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.
Homesick
Kings of Convenience Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I can't stop listening to the sound
Of two soft voices blended in perfection
From the reels of this record that I've found
Every day there's a boy in the mirror
Asking me "What are you doing here?"
Finding all my previous motives
Growing increasingly unclear
I've traveled far and I've burned all the bridges
I believed as soon as I hit land
All the other options held before me
Would wither in the light of my plan
So I'll lose some sales and my boss won't be happy
But there's only one thing on my mind
Searching boxes underneath the counter
On a chance that on a tape I'd find
A song for
Someone who needs somewhere
To long for
Homesick
Cause I no longer know
Where home is
The lyrics to Kings of Convenience's "Homesick" explore the feelings of uncertainty, disillusionment, and longing. The singer acknowledges that his actions may have repercussions such as losing sales and disappointing his boss, but he cannot ignore the beauty and impact of the music he has found. The two soft voices that blend in perfection remind him of the power of music to evoke emotion and transport him to another place. He questions his own motives and the choices he has made that have brought him to this point in his life. He reflects on the bridges he has burned and how he expected his plan to bring him clarity, but instead, he finds himself lost and directionless.
The chorus of "Homesick" voices the underlying theme of the song. He is searching for a song that will bring comfort and solace to someone who is longing for a place to call home. The word "homesick" conveys the sense of displacement and the feeling of not belonging anywhere. The singer acknowledges that he too is homesick as he no longer knows where home is. The song has a melancholic tone and is complemented by the gentle and soothing acoustic guitar.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll lose some sales and my boss won't be happy
Despite it having negative consequences for my job, I cannot stop listening to a sound created by the perfect blend of two soft voices coming from a record.
Of two soft voices blended in perfection
The record I found contains the flawless blend of two voices that I can't stop listening to.
Every day there's a boy in the mirror
Daily, I question the decisions that led me to where I am now and I face my younger self, pondering why I made those choices.
Asking me "What are you doing here?"
The boy in the mirror asks why I am where I am, and reminds me of where I once saw myself going.
Finding all my previous motives
Upon reflection, I realize that my former reasons for taking a path have lost their clarity.
Growing increasingly unclear
It is becoming harder to identify what my reasons were for getting where I am now.
I've traveled far and I've burned all the bridges
I have journeyed a great distance and severed all ties to where I was before I started down this path.
I believed as soon as I hit land
When I first started on this journey, I had faith that everything would fall into place as soon as I arrived at my new destination.
All the other options held before me
I thought that once I made my decision, all other options would fade into insignificance.
Would wither in the light of my plan
I thought that my plan would make all other options pale in comparison and be instantly irrelevant.
But there's only one thing on my mind
Despite my job being on the line, I am focused on searching for a specific song on a tape that could bring comfort to someone who is homesick.
Searching boxes underneath the counter
I am looking through boxes under the counter of a shop in search of the tape with the song I am fixated on.
On a chance that on a tape I'd find
I am hoping to come across the tape that has the song I am looking for, even though it is only a slight possibility.
A song for
The tape I'm looking for holds the key to bring comfort to
Someone who needs somewhere
Someone who is homesick and is looking for a sense of belonging.
To long for
The song on the tape will give them something to deeply desire and long for.
Cause I no longer know
The journey I have been on has resulted in me not knowing
Where home is
The sense of belonging that I too have been searching for and that the song on the tape may provide.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EIRIK GLAMBEK BOE, ERLEND OTRE OEYE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind