Their first release was a double-A-side 7" single on Off The Wall (later signed to Peacefrog) that had two tracks: "Twice" and "Test".
Nagano was born and raised in Göteborg to a Japanese father and American mother. She grew up listening to American folk, but always had an affinity for R&B. Keyboardist Wirenstrand spent his childhood in Småland before moving to Göteborg where listened to a lot of Swedish folk music before getting into electronic music. Bodin grew up listening to early hip-hop and jazz. Fredrik was influenced by experimental, noise and electro house.
Nagano and Bodin play live with José González. Bodin also drums with Peps Perrson, a Swedish blues/reggae artist. Swedish electronic jazz duo Koop's albums Waltz for Koop and Koop Islands feature Yukimi Nagano's vocals on several tracks.
The band collaborated with Gorillaz on two tracks ("Empire Ants" and "To Binge") from their 2010 released album, Plastic Beach. Little Dragon also collaborated with Maximum Balloon (the solo project of David Andrew Sitek, producer and member of TV On the Radio), for one track entitled "If You Return". In 2011, the band's collaboration with SBTRKT on "Wildfire" was released as the lead single from his self-titled début LP.
Mirror
Little Dragon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way you look at me so
Kinda making me scared
Throwin' me those eyes of scarlet
Though when I pass by
You got nothin' to say
Not even a-
Oh, and it breaks my heart
We capture some moments
Now I don't recognise you
Did you lose your playful mood?
This bad attitude
Too bad
It's too bad
It's too bad
See how you're makin' me blue?
You know you're better than that
Staring at me
Playing the fool
You must have lost your mind!
See when you pass me by
You ain't got nothin' to say
How can you forget to smile
It breaks my heart
I'mma climb up these clouds
And see things clear
You're gonna make me put my fist through this mirror
I'm so sick and tired of lookin' in this mirror
See how you're makin' me blue?
The lyrics of "Mirror" by Little Dragon present a story about a relationship that has turned sour. The singer is hurt and angered by the behavior of their partner towards them. The song begins with the singer expressing their frustration about how their partner is looking at them, which makes them scared. They wonder why their partner is giving them eyes of scarlet, which implies that they believe their partner's intentions are malicious.
The chorus of the song highlights the fact that the singer and their partner used to share playful moments, but now they don't recognize their partner's bad attitude. The singer is trying to understand why their partner has changed and wonders if they lost their playful mood. The chorus ends with the phrase "It's too bad," which can be interpreted as the singer lamenting the fact that their relationship has grown toxic.
In the second verse, the singer feels like they are being played for a fool, as their partner continues to stare at them without saying anything. They wonder how their partner can forget to smile and break their heart in the process. The singer then expresses their frustration by saying they will climb up the clouds to see things clearer, suggesting they will distance themselves from the situation. The song concludes with the singer feeling so frustrated that they want to put their fist through the mirror.
Overall, "Mirror" is a song about heartbreak and the frustration that comes with a relationship turning sour. The lyrics express the singer's confusion, hurt, and anger towards their partner's behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
You know you're makin' me mad
Your actions and the way you look at me is causing me to become angry
The way you look at me so
The way you stare at me is intense and uncomfortable
Kinda making me scared
Your behavior is making me feel nervous and uneasy
Throwin' me those eyes of scarlet
Your eyes are piercing and intense, like the color of scarlet
Though when I pass by
You got nothin' to say
Despite my proximity to you, you choose not to speak or acknowledge me
Not even a-
Oh, and it breaks my heart
You don't even say hello or acknowledge me, and it hurts me deeply
Like friends in a picture glass
We capture some moments
There were times in the past when we had fun and captured memories
Now I don't recognise you
Did you lose your playful mood?
This bad attitude
Your current behavior is unrecognizable and it seems like you've lost the ability to have fun or be playful, instead displaying a negative attitude
Too bad
It's too bad
It's too bad
It's unfortunate and disappointing to see such a negative change in your behavior
See how you're makin' me blue?
Your current behavior is making me feel sad and unhappy
You know you're better than that
Staring at me
Playing the fool
You must have lost your mind!
You're capable of being better than this, so why are you acting foolish and staring at me so intensely? Are you out of your mind?
See when you pass me by
You ain't got nothin' to say
How can you forget to smile
It breaks my heart
It hurts me when you choose not to speak to me and seem to have lost the ability to smile and find joy in life
I'mma climb up these clouds
And see things clear
You're gonna make me put my fist through this mirror
I'm so sick and tired of lookin' in this mirror
I need to step back from this situation in order to gain perspective, and if this behavior continues, I will be driven to physically react. I'm tired of constantly seeing this negative reflection of myself in this situation.
See how you're makin' me blue?
Your actions continue to make me feel sad and unhappy
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID J JOLICOEUR, ERIK OSKAR BODIN, YUKIMI ELEANORA NAGANO, FREDRIK DANIEL WALLIN, HAKAN WILHELM WIRENSTRAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Xbox360
You know you’re makin’ me mad
The way you look at me so
Kinda making me scared
Throwin’ me those eyes of scarlet
Though when I pass by
You got nothin’ to say
Not even a...
Oh, and it breaks my heart
Like friends in a picture glass
We capture some moments
Now I don’t recognise you
Did you lose your playful mood?
This bad attitude
Too bad
It’s too bad
It’s too bad
See how you’re makin’ me blue?
You know you’re better than that
Staring at me
Playing the fool
You must have lost your mind!
See when you pass me by
You ain’t got nothin’ to say
How can you forget to smile
It breaks my heart
I’mma climb up these clouds
And see things clear
You’re gonna make me put my fist through this mirror
I’m so sick and tired of lookin’ in this mirror
See how you’re makin’ me blue?
NoJam
One of Yukimi's finest vocal performances on this one. Really impressive range, control. The way she switches between different voices is so impressive.
Smithy
Love it. Such an underated band
Xbox360
You know you’re makin’ me mad
The way you look at me so
Kinda making me scared
Throwin’ me those eyes of scarlet
Though when I pass by
You got nothin’ to say
Not even a...
Oh, and it breaks my heart
Like friends in a picture glass
We capture some moments
Now I don’t recognise you
Did you lose your playful mood?
This bad attitude
Too bad
It’s too bad
It’s too bad
See how you’re makin’ me blue?
You know you’re better than that
Staring at me
Playing the fool
You must have lost your mind!
See when you pass me by
You ain’t got nothin’ to say
How can you forget to smile
It breaks my heart
I’mma climb up these clouds
And see things clear
You’re gonna make me put my fist through this mirror
I’m so sick and tired of lookin’ in this mirror
See how you’re makin’ me blue?
boob72
So dreamy & ethereal sounding, I love it.
asan-aqupa paul rala
I SWEAR I can hear Prince's divine voice coming through during the climax/breakdown. Prince is behind the scenes on this! Sneaky man!
Jaythe90skyd
Yes definitely sounds like a Prince song
Melee
Wow. I’m feeling it 😩
The Kings Dale
Is he really? Freaking genius man!!!
Update!
Omg he is! the king!
Gabrielle Durr
Me too. I hear him on a couple of their songs, and I am so not mad about it 💖💖💖
Melee
Sheesh!!!!! Just finished my first full listen of this one after randomly listening through the discography. Heavy!!!!!!!! I’m such a fanatic and it hasn’t even been a month