After meeting as fellow students at the New England Conservatory in Boston, the band was hand picked by Minneapolis trumpet/guitar player Mike Olson and named after an actual neighborhood of seedy bars in his hometown. Vocalist Rachael Price came from outside Nashville, Tennessee, stand-up bassist Bridget Kearney was an Iowa native, while drummer Mike Calabrese called Philadelphia home. “I wasn’t only impressed with their musicianship,” says Olson, who acquired the nickname “McDuck” while at the conservatory for his reclusive ways. “They were also a lot of fun just to hang out with. The first four years of rehearsals were more like glorified dinner parties.”
Bad Self Portraits
Lake Street Dive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
to take pictures of my love
Now that he's gone
I don't have anybody to take pictures of
Along some highway
is pretty good subjects
I'm gonna make myself make use of this thing
I'm taking still lifes
I'm taking bad self portraits
of a lonely woman
I've spent my life
so lost on lovin'
I could have been a painter or a president
But after 25 years
I should be good at something
Gone are the days of me being so innocent
I'm taking night classes
I'm making sculptures
I'm painting bad self portraits
of a lonely woman
I bought this camera
to take pictures of my love
Now that he's gone
I don't know what to do with this thing, well
I don't care about the time or money
I just never thought that I'd be
through with this love
Stuck taking landscapes
Stuck making still lives
Stuck making sculptures
I'm out here taking bad self portraits
of a lonely woman
Bad self portraits of a lonely girl
Sad self portraits of a lonely woman
The lyrics to Lake Street Dive's song "Bad Self Portraits" revolve around the main theme of loneliness, but it also carries various motifs, such as love, loss, and self-discovery. The singer starts the first verse by explaining that she bought a camera to take pictures of her love, however, now that he's gone, she's left with nobody to photograph. She tries to find inspiration for her photography by driving along some highway in search of good subjects to capture. She decides to step out of her comfort zone and capture landscapes, still lifes, and bad self-portraits of herself. She is evidently bored, and there is a parallel of how she is taking pictures of a lonely woman – someone who has been left behind by her lover.
The second verse of the song indicates the singer's disappointment in herself for being so absorbed in the idea of love that she has forgotten to develop other skills that could have led her to a more significant life. The use of metaphors such as, "Gone are the days of me being so innocent," suggests that the singer is now more mature and capable, as she starts taking night classes, making sculptures, and painting bad self-portraits. These activities serve as an outlet for her creativity and healing after the loss of her lover.
Overall, the song is about finding oneself, discovering new potentials, leaving the pain behind, and moving forward. It is also a tribute to the art of photography, self-expression, and the beauty of capturing things that fascinate and inspire us.
Line by Line Meaning
I bought this camera
I purchased a camera
to take pictures of my love
in order to photograph my significant other
Now that he's gone
since my partner has left
I don't have anybody to take pictures of
I lack a subject to capture in photos
Along some highway
among highways and roadways
is pretty good subjects
one can find suitable subjects to photograph there
I'm gonna make myself make use of this thing
I will force myself to make use of the camera despite lacking a subject
I'm taking landscapes
I am photographing scenery
I'm taking still lifes
I am capturing pictures of inanimate objects
I'm taking bad self portraits
I am taking unflattering self-portraits
of a lonely woman
of a woman who is alone
I've spent my life
I have devoted my life
so lost on lovin'
so consumed by love
I could have been a painter or a president
I had the potential to become an artist or leader
But after 25 years
However, now that I am 25 years old
I should be good at something
I should have a skill or expertise by now
Gone are the days of me being so innocent
I am no longer as naive as I used to be
I'm taking night classes
I am attending classes in the evening
I'm making sculptures
I am creating sculptures
I'm painting bad self portraits
I am painting unflattering self-portraits
of a lonely woman
of a woman who is alone
I don't know what to do with this thing, well
I am unsure of what to do with this camera now
I don't care about the time or money
I am not concerned about the cost or effort involved
I just never thought that I'd be
I never expected to be
through with this love
finished with this relationship
Stuck taking landscapes
Forced to take photos of scenery
Stuck making still lives
Forced to photograph inanimate objects
Stuck making sculptures
Forced to create sculptures
I'm out here taking bad self portraits
I am taking unflattering self-portraits
of a lonely woman
of a woman who is alone
Bad self portraits of a lonely girl
Unflattering self-portraits of a lonely female
Sad self portraits of a lonely woman
Melancholy self-portraits of an isolated woman
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRIDGET KEARNEY, MICHAEL CALABRESE, MICHAEL DANIEL CALABRESE, MIKE OLSON, MIKE S OLSON, RACHAEL PRICE, RACHAEL CLAIRE PRICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MotiMiataR
This is a fantastic song, played by excellent musicians and perfectly sung by one of the best vocalists around.
Like so many others, I was surprised to have not heard them before and tried to think why such great group never really "made it", so I sat down and listened to LSD for a few days and after spending 2-3 days combing through everything that they've ever done that I could find online, I realized all of a sudden that nobody else is taking the lead at any point.
It's a bit like a finding a great mechanic with lots of knowledge but the only thing in his tool box is a hammer - it only works well when the job calls for just a hammer.
That's what Rachael's voice is - an excellent hammer to which the band plays for, but after days of listening and not finding one healthy guitar solo, or a front and center discussion between the bass and the drums, everything stays in the background of that fabulous voice, but to my ears it can only carry the band so far.
Couldn't help making the comparison in my head to another incredible female vocalist which I love to pieces - Susan Tedeschi, front woman of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, with her husband Derek Trucks on the lead guitar.
In my view, it's like finding that great mechanic but this time with a full tool box.
Susan hammers the vocals to perfection, but Derek and the band take turns behind the wheel all the time, and that makes for a much more complete package as a listening experience.
Still, a great song and fabulous vocals: thanks for bringing this kind of joy to the world!
eccolibri
My youngest daughter turned me on to this group several months ago, and I cannot get enough of them. Rachael's voice is tremendous, and the rest of the group is wonderful, both singing and on their instruments. The whole group just melds so well, it is amazing.
John Cole
If this song doesn't take you guys to the top of the charts ... I'm not sure what will. Utterly fantastic piece!
lifesonsrv
In this upside down world? Sell their souls.
Brideget Bave
Beautiful things are always missing discovery
Tyrik Gay
She didnt have to freaking kill this vocals like that I'm in love. They need more notice . She sounds the freaking same live and on the single
ashely86
I listened to this song on repeat while I was painting portraits in the middle of the night for my senior art show. It was awful and wonderful. Love them.
Michael Raymond
How is this not a Top 40 hit already? An awesome song!
Tore G. Nyhammer
This is by far the most interresting band I have heard this year. So good music, musicians and incredible voices, both the lead vocal and the others!
Schulenburg Studio
Love this song, and the singer and band are fantastic. I could listen to her all day. Great job!
Kellie
Stumbled upon this song on a radio show. Holy!!!!!! SO HAPPY that I found this talented group of artists. This song skyrocketed to the top of my favorite song list in seconds ❤