being drawn to someone you know you shouldn't be with.
Line by Line Meaning
Another party's over
The gathering we attended ended, and the revelers have left.
Everybody's gone away
All the guests have departed, and we're the only ones left here.
I should be gone but she asked me to stay
I wanted to leave, but she persuasively requested me to remain.
It's late but she's still talking
Although it's quite late, she continues to talk incessantly.
The things that she says
The words that she utters, which do not interest or engage me.
I should be gone but the strand of her hair
I know I should have left, but the sight of a strand of her hair held me back.
When she said...
At that moment, it seemed like she was about to say something important or significant.
My heart is like a fire
My emotions are burning strong and uncontrollable.
Maybe you should know
I'm suggesting that you should be aware of how I feel.
Just looking for desire
I'm hopelessly searching for something I strongly crave, but I don't know what it is exactly.
Got nowhere to go
I have no destination, purpose or plan.
Baby think I'd better stop
I believe I need to halt this wanton behavior and regain my composure.
Before I lose control baby
I feel like my emotions and impulses might overcome me, and I might act recklessly.
Another party's over
This celebration has come to an end.
Everybody's gone away
All the guests have departed, and we're the only ones left here.
Contributed by Allison I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.