Initially the solo project of Mark Foster, he later added Fink and Pontius in 2009, forming a full band in the process. Two other musicians, Sean Cimino (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Isom Innis (keyboards, vocals), tour with the band as additional members.
Discography:
1. Albums:
2011 - Torches
2014 - Supermodel
2017 - Sacred Hearts Club
2. EPs:
2019 - Pick U Up
2020- In The Darkest Of Nights, Let The Birds Sing
3. Singles:
2011 - Pumped Up Kicks
2011 - Call It What You Want
2012 - Don't Stop (Color on the Walls) (Remixes) - EP
2014 - Coming Of Age
2014 - Pseudologia Fantastica
Official website: http://www.fosterthepeople.com/
twitter: @fosterthepeople
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Foster-The-People
Go to www.fosterthepeople.com and join their email list if you want to get involved or just want a free download of "Pumped Up Kicks"!
Machu Picchu
Foster the People Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Putting your body on the line, for less
Didn't you know there was a choice?
Never yours but someone else's voice
Slipping your body through the street
Sending your girlfriends to the night for cheap
Wearing a jacket made of meat
And now you've heard that
Waves turn to gray
Life in the shade
A violent cloud
That's on USA
Platinum's on the rise
Windows in disguise
I'm just tryin' to find
A mountain I can climb, yeah
Putting your patience to the test
Putting your body on the line, for less
Didn't you know there was a choice?
Never yours but someone else's voice
And now you see that
Waves turn to gray
Life in the shade
A violent cloud
That's on USA
Porn on the rise
Circles in disguise
I'm just tryin' to find
A mountain I can climb, yeah
Putting your patience to the test
Putting your body on the line, for less
Didn't you know there was a choice?
Never yours but someone else's voice
The lyrics of "Machu Picchu" portray a message that is open to interpretation. However, a common interpretation is that the song is about the struggle of individuality in a society that is conformist. The first verse talks about how people put their bodies on the line for less and live their lives by someone else's voice, representing society's pressure to conform to social norms. The second verse is more surreal, with lyrics about slipping bodies through the street, wearing jackets made of meat, and sending sweet letters about war, representing society's strange expectations and what individuals may have to do to meet them.
The chorus talks about the search for freedom and escape from society's many pressures. The use of the metaphorical mountain as a symbol of this escape is a common one. The phrase "waves turn to gray" may represent how society and conformity can affect an individual's sense of hope or joy, while "life in the shade, a violent cloud" may represent the darkness that conformity can bring. The line "porn on the rise" may represent the over-sexualization of society and the objectification of individuals.
Overall, the lyrics of "Machu Picchu" can be seen as a call for individuals to be true to themselves and find their own path, rather than conforming to the expectations of society.
Line by Line Meaning
Putting your patience to the test
Challenging your willpower and endurance
Putting your body on the line, for less
Risking your physical safety for little reward
Didn't you know there was a choice?
Expressing surprise that a better option was available
Never yours but someone else's voice
Feeling controlled and manipulated by outside forces
Slipping your body through the street
Moving through life without being fully present or empowered
Sending your girlfriends to the night for cheap
Exploiting women for pleasure without regard for their well-being or dignity
Wearing a jacket made of meat
Showing off in a flashy but pointless and potentially dangerous way
Sending a letter with war so sweet
Using a pleasant guise to conceal the harmful intent behind one's actions
And now you've heard that
Waves turn to gray
Life in the shade
A violent cloud
That's on USA
Acknowledging the disillusionment and despair that come with realizing the flaws and injustices in one's country
Platinum's on the rise
Windows in disguise
I'm just tryin' to find
A mountain I can climb, yeah
Commenting on the superficiality and deceptiveness of material success and expressing a desire for personal growth and challenge
Porn on the rise
Circles in disguise
I'm just tryin' to find
A mountain I can climb, yeah
Noting the prevalence of objectification and exploitation in society and continuing to seek a meaningful path forward
Contributed by Julian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dyangruber8441
Two of my favorite bands wow. This one is so chill compared to the original
@suckd0g
Dyan Gruber yeah it's way more tropical
@dianaambrosio3222
IT'S MACHU PICCHU! -_-
@mohammedgouigah3094
Diana Ambrosio yes
@CadetMom
@@mohammedgouigah3094 yes
@swagtheftauto
@@CadetMom yes
@marcelogn6225
@@swagtheftauto yes
@emiliano9082
@BrandonXO yes
@medushkie
this is my favourite song by the strokes and foster the people is my all time favourite band and i’m JUST finding this now
@sonicmagnets
IVE HAD MACHU PICHU STUCK IN MY HEAD FOR WEEKS AND I FIND THIS