Kozelek was born and raised in Massillon, Ohio. Upon relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, he met drummer Anthony Koutsos. After the pair moved once again to San Francisco, California, Red House Painters formed in 1989 with the addition of guitarist Gorden Mack and bassist Jerry Vessel. From 1992 to 1996, Red House Painters released a series of acclaimed albums, showcasing Kozelek's intense, highly autobiographical songs.
However, Kozelek's parting with the record label 4AD, followed by a major label merger which left Red House Painters' 1998 album Old Ramon on the shelf, proved highly frustrating and stifled the group's momentum. Kozelek opted to occupy himself with a series of idiosyncratic solo recordings as Red House Painters dissolved.
In 2000, he released the solo EP Rock 'n' Roll Singer, which featured three original songs as well as covers of John Denver's "Around and Around" and three AC/DC songs ("Rock 'n' Roll Singer," "Bad Boy Boogie," and "You Ain't Got a Hold on Me"). Two of the AC/DC cover versions on Rock 'n' Roll Singer were radical re-arrangements of the originals which removed the Bon Scott-penned lyrics from their hard rock context and placed them into gentle, acoustic "folk ballad" settings.
Kozelek expanded on this idea in 2001, releasing a full-length album comprised solely of AC/DC covers titled What's Next to the Moon.These new arrangements sounded so unlike the originals that a KCRW radio executive insisted that the title track was a Leonard Cohen song.
This was not the first time Kozelek had drastically re-arranged others' material to his own ends. With Red House Painters, he had previously done similar reconstructions with Simon & Garfunkel's "I Am a Rock," The Cars' "All Mixed Up," Yes's "Long Distance Runaround," Paul McCartney's "Silly Love Songs," and Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner."
In the years between his band projects, Kozelek's music made a number of appearances on compilations and tribute albums. He contributed the song "New Partner" to the Will Oldham (a.k.a. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) tribute album, I Am Cold Rock. I Am Dull Grass Around this time, Kozelek commandeered a tribute album to John Denver, entitled Take Me Home: A Tribute to John Denver, featuring Will Oldham, The Innocence Mission, and Low to name a few. The compilation also featured Kozelek covering "Around and Around" as a duet with Rachel Goswell.
A limited edition live recording, White Christmas Live, was released by the Sub Pop label in late 2001. In addition to his solo material, it featured several Red House Painters songs done in a stripped-down, acoustic guitar-and-vocals style, and one a cappella rendition. An early version of his current project Sun Kil Moon's "Lily and Parrots" is tacked on to the end as an uncredited bonus track. It also features one previously unreleased song, "Admiral Fell Promises."
Sun Kil Moon debuted with Ghosts of the Great Highway in 2003, and also features former RHP members Jerry Vessel and Anthony Koutsos as well as new collaborators Geoff Stanfield (formerly of Black Lab) and Tim Mooney of American Music Club. Their follow-up effort appeared in 2005 on Kozelek's newly formed label, Caldo Verde Records. Titled Tiny Cities, the album is made up entirely of covers of songs by Modest Mouse. Once again, Kozelek's cover versions varied greatly from the originals.
In 2006, Kozelek was invited by Toronto indie rock label Paper Bag Records to exclusively contribute to their See You on the Moon! Songs for Kids of All Ages compilation with his original song "Leo and Luna." Then in November 2006, Kozelek released a live album titled Little Drummer Boy Live. On the album's two discs, he plays songs from his solo career, covers, and material from the catalogs of both Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon.
Kozelek returned in 2008 with the release of Sun Kil Moon's third album April. The album features 11 brand new recordings, including guest vocal contributions by Ben Gibbard, Will Oldham, and Eric Pollard.
The release of the new album also brought the re-issue of Nights of Passed Over, a 256-page, hard-cover book of all the lyrics to Kozelek's solo songs, Red House Painters' songs, and Sun Kil Moon's songs. It also features setlists, handwritten lyrics, and a preface by Kozelek himself. The original edition of this book was released in 2002 in Portugal, and featured all the lyrics up to that point, printed in both English and Portuguese. The updated edition spans to his current Sun Kil Moon days, and the book also includes a 12-track bonus CD, titled Nights LP, featuring live and rare versions of songs dated 1996 to 2007. The edition is sold exclusively on his label's website link and is limited to 2,500 copies.
On December 9, 2008, Kozelek and Caldo Verde Records issued The Finally LP, a CD collection of 10 unreleased tracks, including covers of songs by Stephen Sondheim, Will Oldham, Hüsker Dü, and Low among others, as well as two previously unreleased instrumentals. Two newly-recorded live albums, Find Me, Ruben Olivares: Live in Spain and Lost Verses Live, followed in spring 2009.
