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.
Revulsion-We Reach
Melvins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You feel me coming on
It repels the big strong man
Now you want to take me for everything I am
Gotta word that's coming up, coming up my throat
It's a long-ass word, gonna make me choke
I like to hold my pride right in between my hands
So I can feel it hang
I could have hoped for a better piece of your man
Better times I wrote for glass, less wind
From both behinds in back, we're reaching one of each in time
Heart like a picture to be
Hardly, we reach
The lyrics of Melvins' song Revulsion-We Reach seem to convey the feeling of being rejected by someone, despite having feelings for them. The beginning line, "Repelled by just the sight you take me" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer seems to be drawn towards someone, but that person is repulsed by them. The line "It repels the big strong man" suggests that even someone who is strong and powerful is repelled by the singer's presence.
The singer seems to be aware of the rejection they are facing but they still want to be accepted by the other person. "Now you want to take me for everything I am" can be interpreted as the singer hoping that the other person will accept them for who they are, despite their flaws. However, the use of the words "long-ass word" and "make me choke" suggest that the singer feels like they are not able to express themselves properly, which is leading to their rejection.
The lines "I like to hold my pride right in between my hands/So I can feel it hang" could be interpreted as the singer holding onto their pride even though they have been rejected. The last line "Heart like a picture to be/Hardly, we reach" suggests that even though the singer wants to reach the person they have been rejected by, it seems like a difficult task as both of them are coming from different places.
Line by Line Meaning
Repelled by just the sight you take me
You find me so unappealing that just looking at me pushes you away.
You feel me coming on
Despite feeling disgusted by me, you can sense me approaching.
It repels the big strong man
Even someone who is physically strong and seemingly fearless is also repulsed by me.
Now you want to take me for everything I am
You now desire to exploit, manipulate and take everything from me.
Gotta word that's coming up, coming up my throat
I have a word that I am trying to say, but it's difficult to articulate.
It's a long-ass word, gonna make me choke
The word that I'm struggling to say is long and makes me feel choked up or suffocated.
I like to hold my pride right in between my hands
I value my pride so much that I want to hold it physically in my hands to experience its essence.
So I can feel it hang
I want to experience the sensation of my pride literally hanging between my hands.
I could have hoped for a better piece of your man
I could have hoped to receive a better portion of your partner's affection or attention.
Better times I wrote for glass, less wind
I've experienced better times in the past when I've written on glass, where there's less wind to interfere with my thoughts.
From both behinds in back, we're reaching one of each in time
We're both trying to reach something from behind us and coming from different angles, but we'll eventually meet in the middle.
Heart like a picture to be
My heart is like a picture that's waiting to be completed or filled in.
Hardly, we reach
It's difficult, but we'll eventually reach our goal of completing the picture or finding common ground.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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