After first earning notice thanks to a series of acclaimed European festival appearances during the summer of 1999, the twosome signed to American label Kindercore to issue their lovely eponymous debut the following spring. Quiet Is the New Loud was issued in early 2001 on Astralwerks. The album used many of the same tracks from the Kindercore release but re-ordered them and replaced a few with newer songs. The remix album Versus followed later in the year and featured remixes by artists as diverse as Ladytron, avid Whitaker and Four Tet. After a three year layoff during which Øye recorded a solo album, 2003's Unrest, and gained some reknown as an electronica DJ while Bøe worked on finishing up his psychology degree, the pair teamed up again for the recording and release of 2004's Riot on an Empty Street.
After a 5 year layoff, the band released Declaration Of Dependence on October 20, 2009 on Astralwerks in the US and Virgin Records in the UK.
Erlend Øye has released some solo material and is also a member of The Whitest Boy Alive.
Eirik Glambek Bøe is also a member of a second band, Kommode. The Whitest Boy Alive and Kommode toured together this year for a short period.
Freedom and Its Owner
Kings of Convenience Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of all the places
We've captured with our camera
We've seen the pyramids
We've seen the Louvre
We've seen the Orion upside down
Total eclipses and moonlight shadows
We've seen dolphins jumping waves
And let the sunlight dry our skins
But freedom, freedom never greater than its owner
Freedom is the mastery of the known
Freedom, freedom never greater than its owner
No view is wider than the eye
Show a view to someone who chose to live his whole life in cave
He'll raise his arms to protect his eyes from burning
And the blindness to which he belongs
This time it's me, it's me
Cascades of chances I'll just let them be
The unfamiliar is right below our eyes
Don't look for what we know
The unfamiliar is right below our eyes
But freedom, freedom never greater than its owner
Freedom is the mastery of the known
Freedom, freedom never greater than its owner
No view is wider than the eye
In "Freedom and Its Owner," Kings of Convenience reflects on the meaning of freedom and how it is often limited by our own perspectives. The first stanza describes the beauty of the world that the singer has experienced through travel and exploration, such as seeing the pyramids, skiing in the mountains, and swimming in rivers. Despite these experiences, the chorus reminds the listener that the power of freedom lies within the individual, and that it is limited by our own understanding and experience of the world. No matter how wide a view may be, our personal perceptions and limitations will always impact how we experience and understand freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
The beauty memories of all the places
We remember all the beautiful places we have been to.
Of all the places
We remember all the places, not just some.
We've captured with our camera
We have recorded these memories with our camera.
We've seen the pyramids
We have visited the pyramids.
We've seen the Louvre
We have visited the Louvre.
We've seen the Orion upside down
We have seen Orion from a different angle.
Total eclipses and moonlight shadows
We have seen total eclipses and moonlight shadows.
We've seen dolphins jumping waves
We have seen dolphins jumping over waves.
We've ski'ed the mountains and we swam in the rivers
We have skied in the mountains and swam in the rivers.
And let the sunlight dry our skins
We have enjoyed the sunlight and let it dry our skins.
But freedom, freedom never greater than its owner
Freedom is only as great as the person who possesses it.
Freedom is the mastery of the known
Freedom is about understanding and controlling what you know.
No view is wider than the eye
No matter what we see, our mind can only perceive so much.
Show a view to someone who chose to live his whole life in cave
Some people are content living in their own narrow world and may be afraid of anything beyond it.
He'll raise his arms to protect his eyes from burning
When faced with the unfamiliar, some people will instinctively try to protect themselves from harm.
And the blindness to which he belongs
This person is blind to anything beyond their limited experience.
This time it's me, it's me
Sometimes we have to face the fact that we are the ones limiting ourselves.
Cascades of chances I'll just let them be
Opportunities may pass us by if we do not actively seize them.
The unfamiliar is right below our eyes
There may be things that we have not noticed, even though they are right in front of us.
Don't look for what we know
We should not limit ourselves to only what we already know.
The unfamiliar is right below our eyes
We should be open to new experiences and perspectives.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EIRIK GLAMBEK BOE, ERLEND OTRE OEYE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind