The band is named after a line in the BBC TV mini-series 'The Singing Detective', in which a character says that the word "elbow" is the most sensuous word in the English language (not due to its definition per se but due to how it feels to say it). Though the group came about in 1990, intially going by names such as 'Soft' and 'Mr. Soft', it wasn't until 'The Noisebox EP' came out on 1 January 1998 that they had a real release. Elbow started out specializing in "chilled funk", but the guys changed the direction of their music after unanimously deciding that they were "shit."
Their new songs picked up notice from both Island Records, but the band got dropped due to business shenanigans before anything actually came out post-singing. Elbow then released two critically acclaimed EP's on the independent Ugly Man Record label, starting with the aformentioned 'Noisebox EP'. Luckily, their work caught the attention of V2 Records.
V2 released Elbow's debut album: "Asleep In The Back." The album was a surprisingly moderate success, gaining substantial critical acclaim and, ultimately, a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize in 2001. The single "Newborn" received attention after being banned by Radio 1 for the lyric, "I'll be the corpse in your bathtub."
Word of mouth then began to work in Elbow's favor. Its 2003 album, "Cast Of Thousands," entered the UK Charts at #7 to critical acclaim. The lead single, "Fallen Angel," charted at #19.
In 2004, Elbow became the first British band to ever play a concert in Havana during an unofficial Cuban tour. The tour was made into a short film by British documentary maker Irshad Ashraf.
Elbow released its third album in 2005: "Leaders Of The Free World." Despite a continued lack of commercial notice, "Leaders Of The Free World" charted at #12, with its lead single, "Forget Myself" achieving #22 in the charts. That autumn, Elbow headlined the first of two sell-out tours.
March 17, 2008, saw the release of Elbow's fourth album, entitled "The Seldom Seen Kid." Released through Fiction, it entered the UK album chart at #5, and went on to win the 2008 Mercury Music Award. "The Fix," features guest vocals and lead guitar by Richard Hawley. April 2009 saw the release of The Seldom Seen Kid Live At Abbey Road, recorded with The BBC Concert Orchestra and Chantage. This album, recorded in Studio One of the world famous Abbey Road Studios on Saturday, January 17, 2008, is a complete run-through of the Mercury winning album. It features the band, a 52-piece orchestra, and a 20-member choir.
"Grounds for Divorce" was featured in VALVe Software game Left 4 Dead in 2008.
The band's fifth album Build A Rocket Boys! was released in the UK on March 14, 2011.
The First Steps Songfacts reports that Elbow was commissioned by the BBC to write a song for their coverage of the 2012 Olympics. The resulting tune is "First Steps". The full song lasts six and a half minutes, but it was written in such a way so that it could be divided into different minute or two long elements for use over both winning and losing footages.
In July 2015, Elbow released the Lost Worker Bee EP, which was soon followed by Guy Garvey's first solo album 'Courting the Squall' (Oct 2015).
Their seventh studio album, 'Little Fictions' was released on 3 February 2017, with Elbow's eighth studio album, 'Giants of All Sizes', released 2 years later on 11 October 2019.
Website: http://elbow.co.uk/
Don't Mix Your Drinks
Elbow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't mix with him
It will kill you one day
Good advice
Sound advice
Why can't you be like him, like me
Look what you could achieve
Begging you to listen
Something draws me in
I just can't christen it
Don't mix your drinks
Don't mix with him
It will kill you one day
Good advice
Sound advice
You need to be like this, like me
I'm coming cap in hand
Begging you to listen
Something draws me in
I just can't christen it
The song "Don't Mix Your Drinks" by Elbow is a warning to someone to avoid making bad decisions. The repeated lines "Don't mix your drinks" and "Don't mix with him" suggest that there is someone or something dangerous that the singer is cautioning against, possibly a person or a harmful habit. The warning becomes more urgent in the lines "It will kill you one day / Good advice / Sound advice," emphasizing the severity of the situation. The singer then suggests that the person should emulate him or someone like him in order to achieve success, urging "Why can't you be like him, like me / Look what you could achieve."
The song's chorus repeats this warning and plea for the person to stay on the right path, using the image of "coming cap in hand / Begging you to listen." The singer seems to genuinely care for the person and feels drawn to them, using the image of "Something draws me in / I just can't christen it" to express the inexplicable connection between them.
Overall, "Don't Mix Your Drinks" is a cautionary tale about avoiding harmful influences and making good choices. The singer's repeated warnings and entreaties show a deep concern for the person's well-being, while the repeated lines provide a sense of urgency to the message.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't mix your drinks
It is not recommended to consume alcohol of different types simultaneously.
Don't mix with him
Do not engage or spend time with that person.
It will kill you one day
Mixing drinks or associating with that person can have fatal consequences on your health eventually.
Good advice
This is an appropriate suggestion.
Sound advice
This is a sensible recommendation.
Why can't you be like him, like me
It would benefit you to follow my example or that person's example.
Look what you could achieve
You could be successful like us if you make certain changes.
I'm coming cap in hand
I am humbly coming to you and asking for your attention.
Begging you to listen
I earnestly request that you pay heed to what I am saying.
Something draws me in
I feel an unexplainable or irresistible attraction to this situation or person.
I just can't christen it
I cannot define or explain my feelings or attraction towards this.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Peter James Turner, Richard Barry Jupp, Craig Lee Potter, Mark Potter, Guy Edward John Garvey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juan Bascur Núñez
elbow siempre merecen ser muy escuchados. aunque coldplay, travis, keane y otros contemporáneos los hayan eclipsado comercialmente, no dejan de hacer música de calidad.
The Shitpost King
love this, its the perfect "feeling sorry for yourself" music
Simon0
The whistly sound coming in at 1:33 is what makes this song good!
Chris Fryer
lyrics and sound so beautiful brings tears to your eyes listening to it.. classic album
Joris van Veen
Between phrophetic and catharsis I always find this tune.
Ab-Dhul Alif Qadr Muhammad
Agreed
AHMED ALI SHER
beautiful song.. a personal advice.. not to mix a real relationship with those you lust for
Agustín Menéndez
2023. Still listening to Elbow from Argentina. Totally underrated.
Ab-Dhul Alif Qadr Muhammad
This song reminds me of growing up and going to school.
Dylan B
beautiful song