In the early days of their career their dark, heavy, oppressively slow sound made them innovators of genres like sludge, grunge, and doom metal. The Melvins' music is influenced by Flipper, Black Flag's My War-era hardcore punk and Black Sabbath-style heavy metal, but their idiosyncratic approach, bizarre sense of humor, and experimentation make neat categorization difficult. Singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne (aka "King Buzzo") and drummer Dale Crover are constant members while several bass guitarists have cycled through the group. The Melvins usually performed as a trio until 2006 when two members of Big Business became permanent members of the band.
The band was named after a grocery clerk at the Thriftway in Montesano, Washington where Osborne was employed. Melvin was the most-hated fellow employee and the band felt it to be an appropriate name. Like SF noisenik predecessors Flipper, their love of slow tempos and sludgy sound were a strong influence on grunge music, especially Nirvana and many other bands from Seattle. Their protegés, however, tended to use more conventional musical structures with this sound.
Though the group has received mostly positive critical notice, Crover's drumming has been especially praised; Patrick Kennedy describes his work as "astonishing, powerful, and daring."
While never finding and most likely never even seeking great mainstream success, the Melvins maintain an impressive schedule of new albums and tours, including a collaboration with Fantômas in The Fantômas Melvins Big Band, two releases with former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, and in 2004 the Melvins collaborated with ambient artist Lustmord for Pigs of the Roman Empire. In appreciation of their devoted fans, the Melvins have released various collectables through the years that have included two-headed dolls, an eight-track tape, and a plastic fetus in a jar.
Fellow Aberdeen resident Kurt Cobain (a good friend of Crover) was a huge Melvins fan and helped them transport their equipment to a few shows. Cobain also auditioned to join the band on bass, but he didn't make it, reportedly because he was so nervous that he forgot all the songs. Cobain maintained his relation with the band. Later he produced and played on some songs (guitar on "Sky Pup", percussion on "Spread Eagle Beagle") on the band's major label debut, Houdini. Dale Crover is also attributed as playing on the Nirvana debut album, Bleach, and on "Incesticide". In addition, Dave Grohl (ex-drummer for Nirvana) co-wrote and played drums for Isabella on Buzzo's Melvins solo album, King Buzzo.
Queen
Melvins Lyrics
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Like a dumb run: bring your fear
You and me, we got the same air going
Breathing here
You got sent the cold water you're in
Like someone left to could half breathing
Maybe me and the Queen could take another order
Lock it away
Oh little wish it away
I got time to wish away
Little wish it away
Head look about for freedom
Like a do-mo bring on feel
I might take the T-mind looker
Love and see
High tongue hit the cold wide looker
Aw Damien has the free minds mover
Maybe me and the Queen could give a side order
Love it away, yeah!
Oh little wish it away
I got time to wish away
Little wish it away
She don't hang
The lyrics for Melvins' song Queen are open to interpretation, as the language used is abstract and nonsensical. The first verse compares the measure of a soul to a "dumb run", indicating that it is an arbitrary or meaningless concept. The line "bring your fear" suggests that fear is something that can be carried or shared among people. The lyrics then refer to the shared experience of breathing, emphasizing the commonality between people.
The second verse includes more abstract language, such as "do-mo" and "T-mind looker", which further contribute to the sense of meaninglessness. The line "head look about for freedom" suggests a search for liberation, while "love and see" is almost lyrical in its ambiguity. The verse concludes with the lines "maybe me and the Queen could give a side order/love it away", which perhaps suggest a desire to escape or transcend reality.
Overall, the lyrics for Queen are enigmatic and surreal, inviting interpretation but ultimately resisting straightforward analysis.
Line by Line Meaning
As a measure of a soul
Evaluating the worth of a person's being
Like a dumb run: bring your fear
Feeling like a lost and scared animal
You and me, we got the same air going
We're both breathing the same air and existing in the same space
Breathing here
This is where we are present and alive
You got sent the cold water you're in
You've been given a harsh and unpleasant reality to face
Like someone left to could half breathing
Feeling suffocated and unable to breathe fully
Maybe me and the Queen could take another order
Perhaps the singer and 'the Queen' can try a different approach
Lock it away
Keep it hidden or repressed from others
Oh little wish it away
Trying to ignore a problem or situation
I got time to wish away
Plenty of time to keep avoiding a problem
Little wish it away
Continuing to ignore the situation at hand
Head look about for freedom
Searching for a sense of liberation
Like a do-mo bring on feel
Feeling like a puppet or powerless
I might take the T-mind looker
I may choose to see things from a different perspective
Love and see
Love and accept what is and what could be
High tongue hit the cold wide looker
Speaking up boldly despite the odds being against us
Aw Damien has the free minds mover
Another person, Damien, is able to shake things up and create change
Maybe me and the Queen could give a side order
Perhaps the singer and 'the Queen' can come up with a new solution
Love it away, yeah!
Deal with the problem with love and positivity
She don't hang
It is unknown what this line means in context
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEITH ERNESTO HARRIS, PRIESE PRINCE LAMONT BOARD, JULLY BLACK, TIM ORINDGREFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind