The roots of Gorillaz can be traced back to 1990, when guitarist Graham Coxon asked cartoonist Jamie Hewlett to interview his newly formed band, Blur. Coxon knew of Hewlett's work drawing the Tank Girl comic strip in Deadline magazine. When Jamie first met the band's lead singer Damon Albarn, the two did not hit it off well. Hewlett initially thought Albarn was "arsey" and "a wanker," but the two remained acquainted and would eventually become roommates in 1997, living in London.
Both Jamie and Damon tell the story of Gorillaz came to be about the same way. They were in their flat watching TV, specifically MTV, and came up with the idea of a "virtual band" as commentary on the vapidity of popular music at the turn of the millennium. Previously the best-known '"cartoon bands" were animated versions of The Monkees and The Beatles that kids could watch on Saturday mornings. But Gorillaz (initially called just "Gorilla") was to be an ambitious musical project with eclectic, genre-bending tunes, unique visuals, and a detailed backstory for how the virtual band came to be.
With Gorillaz, Albarn departed from the distinct Britpop of Blur and explored influences including hip hop, electronic music, and world music through an "eccentrically postmodern" approach. The band's 2001 debut album Gorillaz sold over seven million copies worldwide. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize, but the nomination was withdrawn at the band's request. Their second studio album, Demon Days (2005), went six times platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US, and has sold over eight million copies worldwide. The band has won other awards, including one Grammy Award, two MTV Video Music Awards, an NME Award and three MTV Europe Music Awards.
The third Gorillaz studio album, Plastic Beach, was released in March 2010. The fourth, The Fall, was released in December 2010 as a free download for fan club members, then in April 2011 as a physical release. In 2017, after a five-year hiatus, Gorillaz announced their fifth studio album Humanz. Their sixth studio album, The Now Now, was released on 29 June 2018. Their seventh album, Song Machine, Season 1: Strange Timez, was released in 2020 through a series of episodical music videos. Cracker Island, the band's eighth album, was released on February 24, 2023. Gorillaz have been nominated for ten Brit Awards and won Best British Group at the 2018 Brit Awards.
The Gorillaz characters only appear in animated form and are not alter-egos of real people, as is often mistakenly assumed. There is an extensive fictional back-story behind these band members, written by Albarn and Hewlett. Their albums, several of their music videos, and their autobiographical book Rise Of The Ogre all tell the saga. Damon Albarn is the only permanent musical contributor to the band, which is also a collaboration between various musicians. Their style is broad with a large number of alternative influences including rock, hip-hop, and electronica.
They have released eight studio albums: Gorillaz (2001), Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (Also in 2010), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018), Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (2020), and Cracker Island (2023). Additionally, they have put out two B-side collections, G-Sides (2001) and D-Sides (2007), and a reggae remix of the Gorillaz album entitled Laika Come Home (2002). The band has also released three DVDs: Phase One: Celebrity Takedown, Demon Days: Live at Manchester Opera House, and Phase Two: Slow Boat To Hades. At the end of 2010, Gorillaz released their next album, The Fall, which was recorded during their US 'Escape to Plastic Beach' tour. It is promoted as being the first album made entirely on iPad. The album is streamed on the Gorillaz website.
The band's first single, Clint Eastwood, was released on 5 March 2001. This single was the first of four from Gorillaz, which was released on 26 March 2001. The other three singles were released over the next year. These were: 19-2000, Rock the House, and Tomorrow Comes Today. The album sold over 7 million copies worldwide and has gone platinum twice in the United Kingdom earning them an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize, but the nomination was later withdrawn at the band's request. Collaborators on the first album included Del tha Funkee Homosapien (often mistaken for a full-time band member), Miho Hatori (formerly of Cibo Matto), Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads.and Ibrahim Ferrer. The album was produced by Dan the Automator of Deltron 3030.
At the end of 2001 the band released another single, 911, which was a collaboration between Gorillaz and rap artists D12, Eminem and Terry Hall. The single would find its way onto the soundtrack to the 2002 action comedy Bad Company.
Their second studio album, Demon Days, was released on 11 May 2005 and included the hit singles Feel Good Inc., DARE, Dirty Harry and Kids With Guns / El Mañana. Demon Days went five times platinum in the UK, double platinum in the United States, and earned five Grammy award nominations for 2006 and won one of them (Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals). Collaborators on this album – produced by Dj Danger Mouse – include De La Soul, Bootie Brown of The Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder of the Happy Mondays, Neneh Cherry, Ike Turner, MF Doom, Roots Manuva, and Martina Topley-Bird, among others. DARE – the first Gorillaz track featuring lead vocals by Noodle – reached #1 in the UK charts.
