After releasing 300 copies of two of their songs, the band was discovered by, and eventually signed with, independent label Warp Records in 2004, releasing their critically-acclaimed debut album A Certain Trigger" in May 2005. Widely described as one of the best British albums of the year, the album helped the band develop a strong and diverse fanbase both in the UK and abroad, and also earned them a nomination for the coveted Mercury Music Prize. Three songs from the record, Apply Some Pressure (re-released), Graffiti and Going Missing, reached the Top 20 in the UK music charts in 2005. Maxïmo Park also contributed a song titled Wasteland to the War Child album Help: A Day in the Life, midway through that year. The final single from A Certain Trigger, I Want You To Stay, was released in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2006.
Maxïmo Park's second album, Our Earthly Pleasures was released on April 2, 2007. Singles included Our Velocity, Girls Who Play Guitars, Books From Boxes and Karaoke Plays. In August 2008 Paul Smith announced that the band had finished recording their third album and were looking for someone to produce it. It is expected for release in early 2009.
As a result of their rapidly increasing popularity both in the United Kingdom and overseas, 2005 also proved to be a highly exciting year for the band from a touring perspective, with a number of successful tours of Europe, as well as supporting The Bravery in the United States and performing a number of sellout shows in Japan and Australia. While performing across Europe at the Glastonbury and Lowlands music festivals and the Carling Weekend, their enormous success in the United Kingdom was confirmed through their place as support for Kaiser Chiefs on the NME Rock and Roll Riot Tour, and their appearance at the XFM Winter Wonderland shows in London in December of 2005. In a similar vein, the band headlined the NME Awards Tour in the UK, featuring Arctic Monkeys, Mystery Jets and We Are Scientists, and expanded their presence in Asia by performing in Thailand as part of the Rock 100 Festival in Bangkok.
The The National Health Songfacts reports that Maximo's Park fourth album relates to the state of society at large: "The nation is out of control," said Paul Smith, "and the record is about taking back control, and being a force for change in your own life. It can't speak for everybody but it has its eyes and ears all around us. Our songs are built on empathy. I would hope it's as vital a music as people would want to hear." The National Health will be released June 11, 2012.
The band also enjoys playing in their hometown, Newcastle. In early 2007, despite global success, they decided to play in three small venues and price tickets at only £5. These venues were The Head Of Steam, The Cumberland Arms and The Cluny. The band also headlined Freevolution 2007, a free outdoor music festival in Newcastle/Gateshead sponsored by Orange phones.
Postcard of a Painting
Maxïmo Park Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm losing more than i'll ever give
I'm losing more than i'll ever have
I'm losing more than i'll ever give to you
Picture me with you
You couldn't do it
Everything i said was true but i couldn't prove it
Your eyes are big when they're so close
Why can't we say goodbye in public? (x2)
Picture me with you
You couldn't do it
Everything i said was true but i couldn't prove it
And i'll admit that's there's a web but it wasn't me who spun it
Now i've made my bed but you wouldn't lie down in it
I wrote my feelings down in a rush
I didn't even check the spelling
Enclosed a postcard of a painting
You are just another thing i've yet to fathom
Maxïmo Park's "Postcard of a Painting" is a song about a failed relationship. The singer is expressing that he is losing more than he can ever give or have. This means that he is emotionally drained, and the relationship has taken a toll on him. He then pictures himself with his partner but reveals that his partner couldn't do it, which means that the relationship has already gone downhill. Despite the everything he said being true, he couldn't prove it because the relationship was already doomed.
In the next verse, Maxïmo Park portrays his partner's big inviting eyes, but the relationship cannot continue. The singer then again pictures himself with his partner, but it's all in vain. Everything he said is true, but he couldn't prove it. He acknowledges that there is an entangled web, but it wasn't him who spun it. It could mean that there might have been a third person involved in the relationship. He further says that he has made his bed, but his partner wouldn't lie down in it, meaning that he is ready to take responsibility for whatever happened in the relationship, and he is willing to make it work.
Maxïmo Park then reveals that he wrote his feelings down in a rush and didn't even bother with spellings. He enclosed a postcard of a painting, which portrays that he still has some hope for the relationship. However, he also acknowledges that his partner is just something else that he has yet to fathom, meaning that he can not understand her.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm losing more than i'll ever have
I am sacrificing more than what I possess
I'm losing more than i'll ever give
I am compromising more than what I can offer
I'm losing more than i'll ever have
I am relinquishing more than what I own
I'm losing more than i'll ever give to you
I am surrendering more than what I can provide to you
Picture me with you
Visualize me beside you
You couldn't do it
You cannot make it happen
Everything i said was true but i couldn't prove it
All of my statements were accurate, however, I was incapable of verifying it
Your eyes are big when they're so close
Your pupils are dilated when in close proximity
Why can't we say goodbye in public? (x2)
What prevents us from bidding farewell in public?
And i'll admit that's there's a web but it wasn't me who spun it
I confess that there is a complex situation, but I did not initiate it
Now i've made my bed but you wouldn't lie down in it
I am facing the consequences of my actions, but you refuse to share it
I wrote my feelings down in a rush
I hastily penned my emotions
I didn't even check the spelling
I did not even verify orthography
Enclosed a postcard of a painting
Included a painting's image on a postcard
You are just another thing i've yet to fathom
You are still another enigma I need to comprehend
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sentric Music
Written by: ARCHIS TIKU, DUNCAN ROBERT LLOYD, LUKAS JAMES WOOLLER, PAUL ANTHONY SMITH, THOMAS ALEXANDER ENGLISH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ives
This is one of my favourite songs, it’s so underrated!
ives
update: it still is, I’m thinking of using the lyrics in my GSCE art project!
RON
Estas canciones marcaron mi infancia, parte de mi adolescencia, hoy las vuelvo a escuchar después de mucho tiempo, y que nostalgia, gracias Maximo Park!!! ya se por que eran mis favoritos..
Nacho González
Love the way it sounds. Like it was recorded in some kind of garage or bad acoustic big room, but do not take it on the bad way. The sound made this song an authentic gem. Great song and great album
Jérôme Lévesque-Boucher
One of the most underrated album from 2000 to 2010.
checktheskies
Maximo underrated park love it man
Giuseppe V
it gives me the chills
Om. egvo
2019......I LOVE THIS SONG!
Interpol
나 혼자만 듣는 밴드인줄 알았는데 ㄷㄷ
지금들어도 가장
저평가된 밴드 & 띵곡중 하나임
nindzafa
I love this one.. :D