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.
Signal and Sign
Maxïmo Park Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's getting cold, position closed
New direction, new dawn
Consider this, my informal conplaint
Hope you felt cheated at home with your lies lies Lies lies lies
How long has it taken for you to look so sine fine fine fine fine
Just go outside
Well I've been waiting, to forget
How the pieces, just fell away
You left your hometown, where you grew up
I hadn't noticed how your action has changed
Did these lonely hands rob your time time time time time
When was the signal divorced from the sign sign sign sign sign
Illumination
Accusation
I'd like to meet her
But she won't see me
The lyrics to Maxïmo Park's "Signal and Sign" are quite cryptic, leaving much room for interpretation. However, a possible explanation is that the song is about waiting for someone who never shows up or who has changed and left you behind. The singer is waiting for hours, in the cold, in a position that is now closed, perhaps representing a job or opportunity that is no longer available. He speaks of a "new dawn," indicating that he is ready to move on and start anew.
However, the singer also has some grievances to air. He accuses someone of "lies lies lies," indicating that they have been deceiving him and cheating him out of something at home. Yet, despite this feeling of being cheated, he is also somewhat impressed by this person's transformation ("How long has it taken for you to look so sine [sic] fine fine fine fine"). Perhaps they have gained some form of success, but at what cost?
The chorus suggests some form of advice, asking the listener not to waste their life and to go outside, indicating that perhaps the singer has been stagnating, waiting indoors for someone who will never come. The last stanza is the most confusing, as the singer mentions someone they would like to meet but who won't see them. It's unclear who this person is or what their significance is.
Overall, "Signal and Sign" is a complex song that asks more questions than it answers. One possible interpretation is that it's about finding direction and purpose in life, and about the disappointments and betrayals one might encounter along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I've been waiting, here for hours
I have waited for several hours in this place.
It's getting cold, position closed
The temperature is dropping and the position is no longer available.
New direction, new dawn
There is a new direction to be taken in life; a new beginning.
Consider this, my informal complaint
I want you to consider this as an informal complaint from me.
Hope you felt cheated at home with your lies lies Lies lies lies
I hope you feel deceived at home with the lies you have told.
How long has it taken for you to look so sine fine fine fine fine
How long has it taken you to look so beautiful?
Don't waste your life
Do not waste your life.
Just go outside
Simply go outside.
Well I've been waiting, to forget
I have been waiting to forget something.
How the pieces, just fell away
How things just fell apart.
You left your hometown, where you grew up
You left your hometown, where you were raised.
I hadn't noticed how your action has changed
I did not notice how your behavior had changed.
Did these lonely hands rob your time time time time time
Did I take away your time with my lonely hands?
When was the signal divorced from the sign sign sign sign sign
When did the signal become separate from the sign?
Illumination
Lighting that helps reveal something.
Accusation
A charge or claim that someone has done something unlawful or wrong.
I'd like to meet her
I would like to meet her.
But she won't see me
But she will not see me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ARCHIS TIKU, DUNCAN ROBERT LLOYD, LUKAS JAMES WOOLLER, PAUL ANTHONY SMITH, THOMAS ALEXANDER ENGLISH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cuzjudd
One of the GOAT albums
Emi Sánchez Adan
Gran album. Paso bastante desapercibido para lo bueno k es.
Planetarium Station
🥹me sigue encantando después de tantos años
EvaH Darth
They are good. Love them😍😘
Nikoltait
Cool
blondemario
ace