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.
Floating Boy
Fugazi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sun came out
The sun did us in
The sun came out and tore us up
It ripped the shit out of our behinds
We drove home on towels off
The heat of the seats with sand in our teeth
Down on the sea water
And wave under me
We're no brave but we're
Down for the count alright
The lyrics to Fugazi's song Floating Boy are evocative of a hot summer day spent at the beach, where the sun beats down mercilessly and leaves its mark on those who dare to bask in its rays. The first four lines speak of the sun's power over us, how it can both sustain and destroy us. The final two lines paint a picture of discomfort and embarrassment, emphasized by the crass language used to describe the feeling of having sand in one's behind.
The second stanza brings us back to the beach, where the singer describes the uncomfortable sensation of sitting on hot seats after being in the water, while the sand in their teeth speaks to the gritty reality of a day spent in the sand and surf. The final two lines of the song suggest that despite any discomfort, the singer and their companions are still "down for the count", meaning they're ready to take on whatever the day has in store for them.
Overall, the song captures the experience of a hot, lazy day at the beach, where the pleasure of the sun and the sea is tempered by discomfort and the inevitability of sunburn and exhaustion.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun came up
The new day was born
The sun came out
The sun became visible in the sky
The sun did us in
The sun exhausted and weakened us
The sun came out and tore us up
The sun caused us to suffer and be injured
It ripped the shit out of our behinds
The sun burned and irritated our skin
We drove home on towels off
We used towels to protect ourselves from the heat while driving home
The heat of the seats with sand in our teeth
The seats were hot from the sun and sand got in our mouths
Alright down on the ocean
Everything is okay out on the ocean
Down on the sea water
Near the surface of the ocean
And wave under me
The sensation of the waves below me
We're no brave but we're
We are not courageous but still
Down for the count alright
We are exhausted and unable to continue, but it's okay
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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