Antoine and Lionel star… Read Full Bio ↴Girls in Hawaii is a belgian indie pop band.
Antoine and Lionel started to record their songs on their Dream Machine (an old 8 track-recorder). «We were friends an a bit bored. We had time and wanted to use it. I wrote a song, says Lionel, singer, composer and guitarist, and made it listen to Antoine (singer). I challenged him. Then he wrote another song back, and so on, we had several tracks. It started like that. We discovered that together, our songs had a coherence between them (...) It’s not an influence in our music, but Nirvana’s «Nevermind» is something very determinant for us, an eletrochoc. Then we discovered some american folk, such as Cat Power and Will Oldham. We also like Swell».
A couple of months after this «challenge» they call their own brothers and two other friends in order to form a band and play live. In the meantime they had sent some demos to promotors, magazines and record labels and, to their great surprise, answers began to come regularly back to them , as their songwriting and stage presence don't seem to leave many people indifferent. In may 2002 they join the stable of 62 TV Records (FlexaLyndo, M.Ward, Johnwayneshotme, Austin Lace, Papas Fritas, ao…). Afterwards, they spent the summer writing new songs and recording on a mobile multi-track recorder in various country houses.
«We wanted to control and master everything, and with someone outside the band to record us, it would have been harder, not knowing how to react in those new circumstances. So we stayed a «family», and record the album by ourselves. It reflects our differents moods. We sing in english, it’s our musical culture, Nirvana, The Pixies, Grandaddy,...»
The young band had to make important choices. « Some of us had jobs, or were studying at university. We kind of quit everything and moved to Brussels as we saw we could do something with this album...
Into Grandaddy or even Coldplay ? They just come from another place. Their intoxicating blend of vocal harmonies, subtle synths and acoustic guitars meld over a vast rhythmic landscape, with catchy melodies and commercial-sounding hooks through out. Now it is up to you to draw your own conclusions: have a walk among their ballads, their aerial arpeggios, their unclouded or dreamy melodies, their very own vision of folk music or even ambient….
Due to the accidental death of Denis Wielemans (1982-2010), the band decided to take a break.
Couples On TV
Girls in Hawaii Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now that the kids are asleep
Now that they're tired of the love we are giving
Now that the TV is ON
Telling me life's going on
Why do I feel like we're not really living? (x4)
In the song Couples on TV by Girls in Hawaii, the lyrics express a sense of disconnection and disillusionment with modern life, particularly in regards to relationships. The opening lines suggest a domestic scene in which the adults in the house are finally free of their responsibilities, yet instead of feeling fulfilled, they feel empty. This is shown through the line "Now that the homework is done, now that the kids are asleep, now that they're tired of the love we are giving." This highlights the lack of passion and spontaneity in their lives, as they are simply going through the motions and fulfilling their duties without any real joy.
The next verse further highlights this disconnection, as the TV becomes a symbol for the distractions and distance between people. The line "Telling me life's going on, why do I feel like we're not really living?" raises the question of whether modern life has become so consumed by technology and media that we are no longer truly living and experiencing the world around us. The repetition of this line emphasizes the sense of unease and alienation that is being portrayed.
Overall, Couples on TV is a song that speaks to the disenchanted and disconnected nature of modern life, highlighting the sense of isolation and disengagement that many people feel in the world today.
Line by Line Meaning
Now that the homework is done
Now that we've completed all of our responsibilities
Now that the kids are asleep
Now that our children are resting
Now that they're tired of the love we are giving
Now that our children aren't as interested in our affection
Now that the TV is ON
Now that our attention is on the television
Telling me life's going on
The media is showing us what's happening in the world outside our home
Why do I feel like we're not really living? (x4)
Despite completing our responsibilities and being able to relax, we feel unfulfilled and unhappy with our current lifestyle
Contributed by Reagan E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Timothy J. Reynolds
great video, i'm a big fan of GIH!! thx for posting