In late 2007, Albarn and Hewlett began working on Carousel, a new Gorillaz project which eventually evolved into the band's third studio album, Plastic Beach, which was released 9 March 2010. Albarn said, "I'm making this one the most pop record I've ever made in many ways, but with all my experience to try and at least present something that has got depth.” The album features guest performances by Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, Gruff Rhys, Mark E. Smith, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Bashy, Kano, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, sinfonia ViVA, and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music.
A 3D projection of the group was shown at the 2005 MTV Music Awards and the 2006 Grammys. They also performed at the Brits, in a different format, using screens rather than projections. Gorillaz have performed live in other occasions as well: in 2001 & 2002 they did tours where the musicians played behind screens, and in 2005 & 2006, Gorillaz had five nights in Manchester and New York respectively. This time the screens were behind the musicians, who were visible to the audience only as silhouettes (except for the guest-stars).
Since the band began to achieve mainstream success, there have been rumours of them working on a full-length movie. Some of these have been confirmed, but nothing has gotten beyond planning stages, mainly due to conflicts between the band and studios involved. In 2008, Hewlett said "Ultimately we didn't think that feel we're in a position to make the kind of movie we want to make with Gorillaz at the moment. [...] But I'd still like to make a full, lavishly-animated Gorillaz movie someday."
Albarn and Hewlett created a Pop Opera called Monkey: Journey to the West, which premiered in the summer of 2007 at the Manchester International Festival. A soundtrack album was recorded in the summer as well (initially only digitally available though a CD version was released in 2008). The production went on to show at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in September-October 2007, the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, USA in May 2008, and the Royal Opera House in London in July 2008.
The duo behind the Pop Opera built on ideas from Monkey: Journey to the West to release a short film in the Summer of 2008 which accompanied the United Kingdom's coverage of the BBC Olympic Coverage in Beijing. It featured a basic outline of the main plot elements of the Opera, reworked into a "Journey to the East", with the characters finishing in the Beijing Olympic Stadium.
Gorillaz headlined the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2010, as an immediate replacement for U2, who dropped out of performing at the festival.
At the end of 2010 Gorillaz released their next album The Fall made in the hotel rooms during their US tour. It was, when released, the first album to be recorded entirely on an iPad. The album was made available for free to Gorillaz fan club members for a limited time as a digital download – and hard copies were released to worldwide markets in the following year.
In April 2012, Albarn told The Guardian that he and Hewlett had fallen out and that future Gorillaz projects were "unlikely". However, it was later announced by the duo that they had reconciled their difference – and that Noodle, Russel, Murdoc and 2-D would return with a new album in 2017. Featuring collaborations by artists such as album Grace Jones, Kali Uchis, Popcaan, Vince Staples, Mavis Staples, Peven Everett, Pusha T, Kelela, Jamie Principle, D.R.A.M. and Graham Coxon, Humanz was released to critical acclaim; the album would go on to win Gorillaz the 2018 Brit Award for Best British Group. Gorillaz would also collaborate with Carly Simon, Kilo Kish and Rag'n'Bone Man on the Deluxe edition of Humanz, while Little Simz would feature on the single Garage Palace. Another 2017 release was the single Sleeping Powder – supposedly written and recorded in a day. Meanwhile, a solar energy-themed collaboration with E.ON, released in 2017, would later win Gorillaz a Webby Award.
A new album, The Now Now, would follow in 2018. Written by Albarn whilst touring Humanz – and featuring two collaborations, including the return of Snoop Dogg and Jamie Principle as well as George Benson and Graham Coxon – The Now Now spawned six singles, including Humility, Tranz, and Lake Zürich. Murdoc was unable to enjoy the band's success for the time being as he was undergoing a stint in jail for an undisclosed malefaction; he was replaced on bass for Ace Copular – who most famously played Ace of the Gangreen Gang in the Powerpuff Girls TV series – for the recording of The Now Now; however, Murdoc would later break his way out of prison. Gorillaz saw the year out by securing another Brits nomination for Best British Group as well as winning a second consecutive Webby Award; this time, for the FreeMurdoc chatbot, which provided a way for Gorillaz fans to interact with Murdoc Niccals during his incarceration.
Fire Flies
Gorillaz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My face will be painted in these white brick lines
'Cause all my fear's invading
All the crazies put on buses and sent up here to find you
Livin' on the limits
And if you say goodbye too many times
'Cause all my fear's invading
All the crazies put on buses and sent up here to find you
Livin' on the limits
All you ever get from the sonnet is the count of the falling men
Every calling cost made to your heart
You were in the kind of game that put the force in me
I was ever chasing fireflies
Sometimes I follow a firefly
It takes me into the night
Baby, I just survive
I'm love drunk, I'm sorry
Am I losing you?
