The band began as a project between Ulf and Jo in Oslo, Norway in the winter of 2000-01. Starting out as an instrumental and sampled vocal project, they were signed for a track on a compilation by Beatservice Records in Winter 2001. On hearing the finished track, label manager Vidar Hanssen signed the unnamed band for a full album.
During early Summer 2001, Ulf and Jo recorded most of the album and Anja improvised the vocals. After their vocals, Jo layered the guitars, but it would be a year before the album would be completed and released.
In Spring 2002, the band was known as Flunk and they released their first single, a cover of New Order's Blue Monday in April. The track was well received in the UK and was included on numerous compilations in North America and Europe. Later in April, their debut album For Sleepyheads Only was released which garnered great reviews in Norway. With the success of their album, BBC invited them to do a recording session for the Radio 1 show The Blue Room in London. Shortly after Notting Hill Art's Club would become the location to their live debut. In the United States, they became signed to Guidance Recordings.
By Summer 2002, raving reviews were being returned by British electronica magazines and in July they played Norway's finest rock festival. In October For Sleepyheads Only was released in the US through Guidance Recordings. By November they played the London Jazz Festival.
Throughout 2003 their debut, For Sleepyheads Only was still being echoed across the globe in staggered releases with special editions released to Russia and Greece. Beatservice Records then went on to release Treat Me Like You Do (For Sleepyheads Only Remixed) in June. While their debut continued to make it's way around, the band wasted no time and began work on their second album for the majority of the year, which was recorded in Paris in October.
Their sophomore album, Morning Star was finished in March 2004 and saw a Norwegian release in May while the rest of the world received it in June. In 2005, Play America was released on Beatservice Records which included bonus tracks from the US version of Morning Star along with remixes.
A third effort, Personal Stereo was released in 2007, with the accompanying remix album Democracy following soon after.
Haldi
Flunk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if I choose, if I choose, the love that we share, would it be here
Keep coming to me, keep coming to me, I'll set you free
And if our love is to keep, if our love is the key, it's caught up my sleeve
All the love, all is love, so wipe out my heart, if you want to see
And if I call, if I call, would you be the one, the one that I seek
Keep coming to me, keep coming to me, I'll set you free
And if our love is to keep, if our love is the key, it's caught up my sleeve
Or so it's said, that the world of ours all lies in dreams
You got to keep them, out of reach for some
I wouldn't like to be the one, the one that you have hurt
So all appear to be as you see here
One too many, too many choices I have here
You've got to choose from the top of your head
I have one too many, too many reasons to be here
And that's what keeps me, so let it be
There are so many people and so much fuzz around us
They keep crashing, into a situation
And so they say, that the world of ours all lies in dreams
We got to keep them, real
The lyrics of Flunk feat. Daniel Johnston's song Haldi speak about love, choices, and the importance of keeping dreams alive. The opening lines "If our love is all that we have, caught up the sleeve" suggest that the love between the two individuals is the most important thing in their lives. The singer then ponders whether his love for her is enough to keep them together or whether he needs to do more to show his love. He then goes on to say that he loves her so much that he is willing to wipe away his heart if that is what it takes to prove his love.
The second verse seems to speak about the complexities of making choices in life. The singer feels that he has too many options and too many reasons to be where he is, but he still chooses to stay because of the love he feels. He advises his listeners to keep their dreams alive because they are what make life worth living. The last line is a reminder that the world may be full of chaos and confusion but we need to keep our dreams real.
Overall, the song conveys a message of love and hope. The lyrics are beautifully written and the melody is hauntingly beautiful. The collaboration between Flunk and Daniel Johnston has resulted in a song that is both melancholic and uplifting.
Line by Line Meaning
If our love is all that we have, caught up the sleeve
Our love is the most important thing to us, and it's something that we keep close and hidden like a secret.
And if I choose, if I choose, the love that we share, would it be here
If I decide to embrace our love and commit to it fully, will it still be present in our lives?
Keep coming to me, keep coming to me, I'll set you free
Continuing to come to me will help you find freedom and liberation from your burdens.
And if our love is to keep, if our love is the key, it's caught up my sleeve
If our love is meant to last and is the answer to our problems, it's something that I keep close to my heart.
All the love, all is love, so wipe out my heart, if you want to see
If you want to find true love, you need to remove any negativity from your heart and be open to it.
And if I call, if I call, would you be the one, the one that I seek
If I reach out to you, will you be the person who can fulfill my desires?
Or so it's said, that the world of ours all lies in dreams
Some say that our world is just an illusion or figment of our imagination.
You got to keep them, out of reach for some
We must protect our dreams and aspirations from those who would try to tear them down.
I wouldn't like to be the one, the one that you have hurt
I don't want to be the one who gets hurt by you or anyone else.
So all appear to be as you see here
Everything seems to be exactly as it appears, with no secrets or hidden agendas.
One too many, too many choices I have here
I have too many options or decisions to make, which can be overwhelming.
You've got to choose from the top of your head
You have to make a choice based on your instincts or intuition.
I have one too many, too many reasons to be here
I have many compelling reasons for staying in this place or situation.
And that's what keeps me, so let it be
Those reasons are what motivate me and give me purpose, so I will continue to stay.
There are so many people and so much fuzz around us
There are a lot of distractions and noise in our environment, making it hard to focus on what really matters.
They keep crashing, into a situation
People and their problems keep interfering with our lives and causing disruptions.
We got to keep them, real
We need to stay grounded and focus on what is truly important to us, rather than getting caught up in illusions or distractions.
Contributed by Sophia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.