Beam was raised outside Columbia, South Carolina, United States where his father worked in land management and his mother was a schoolteacher. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a bachelor's degree and the Florida State University Film School with an MFA degree. Until the first Iron & Wine album, Beam's main source of income was as a professor of film and cinematography at the University of Miami and Miami International University of Art & Design. He had been writing songs for over seven years before a friend lent him a four-track recorder. His friends handed out copies of demos that he had made, and the owner of Sub Pop Records personally contacted Beam and proposed a deal.
Beam released his first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, on the Sub Pop label in 2002; Beam wrote, performed, recorded, and produced every track on the album by himself at a studio in his home. The album features acoustic guitars, banjo, and slide guitar; its music has been compared, variously, to that of Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, Elliott Smith, and Ralph Stanley.
In 2003 The Sea & The Rhythm was released, an EP collecting other home-recorded tracks along the same lines as those on the debut. Beam's second album, Our Endless Numbered Days (2004), was recorded in a professional studio with a significant increase in fidelity. The focus still lies on acoustic material, but the inclusion of other band members gives rise to a very different sound.
Beam released an EP titled Woman King in February 2005, and the EP In the Reins, a collaboration with Calexico was released in September 2005. This joint work mostly features new full-band versions of previously recorded Iron and Wine rarities.
One of his most famous songs is a cover, which was featured on a commercial for M&M’s candies and in the 2004 film “Garden State” (and on its popular soundtrack), of "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service.
"Kiss Each Other Clean" is the fourth studio album by Iron & Wine, released January 25, 2011. The album's title is taken from the lyrics of track 10, "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me". The album marks a further change in style – in an interview with SPIN magazine, Beam said “It’s more of a focused pop record. It sounds like the music people heard in their parent’s car growing up… that early-to-mid-’70s FM, radio-friendly music."
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Bullet Proof Soul
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You rarely see a love that's true
Wasn't that enough for you
Wasn't that enough for you
I would climb a mountain
I wouldn't want to see you fall
Rock climb for you
And give you a reason for it all
You keep on thinking
You were the only one
Too busy thinking
Love is a gun
Hit me like a slow bullet
Like a slow bullet
It took me some time to realise it
You keep on thinking
You were the only one
Too busy thinking
Love is a gun
I know the end before
The story's been told
It's not that complicated
But you're gonna need a bullet proof soul
You keep on thinking
You were the only one
Too busy thinking
Love is a gun
I know the end before
The story's been told
It's not that complicated
But you're gonna need a bullet proof soul
You were trigger happy baby
You never warned me let me free
It's not that complicated
But you're going to need a bullet proof soul
Think you got it but you got all the trouble you need
I came in like a lamb
But I intend to leave like a lion
It hit me like a slow bullet (like a slow bullet)
It hit me like a slow bullet
In "Bullet Proof Soul," Iron & Wine & Ben Bridwell lament about a love that was once so true but ended up being one-sided. The song tells a story of a man who was deeply in love and committed to his significant other, willing to climb mountains and rocks for her. He thought that his love for her was enough, but unfortunately, it was not. The woman was too busy thinking that love is a game and that she was the only one in control, never giving him the love that he deserves. The man endures this until the end, knowing how the story goes, but he's hoping that the woman would wake up and realize that she needs a bulletproof soul to survive all the troubles she eventually will encounter.
The song's chorus repeats the phrase, "Love is a gun," suggesting that love is dangerous and unpredictable. The term "bulletproof soul" is used to describe a person's emotional state when they are strong and resilient enough to withstand anything that comes their way. The man's experiences are presented as a warning to anyone who is investing too much in a lopsided relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I was so in love with you
I loved you deeply and sincerely
You rarely see a love that's true
Genuine love is rare and hard to find
Wasn't that enough for you
Didn't my love mean anything to you?
I would climb a mountain
I would do anything for you
I wouldn't want to see you fall
I care about you and don't want you to be hurt
Rock climb for you
I would take on any challenge for you
And give you a reason for it all
I would do everything for you because of the love I have
You keep on thinking
You believe
You were the only one
That you were the only one
Too busy thinking
You were too preoccupied with
Love is a gun
Love can be dangerous
Hit me like a slow bullet
The realization took a while to fully impact me
It took me some time to realize it
It took me some time to fully understand the situation
I know the end before
I already know how it's going to turn out
The story's been told
The outcome is already known
It's not that complicated
It's actually quite simple
But you're gonna need a bullet proof soul
You need to be strong enough to handle the challenges ahead
You were trigger happy baby
You acted impulsively and without thinking
You never warned me let me free
You didn't give me the chance to leave before things got bad
Think you got it but you got all the trouble you need
You think you can handle it, but you're in for more trouble than you realize
I came in like a lamb
I entered the situation calmly and gently
But I intend to leave like a lion
I will exit the situation strong and empowered
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDREW HALE, HELEN ADU, STUART MATTHEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@davidgolden916
Perfect !!!! Sade is the Queen and they recognized ~420
@ChaseSchieferPhotos
I know it's just Sade cover, but this encompasses everything great about music. It's love lost. It's pain. It's the space between notes. It's a warm summer night. It's a full moon winter twilight. It's slow sex. It's a high school crush. It's a slow dance in a hot kitchen with an apple pie in the oven. It's the purest of human emotion. It's perfect.
@papasmurf2013
One does not simply make "just a Sade cover"
@ewh88
its my habitat, its my car..
@giginy8697
I know yours is just a comment on a song but it encompasses all that I feel about this amazing cover. I thank you for putting all this into words, just as much as I thank them for translating it into an amazing song ツ
@davidrobert1229
Sade is the true Queen
@michaelmcgrath3429
This cover gave me chills the first time I heard it in my car. Beautiful...well needed. Love Iron and Wine..
@MrHumanracin
Love iron & Wine, Love Band Of Horses and I love Sade… so this is a win win, very lovely cover version guys!
@davidrobert1229
some of the best ever, all three
@inertmosaic2220
@@davidrobert1229 and Ben Howard