Imperial Teen was formed in San Francisco in 1995 by Roddy Bottum (keyboard… Read Full Bio ↴Imperial Teen was formed in San Francisco in 1995 by Roddy Bottum (keyboard player for Faith No More), Lynn Perko, Jone Stebbins and Will Schwartz. A pop aesthetic of crunchy guitar riffs and classic boy/girl harmonies quickly developed, finding all four members switching off on instruments and taking turns behind the mic. The band had barely been playing together for six months when they landed their first record deal (London / Universal) and found themselves in the studio. The result was the amazingly fresh and joyous Seasick, which tickled the fancy of many a critic and music fan alike, with its infectious pop grooves standing out in a musical climate dripping with grunge. After several unforeseen roadblocks (label inertia, recording delays) Imperial Teen went on to release "What Is Not To Love" in 1999, and managed to garner even more praise and adoration worldwide. Their latest album "The Hair The TV The Baby & The Band" was released in 2007 by Merge Records.

Hooray
Imperial Teen Lyrics

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Lookin' all over for quarters
Colors slippin' all over the border
Lookin' all over for quarters
Colors slippin' all over the border

(???)
Looking black
Turning blue

Lookin' all over for quarters
Colors slippin' from under the border
Lookin' all over for quarters
Getting my bloody water

(???)
Looking black
Turning blue

(???)
Looking black
Turning blue

Lookin' all over for quarters
Colors slippin' from under the border
Lookin' all over for quarters
Getting my bloody water

(???)
Looking black
Turning blue

Lookin' all over for quarters
Getting my bloody water
Lookin' all over for quarters
Colors slipping all over the border

(???)
Looking black
Turning blue

(???)
Looking black
Turning blue

(???)

Looking black
Turning blue

Overall Meaning

The song "Hooray" by Imperial Teen presents a strange and abstract series of lyrics that are open to interpretation. However, some of the themes that can be extracted from the song include an exploration of life's struggles, the search for something valuable, and the way that colors can symbolize emotion or state of being. The repeated phrase "looking all over for quarters" may refer to the difficult search for something useful or valuable in a world that often seems inhospitable. The colors slipping over the border could represent the unpredictability and fragility of life, as well as the way that emotions can shift and change quickly.

Line by Line Meaning

Lookin' all over for quarters
Searching desperately for something of value or usefulness.

Colors slippin' all over the border
Experiencing a loss of identity or control as boundaries and expectations blur.

Looking black Turning blue
Feeling overwhelmed and hopeless as emotions take hold and darken one's perspective.

Colors slippin' from under the border
Feeling a sense of displacement as identity and expectations are challenged and reshaped.

Getting my bloody water
Claiming one's right to basic needs and necessities, while also acknowledging the violence and struggle that may accompany the pursuit.

Looking all over for quarters
Continuing to search and strive for something that may be hard to find or just out of reach.

Looking black Turning blue
Continuing to feel weighed down and trapped by difficult emotions and experiences.

Colors slipping all over the border
Continuing to feel a loss of control and identity as the world around us changes and challenges our expectations.

Looking black Turning blue
Continuing to struggle and feel overwhelmed by intense emotions and experiences.

Contributed by Abigail B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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