The… Read Full Bio ↴Fucked Up is a hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The band formed and played their first shows in early 2001. The initial practicing lineup consisted of 10,000 Marbles (Guitar), Concentration Camp (Vocals), and Mustard Gas (Bass Guitar). Just prior to recording their demo tape, Concentration Camp moved to guitar and vocal duties were taken over by Pink Eyes (also known as Mr. Damian). Drums are played by Mr. Jo (also credited as G. Beat or J. Falco) and Young Governor was added as a third guitarist in 2007.
Following the release of the demo, the band embarked on a long series of 7" vinyl 45 rpms. Unlike many of their contemporaries, the band shunned full length LP or CD formats, preferring to output their music two songs at a time. While some record distributors refused to carry the singles, they were generally released to broad appeal, receiving glowing reviews in many punk fanzines. The artwork and feel of the records was a tribute to the Dangerhouse Records era of punk vinyl.
The band released the "No Pasaran" 7" in May of 2002. The records aesthetic and philosophy was greatly influenced by anarchism and the participation of anarchists in the Spanish Civil War in particular. The cover and insert featured anarchist propaganda posters and portraits of Spanish farmers and peasant soldiers.
The Police 7" was released on March of 2003, quickly followed by what is considered the bands most significant recording, the Baiting the Public 7" in May of 2003. This single was in tribute to the Viennese Actionism, a far left art movement during the 1960s, and the Situationist International. The record featured one song spread over two sides, and illegible liner notes, meant to shock and annoy the buyer.
Two more 7"'s followed in 2004, the Dance of Death single, and the Litany 4-song EP. The vinyl releases to this point were collected on 2004's Epics in Minutes CD.
The band's use of imagery and symbolism took a decided turn after the release of Epics in Minutes, as it was followed by two obscure and limited 12"s, the Looking for Gold 12", and the live Let Likes be Cured by Likes 12". Many felt at this point the band's message became esoteric to the point of confusion, while others felt the turn towards a more convoluted approach was ultimately more rewarding. The Looking for Gold 12" contained no liner notes or credits, no song titles, and a hidden track. It was self-released by the band in 2004 in a limited run of 600 copies and immediately became one of the most infamous and sought-after modern hardcore punk releases, selling for over $100 on internet auction sites like ebay. The title track was 17 minutes long, used 19 guitar tracks, had a three minute drum solo and contained 4 minutes of whistling, all unconventional by punk rock song-writing standards.
Following a lengthy and rumoured self-written interview in Maximum Rock and Roll, that discussed some of the band's politics and identity, many people became suspicious of the band's intentions, based on their allusions to mind control, fascism, early 20th centruy occultism, and Nazi mysticism. The release of a split 7" in 2004 with the band Haymaker did little to allay these concerns as it contained a picture of Hitler addressing a Hitler Youth Rally in 1938. A public clarification followed in late 2004 after the band was attacked onstage at a concert in Toronto.
In the summer of 2004 the band returned to form with the release of the Generation 7" and 12" EPs. The record contained the trademark sound the band had developed with their earlier releases. The record would go onto sell more than 6000 copies in that year and would represent the definitive Fucked Up release of the later period. The live performance of "Generation" had at this point become a focal point of most shows and saw hundreds of people dance and mosh in a mad frenzy of violence and aggression, and would result in many injuries.
After touring for most of 2005 the band took on David Eliade as a quasi-full time manager/promoter, and released a new UK-only 7", Triumph of Life, on VICE records. The band is currently signed to Jade Tree, on which they released the double album Hidden World in 2006. Hidden World was generally well received in the music community, although many traditional punk fans who once glorified Fucked Up for their "short and fast" older songs couldn't quite grasp Hidden World, which was 74 minutes long. Owen Pallett (commonly known as Final Fantasy) did the strings for the album, and Alexisonfire's vocalist George Pettit made an appearance as a guest vocalist on the final track. The album served as Fucked Up's "major label debut", receiving positive reviews from Pitchfork Media, SPIN magazine, and NOW magazine. The albums was also picked as "#1 punk album of the year" by the Canadian magazine Exclaim!.
After Hidden World, Fucked Up began their yearly record series based off of the Chinese calendar. They released the Year of the Dog 12" in late 2006. Fucked Up also appeared on MTV Live Canada in January 2007. Fans in attendance reportedly caused $2000 worth of damages during the recording. After a European tour in the spring and an early summer U.S Tour that took the band to the U.S Southeast for the first time ever, Fucked Up proceeded to play several major music festivals including South by Southwest, Tales of the Jackalope, Oshesga Fest, and POP Montreal. In July of 2007, the band released the second album in the Chinese calendar series "Year of the Pig". The 12" is technically a single, featuring the song Year of the Pig and it's b-side Black Hats. Year of the Pig is over 18 minutes long, and is about the treatment of sex workers in Canada.
Currently, the band has made comments about several different projects, including a follow up full length to Hidden World, and a musical based off the song 'David Comes to Life' from the Hidden World album.
A Little Death
Fucked Up Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can give in to being estranged as the branches wilt and the colors change.
And the fish that wash up on the shore, who won't swim in the sea anymore,
Are like those thousands of wasted days upon those million grains of sand.
And like the leaves that pile to decay these little deaths happen every day.
Maybe our love was just a cliché and not unique because it happened to me.