Sometimes I follow a firefly
It takes me into the night
Baby, I just survive
I got drunk, I'm sorry
Am I losing you?
All you ever get from the sonnet is the count of the falling men
(Into the night)
Every calling cost made to your heart
(I'm sorry, am I losing you?)
You were in the kind of game that put the force in me
(It takes me into the night)
I was ever chasing fireflies
The Gorillaz's song "Fire Flies" is a melancholic yet hopeful song about someone who is going through a rough time and is searching for happiness wherever they can find it. The opening lines, "If you see me floatin' too many times, my face will be painted in these white brick lines," suggest that the singer of the song has been struggling for a long time and has become somewhat numb to their sadness. The reference to "white brick lines" may also suggest that the singer is using drugs or alcohol to cope with their pain.
The chorus of the song, "All my fear's invading, all the crazies put on buses and sent up here to find you, Livin' on the limits," suggests that the singer feels overwhelmed and surrounded by chaos and negativity. They are living on the edge and are constantly worried that their fear and anxiety will consume them. The line about "crazies put on buses" is particularly haunting, suggesting that mental illness is a prevalent and dangerous issue.
Despite the dark imagery and bleak themes, "Fire Flies" has an undertone of hope and resilience. The line, "Sometimes I follow a firefly, it takes me into the night, baby I just survive," suggests that the singer finds solace and happiness in small moments of beauty and wonder. The song ends with the line, "I was ever chasing fireflies," which can be seen as a metaphor for the search for happiness and optimism in the face of adversity.
Overall, "Fire Flies" is a beautifully crafted song that captures the struggle of living with anxiety and mental illness while still maintaining a sense of hope and resilience. It is a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there are still moments of beauty and joy to be found if we keep searching.
Line by Line Meaning
If you see me floatin' too many times
If you repeatedly see me lost, alone and aimless
My face will be painted in these white brick lines
I will be marked, like a prisoner, by the empty spaces between the white grout lines of a brick wall
'Cause all my fear's invading
My fear is taking over my mind and actions
All the crazies put on buses and sent up here to find you
All the mentally unstable people have been gathered and brought here to search for you
Livin' on the limits
Living dangerously close to the edge of what is acceptable or safe
And if you say goodbye too many times
If you leave me repeatedly and without warning
The sentinels will find me and switch me off this time
The protectors will locate me and terminate me for good
All you ever get from the sonnet is the count of the falling men
All you can understand from the poem is the tally of the men who have perished
Every calling cost made to your heart
Every effort to reach you comes at a high emotional cost
You were in the kind of game that put the force in me
You have played an essential role in shaping and motivating me
I was ever chasing fireflies
I was always pursuing my dreams and passions, despite their fleeting nature
Sometimes I follow a firefly
On occasion, I pursue a newfound passion or interest
It takes me into the night
It carries me away from the familiar and comfortable
Baby, I just survive
My only goal is to keep going, to keep existing
I'm love drunk, I'm sorry
I'm intoxicated by my emotions and regret my actions
Am I losing you?
Are you slipping away from me? Am I failing to hold onto you?
I got drunk, I'm sorry
I made a mistake, I allowed myself to indulge in something and lost control
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Remi Kabaka, James Ford, Damon Albarn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ApparelledInLight
2:21 I adore this part its just absolutely perfect
Sometimes I follow a firefly
It takes me into the night
Baby, I just survive
I got drunk, I'm sorry
Am I loosing you?
Sometimes I follow a firefly
It takes me into the night
Baby, I just survive
I got drunk, I'm sorry
Am I loosing you?
Beautiful
@9mmomo
CORRECT LYRICS: If you see me floatin' too many times
My face will be painted in these white brick lines
'Cause all my fear's invading
All the crazies put on buses and sent up here to find you
Livin' on the limits
And if you say goodbye too many times
The sentinels will find me and switch me off this time
'Cause all my fear's invading
All the crazies put on buses and sent up here to find you
Livin' on the limits
All you ever get from the sonnet is the count of the falling men
Every calling cost made to your heart
You were in the kind of game that put the force in me
I was ever chasing fireflies
Sometimes I follow a firefly
It takes me into the night
Baby, I just survive
I'm love drunk, I'm sorry
Am I losing you?
Sometimes I follow a firefly
It takes me into the night
Baby, I just survive
I got drunk, I'm sorry
Am I losing you?
All you ever get from the sonnet is the count of the falling men
(Into the night)
Every calling cost made to your heart
(I'm sorry, am I losing you?)
You were in the kind of game that put the force in me
(It takes me into the night)
I was ever chasing fireflies
@Anna-ps1us
An Elder Hispanic woman from Honduras raised me and my brother and over time took care of my immediate family. She lived with us from the time I was 2 years old till 22 years old. She was getting older in her age and subtly weaker; the language barrier became greater as I grew up.
She left us this year because I thought her health was affecting her quality of life.
The same month she left, she was diagnosed with colon cancer.
I listen to this and think of her every time I hear this and cry. I miss her and want to tell her how sorry I am that I was ignorant of her pain, of even her language.
I'm greatly thinking of making a photo/ video montage of her to this song and sending it to her explaining this. I love you, Ana.
@uipantera1619
[Verse 1]
If you see me floating too many times
My face will be painted in these white brick lines
'Cos all my fears invaded
All the crazies put on buses and sent up here to find you
Living on the limits
And if you say goodbye too many times
The sentinels will find me and switch me off this time
Cos all my fears invaded
All the crazies put on buses and sent up here to find you
Living on the limits
[Chorus]
If all you ever get from the summit is the count of the fall of man
Every calling cost makes you your heart
You were in the kind of game that put the force in me
I was ever chasing fire flies
[Verse 2]
Sometimes I follow the fire fly he takes me into the night
Baby I just survive, I'm lovedrunk, I'm sorry, am I losing you?
Sometimes I follow the fire fly he takes me into the night
Baby I just survived, I'm lovedrunk, I'm sorry, am I losing you?
[Chorus]
If all you ever get from the summit is the count of the fall of man
Every calling cost makes you your heart
You were in the kind of game that put the force in me
I was ever chasing fire flies
@robloxheavy
There seems to be a few typos here n there so I'll help you out
You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep
'Cause they fill the open air
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude but I would just stand and stare
I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head
A sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread (thread, thread)
I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep)
Leave my door open just a crack
Please take me away from here
'Cause I feel like such an insomniac
Please take me away from here
Why do I tire of counting sheep
Please take me away from here
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep
To ten million fireflies
I'm weird cause I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes as they said farewell (said farewell)
But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar (jar, jar)
I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep)
I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep)
@gaiamordder3153
[Verse 1]
If you see me floating too many times
My face will be painted in these white brick lines
[Refrain]
'Cause all my fear's invading
All the crazies put on buses and sent up here to find you
Livin' on the limits
[Verse 2]
And if you say goodbye too many times
The sentinels will find me and switch me off this time
[Refrain]
'Cause all my fear's invading
All the crazies put on buses and sent up here to find you
Livin' on the limits
[Chorus]
All you ever get from the sonnet is the count of the falling man
Every calling cost made to your heart
You were in the kind of game that put the force in me
I was ever chasing fireflies
[Bridge]
Sometimes I follow a firefly
It takes me into the night
Baby, I just survive
I got drunk, I'm sorry
Am I losing you?
Sometimes I follow a firefly
It takes me into the night
Baby, I just survive
I got drunk, I'm sorry
Am I losing you?
[Chorus]
All you ever get from the sonnet is the count of the falling man
Every calling cost made to your heart
You were in the kind of game that put the force in me
I was ever chasing fireflies
@florencebitchface8106
Seeing this live was incredible... People took their cellphone's light and it looked like the sky was covered in fireflies
@blititz
Florence Bitchface where did you go for them live?
@sydney6486
This happened at the Montreal concert! It was BREATHTAKING.
@blititz
Sydney Smith I went to the one at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and it was also AMAZING
@essiusc
YESSSSS IT was quite the moment. I saw the Gorillaz with opening act The Internet at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. I went by myself cause the people i know always say "who?" "never heard of them" .... i sat next to a man and his young son, and two younger ladies on the other side, I think I even shed a few tears ..... WE HAD THE BEST FREAKING TIME!! I danced and sang the entire night, I am 58 years old.. Yes, it was MAGICAL with all the lights everywhere.
I kick myself everytime for not going to Demon Days Festival last year...
@Scags
@@essiusc The only good Karen. Glad you had a great time!
@Mazzakazoo
These aren't tears of sadness, these are tears of experiencing something overwhelmingly beautiful, on the first listen
@laci9265
Mazzakazoo YOUR PROFILE PIC HHDFHJHVGJ
@nononono-qb3ys
Miraculous Murdoc
@Zorropops
#freemurdoc