On April 23, 2010, the release of Sun Kil Moon's fourth album, Admiral Fell Promises, was announced. The album was released on July 13, 2010.
A documentary film entitled Mark Kozelek: On Tour was released via Caldo Verde Records on August 16, 2011. The movie was filmed during portions Mark Kozelek's European/North American tours of 2010 and early 2011.
In 2012, an article at Queensberry-Rules.com by staff writer Mark Ortega detailed Kozelek's fascination with the sport of boxing, which inspired the name of his Sun Kil Moon project as well as a few songs on a Desertshore album.
“Their backgrounds are extremely harsh and they work very hard to move up in their careers. I was in attendance at the Manny Pacquiao-Agapito Sanchez fight in San Francisco in 2001. When I heard Sanchez was murdered shortly after, it had a profound effect on me. It hurts when anyone dies young, but when you see the backgrounds of these guys and the path they've taken to try to find some light in their lives, it hurts to see them die young.”
Dragonflies
Mark Kozelek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In your black magic house
In a cold damp attic
Two windows stare at us like eyes
Behind them
December's dark
Early morning sky
And a couple of
With their ornamental stars
I thought by now that i
Figured your head out
Until now i thought i
Figured your body out
So please help me to understand
Because i love you
More than anyone
I wonder in what fields today
You're chasing dragonflies at play
My little lost girl
So far away
This is the first you spoke of it
The opening line of Mark Kozelek's song "Dragonflies" sets the tone for a conversation that seems to have been a long time coming. It follows the singer and another person, who is referred to as "you," as they have a conversation in a creepy setting. The black magic house with the cold damp attic creates an eerie atmosphere, almost as if something supernatural is about to happen. The two windows that "stare at us like eyes" add to this feeling of unease. The time and season setting is December, which is often seen as a symbol of death and transition, giving further weight to the ominous ambiance.
The singer reflects on how they thought they understood "you," both physically and mentally, but this conversation has thrown them for a loop. The person they're talking to has shared something with them that they have never expressed before, causing the singer to struggle with understanding. The repetition of the phrase "I thought by now" emphasizes the surprise the singer is experiencing, highlighting the fact that they have been wrong about "you" until now. The love the singer feels for "you" shines through when they ask for help in understanding, acknowledging that they may not fully comprehend the situation.
As the conversation ends, the singer sends off "you" with a sense of longing and distance. They think of "you" out chasing dragonflies in the fields, a symbol of youth and joy, encapsulating the possibility of hope despite the bleak surroundings. The last line, "My little lost girl so far away," is a heartbreaking plea to someone who the singer has held dear in their heart, even if they are at a loss for what this conversation means.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the first you spoke of it
You're telling me something for the first time and I'm just hearing about it now.
In your black magic house
You live in a mysterious and possibly dangerous place.
In a cold damp attic
You're in a place that is uncomfortable and unwelcoming.
Two windows stare at us like eyes
Behind them
December's dark
Early morning sky
And a couple of
Dead trees
With their ornamental stars
The setting is eerie and ominous, with windows resembling eyes and trees which have lost their life, yet still cling to ornaments.
I thought by now that i
Figured your head out
Until now i thought i
Figured your body out
I believed I had a good understanding of who you are, both physically and mentally.
So please help me to understand
Because i love you
More than anyone
I care deeply about you and want to understand this situation, please help me gain some clarity.
I wonder in what fields today
You're chasing dragonflies at play
I'm curious about what you are doing today and if you are finding joy in little things.
My little lost girl
So far away
I see you as someone who is distant and doesn't quite belong where they are.
Contributed by Isabelle Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jake Dryzal
That transition in Void is breathtaking.
scorpiosister19
Having music like this makes life just a bit easier, doesn't it?
kgkwok
I feel like I've stumbled upon a goldmine of the most gorgeous gems. Thanks for making my day FarmInAfrica--my week, my month. Fantastic production value too. FYI, the second half of this track, Mark transitions into the equally sublime "Void". So go "Find another corner of the house, when you need to get away" to rediscover these songs again.
Daina Imperiale
Such beauty. God, I love Mark.
Mark Pearsall
this is great, who bootlegged it? saw MK at this venue a couple times, I think Mark walked to the venue for one of the shows, nothing like seeing Mark play in the Tenderloin in SF.
Roundhouse Music
That's amazing
sedantez24
Beautiful. Thanks for posting.
Julia Prosser
Could you post the lyrics to this, pretty please?
Bird Worldist
Swag
NoTimeToBeVoid.
Why is this cut?!