Grandaddy are an American indie pop band formed in Modesto, California in 1… Read Full Bio ↴Grandaddy are an American indie pop band formed in Modesto, California in 1992 by singer/guitarist/keyboardist Jason Lytle, bassist Kevin Garcia, and drummer Aaron Burtch; although a noisy, lo-fi approach characterized early recordings like 1994's Complex Party Come Along Theories, with the 1995 additions of guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist Tim Dryden the group's sound expanded exponentially over the course of subsequent efforts including the unreleased Don't Sock the Tryer and the 1996 EP A Pretty Mess by This One Band. Originally issued on indie label Will Records, 1997's acclaimed full-length Under the Western Freeway proved Grandaddy's creative breakthrough, and the following year the album was reissued on major-label V2, with "Summer Here Kids" earning Single of the Week honors in the pages of the NME. The Broken Down Comforter Collection, a compilation of singles tracks, preceded the 1999 Signal to Snow Ratio EP, which heralded a movement toward the vintage electronic textures further in evidence on 2000's superb The Sophtware Slump. In 2002, the group released another odds-n-sods collection, Concrete Dunes, which paved the way for a busy 2003: that spring, Grandaddy released the Floating Debris EP and their fourth full-length, Sumday, and spent the rest of the year touring, making appearances at festivals such as Glastonbury. In 2005, they resurfaced with the Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla EP and a full-length album (Just Like the Fambly Cat) followed in 2006. It was to be their last, though Jason Lytle continues to tour, playing Grandaddy songs as well as his own solo works.

Additional Info:

Under the name Arm of Roger, Grandaddy recorded a joke album entitled The Ham and its Lily in 2002.

A.M. 180, which was released as a single, is featured prominently in the British film 28 Days Later.

On the 27th January 2006, Jason Lytle confirmed that the band would split following the release of their final album, Just Like The Fambly Cat.

Jason Lytle has since toured the US as a solo artist, playing Grandaddy songs from the last album and others. He is said to plan a solo career of new material.

On March 2, 2012, Grandaddy announced their reunion with news of a headline slot at the End of the Road Festival in Dorset, England on 2 September. Further dates are expected.

Broken Household Appliance National Forest
Grandaddy Lyrics

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Sit on the toaster like a rock
No need to worry about a shock
All of the microwaves are dead
Just like the salamander said
The refrigerators house the frogs
The conduit is the hollow log

Broken household appliance national forest

Air conditioners in the woods
Broken household appliance national forest
Mud and metal mixing good

Meadows resemble showroom floors
Owls fly out of oven doors
Stream banks are lined with vacuum bags
Flowers reside with filthy rags
A family of deer were happy that
The clearing looked like a laundry mat

Broken household appliance national forest
Air conditioners in the woods

Broken household appliance national forest
Mud and metal mixing good

Overall Meaning

The song “Broken Household Appliance National Forest” by Grandaddy is a unique piece with a surreal depiction of nature that is strongly influenced by man's technology. The lyrics describe a forest populated by broken household appliances and gadgets, with a toaster being used as a chair and microwaves and refrigerators turned into habitats for animals. The chorus repeats the title of the song as though the forest is a national park or reservation, strengthened by the suggestion of a sign being posted.

The lyrics seem to suggest a cautionary tale about environmental degradation and pollution. With lines like "Meadows resemble showroom floors" and "Flowers reside with filthy rags," it seems that the song is pointing out the coexistence of nature with the detritus of man's consumer-driven culture. The imagery is bizarre but thought-provoking, weaving together the natural world with the remnants of technology to form a new ecosystem.

Interestingly, the song's title originates from a real place in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, where the band formed. This location was where they would take broken electronic devices to create art installations in the woods surrounding their modest studio. It was also said to be a place where discarded appliances and gadgets were left by the nearby community, creating a surreal but strangely beautiful landscape.

Line by Line Meaning

Sit on the toaster like a rock
The singer is comfortable and unafraid of danger, comparing themselves to a sturdy rock resting nonchalantly on an appliance.

No need to worry about a shock
By confidently sitting on the toaster, the singer does not fear being electrocuted.

All of the microwaves are dead
None of the microwaves are operational or in use.

Just like the salamander said
Similar to the way in which an animal might observe its surroundings, the artist remarks on how the empty microwaves are similar to what a salamander might have predicted.

The refrigerators house the frogs
Endothermic animals like frogs can be found amidst the cold of abandoned refrigerators in this strange environment.

The conduit is the hollow log
The pipes that conduct electricity are akin to hollowed out logs traditionally found in forests.

Broken household appliance national forest
The titular forest is a curious place where broken domestic appliances hold a dominant presence amidst nature.

Air conditioners in the woods
The cooling units of homes are seemingly in the heart of this verdant setting.

Mud and metal mixing good
The destructive detritus of machine parts has somehow blended naturally into the environment.

Meadows resemble showroom floors
The open fields of the forest carry an odd resemblance to pristine, commercial floors of stores.

Owls fly out of oven doors
The oven doors become subterranean nests to nocturnal birds and can be a means for them to enter and depart from the appliance.

Stream banks are lined with vacuum bags
Waste products from technology are carelessly strewn across natural formations of land.

Flowers reside with filthy rags
Even as the natural world tries to flourish here, it is accompanied by the ugliness of man-made waste.

A family of deer were happy that
The local fauna appears content to coexist with the disorder of the appliances.

The clearing looked like a laundry mat
The clearing that the singer had come across was reminiscent of a commercial washing facility.

Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: JASON LYTLE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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