Let my life blow away in the wind, carry those old dreams far from me.
A little death from every touch. I had to run, I had to leave,
I'm dead inside but I can breathe.
And I see now that it was me, I've lost my love and my family.
But let the trees and the sea feel contrite, convince myself that it's alright.
Better to smile and take the blame than to hold on to the truth and the pain.
I don't want love if it will hurt me again.
I'm better off, it was too much, a little death from every touch.
I had to run, I had to leave, I'm dead inside but I can breathe.
The leaves that fall never grow back, their colors fade and turn to black.
Forget the things you used to love, just give up and let the memory fade."
The lyrics of "A Little Death" by Fucked Up depict the aftermath of a failed relationship. The singer is trying to cope with the feeling of loss and estrangement caused by the end of the relationship. The opening lines suggest that the singer feels like he has been left alone and abandoned, just like the leaves that fall off a tree. The metaphors of nature - branches wilting, colors changing, fish washing up on the shore - convey a sense of loss, decay, and abandonment, which the singer seems to identify with. The use of the phrase "little deaths happen every day" represents the gradual pain of the separation, a small death of the heart every day, even when it is not seen in its full force.
As the song progresses, the singer acknowledges that perhaps their love was not unique or special; maybe it was just another cliché. The singer describes the feeling of disconnection from his old life and the struggle to adjust to his new reality. He consoles himself by saying that it's better to accept the blame than to hold on to the truth and the pain. The chorus repeats the idea of being better off alone and suggests that the singer is going through an internal struggle to come to terms with being single. However, there is also a hint of hope and closure, as the singer recognizes that he is alive and can breathe, even if he is dead inside.
Overall, the lyrics paint a poignant picture of heartbreak and loss, exploring the emotions that come after a relationship has ended. The natural imagery used throughout the song powerfully expresses the feeling of decay and abandonment, and the lyrics capture the feeling of confusion and self-doubt that often come with the end of a long-term relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Like the leaves that fall off of a tree, I know that love has just left me.
Similar to the leaves that naturally fall off a tree, I'm aware that love has departed from my life.
I can give in to being estranged as the branches wilt and the colors change.
Just as branches and leaves change colors and wilt, I'm willing to accept the feeling of being alienated and estranged.
And the fish that wash up on the shore, who won't swim in the sea anymore, Are like those thousands of wasted days upon those million grains of sand.
Fish that can't swim and become stranded on the shore are similar to the thousands of wasted days in my life that add up over time, like grains of sand on a beach.
And like the leaves that pile to decay these little deaths happen every day.
Just like leaves that decay and wither away, small deaths happen to me every day.
Maybe our love was just a cliché and not unique because it happened to me.
It's possible that the love I experienced was not unique, but rather just a common cliche because it happened to me.
Let my life blow away in the wind, carry those old dreams far from me.
I hope my life and old dreams can be swept away and carried off by the wind.
I'll just be alone and pass the time. I'm better off, it was too much,
I'll spend my time alone and think about how I'm better off without the love that was more than I could handle.
A little death from every touch. I had to run, I had to leave, I'm dead inside but I can breathe.
Every touch brought a small death, and I had to leave and run away, leaving me feeling dead inside but able to breathe.
And I see now that it was me, I've lost my love and my family.
Now I realize that it was my fault, and I've not only lost my love but also my family.
But let the trees and the sea feel contrite, convince myself that it's alright.
I want the trees and sea to feel regretful, as if they did something wrong, so that I can convince myself that everything is okay.
Better to smile and take the blame than to hold on to the truth and the pain.
It's better to put on a smile and accept the blame than to hold onto the truth and feel the pain of it all.
I don't want love if it will hurt me again.
I don't want to experience love again if it means I'll be hurt once more.
The leaves that fall never grow back, their colors fade and turn to black.
Just as leaves that fall off trees never grow back, their colors fading to black, the same goes for the love I once had.
Forget the things you used to love, just give up and let the memory fade.
Forget the things that were once loved and just give up, allowing memories to slowly fade away over time.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Paul Jonah Falco, Benjamin Peter Warden Cook, Damian Abraham, Joshua Elliot Zucker, Sandy Miranda, Michael Ian Haliechuk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Roberto Colon
Unreal band. 3 minute mark of this song is amazing. David Comes To Life is one of my top albums of 2011.
Mark Brower
if each lyric on this album doesn't kick you in the stomach while at the same time fixing everything thats fucked up inside you then you've never lived.
The Aggravator
These guys are FANTASTIC live!
J
don't hate, saw this on pitchfork, but this band is really great! glad i found them. Can't wait for the album!
CugnoTheSwiss
They're like modern Hüsker Dü or Fugazi! Maybe I'll have a chance to see a legendary hardcore band in concert after all!
FlashFace
Bigger than the sun and the moon crashing into oblivion. In short, epic!!
utterlybrilliant
Saw them live for the first time last year (been into them since the early hardcore punk singles) playing a football stadium opening for Foo Fighters and (shudder) Tenacious D. The whole set a bunch of inbred goons were yelling out "Get the fuck off, we want Tenacious D!"), but they fucking owned it. Even played played 'Police'.
charlie z
this song just stands out
adrgdbs24
My favorite from the album
ybrik222
Pretty gosh darn intense.