Since its inception, Fugazi has been self-managed and have released almost all their material through Dischord Records, an independent label founded by MacKaye and partner Jeff Nelson in 1980. The band maintained a policy of affordable access to their work through low record and ticket prices and all-ages concerts.
Says AMG All Music Guide, "Along with their stridently underground ethics — which were more out of pragmatism and modesty than anything else — they gained an extremely loyal and numerous global following. To many, Fugazi meant as much to them as Bob Dylan did to their parents."
They played their first show in the fall of 1987 and since then released 7 albums and toured the world extensively covering all 50 United States, Europe, Australia, South America, Japan and many points in between.
In addition to their recorded output Fugazi released a documentary film/video called "Instrument" in collaboration with independent filmmaker, Jem Cohen. The feature length video offers a documentary overview of the the band's career with footage shot in a variety of formats over the last 10 years combining concert, tour and studio material backed with a musical soundtrack by the band unique to the movie.
Fugazi's last musical releases were The Argument, a 10 song LP, and Furniture, a 3 song single, released in the Fall of 2001. These sessions marked the first studio appearance of long time roadie and second drummer Jerry Busher who played additional drums and percussion on a number of the tracks on both releases. The recordings were once again made in collaboration with long time Fugazi engineer Don Zientara at Inner Ear studios.
Prior to forming Fugazi, the members of the band played in various other bands with releases available on Dischord.
Fugazi are currently on hiatus as of 2002, with Mackaye in The Evens, Picciotto having produced various bands including Blonde Redhead and The Blood Brothers, and Lally playing with John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer on both Ataxia releases and working on a solo album.
Fell
Fugazi Lyrics
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Covering every malice angle for example
You will sleep forever you will never sleep again
Yawn to yawn your face is born to mask the shade of shit
You're in now it's time to fake resignment room
Assignment next door to the generator what the fuck
It is whatever powers lights to burn all night your
What it is to ring the alarm or you're sold to dying
Fell, destroyed and long out used step into it green
In laying water blue cop a feeling coprophagics
Say next in line well how about you freedom's fiction
Sorry fifteen time to sell the softer shoe ring the
Alarm or you're sold to dying (respects to tenor saw)
The lyrics of Fugazi's song Fell Destroyed convey a sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of oppressive societal structures. The list of side effects mentioned in the first line suggests a pharmaceutical advertisement, but the items listed are disturbing and contradictory: "you will sleep forever" and "you will never sleep again." The yawning and masking of the face with the "shade of shit" speak to the exhaustion and resignation that come with trying to conform to a system that is designed to keep you down.
The second stanza takes us to a room where the singer must fake resignation. They are next door to a generator that powers the lights to burn all night, causing their teeth to grind. The grinding teeth suggest anxiety and frustration, which are further compounded by the allusion to alarm bells and dying. The line "fell, destroyed and long out used, step into it green" suggests that the singer is being thrust into a system that is already broken and corrupt, and they will be used up and discarded.
The final stanza includes a reference to Tenor Saw, a Jamaican singer who died in 1988. The line "ring the alarm or you're sold to dying" suggests that the singer must sound the alarm and resist the system or else they will become complicit in their own oppression. The repeated reference to dying underscores the urgency of the situation, and "freedom's fiction" suggests that the promise of liberty is just another illusion.
In summary, the lyrics of Fell Destroyed are a powerful critique of oppressive societal structures and the toll they take on individuals. Through vivid imagery and allusion, the song conveys the sense of disorientation and exhaustion that come with trying to survive within a broken system.
Line by Line Meaning
Here's a list of side effects practice tested
We have a comprehensive list of verified negative consequences that may arise from our actions.
Covering every malice angle for example
We have considered every possible harmful outcome, such as those motivated by malice and ill-will.
You will sleep forever you will never sleep again
Our actions will lead to both perpetual rest and eternal insomnia.
Yawn to yawn your face is born to mask the shade of shit
One's face conceals the unpleasantries created by one's deeds.
You're in now it's time to fake resignment room
You are now part of this and must falsely pretend to have resigned yourself to it.
Assignment next door to the generator what the fuck
You will be given a task that is adjacent to the source of the chaos, which makes no sense.
It is whatever powers lights to burn all night your
The cause of this problem is the mysterious force that fuels the never-ending illumination.
Teeth to grind to grind so fine you'll find out sooner
The burden of this situation will cause you to grind your teeth to dust, leading to your untimely realization of the truth.
What it is to ring the alarm or you're sold to dying
Either one must raise the alarm about the issue or be doomed to suffer the consequences, leading to death.
Fell, destroyed and long out used step into it green
One has fallen and been broken, and has been involved in this situation for too long, and now must enter into it without caution or experience.
In laying water blue cop a feeling coprophagics
In the calm blue water, one can sense the presence of those who consume and thrive on filth.
Say next in line well how about you freedom's fiction
If you demand to be next in line, then you are deluding yourself into thinking that there is such a thing as freedom.
Sorry fifteen time to sell the softer shoe ring the
Apologies, but it is now time to deceive even more subtly to avoid raising any further alarms.
Alarm or you're sold to dying (respects to tenor saw)
If you do not alert others to this problem, you are destined for destruction, as acknowledged in tribute to Tenor Saw.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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