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 protegƩs, 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 FantƓmas in The FantƓmas 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.
She Waits
Melvins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Step up
Show right there
What you
Waste!
And you taught to me
What's good waste
Yeah must been
Arrg this is cruel
The lyrics of Melvins's song "She Waits" depict a rather cryptic and obscure message, as is often typical of this experimental rock band. The verse "Go down, step up, show right there what you waste" seems to allude to the idea of trying to reach a certain level or standard, only to find out that what you've achieved is useless or insignificant. This theme of futile efforts is echoed in the phrase "what's good waste", which suggests that even something that appears to have value or purpose may end up being meaningless. The sense of disappointment and frustration is further emphasized in the line "Yeah must been false to you", indicating a sense of betrayal or disillusionment with someone or something that was once trusted.
Overall, the lyrics of "She Waits" seem to convey a sense of disillusionment with societal expectations and the pressure to conform to certain standards or ideals. The imagery of waste and uselessness implies a sense of nihilism or cynicism, as if the singer is questioning the point of striving for success or happiness in a world that seems inherently flawed and meaningless.
Line by Line Meaning
Go down
Descend or move downwards
Step up
Take action or move forward
Show right there
Demonstrate or expose something in plain view
What you
Asking for clarification on the subject or what is being referred to
Waste!
Something that has been carelessly used or thrown away
And you taught to me
Someone has imparted knowledge or information to the singer
What's good waste
The singer has been taught that something of value can be found in what has been wasted or discarded
Yeah must been
A possibility or assumption that something was not truthful or accurate
False to you
Something that has deceived or betrayed the trust of another person
Arrg this is cruel
An expression of frustration or anger towards a situation that is causing pain or suffering
Lyrics Ā© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dixirose111
grunge is heavy as hell. it incorporates melody and cacophony andriffs straight from hell. the lyrics range from angst, moans to new themes of drugs and social stabs, no classic singing or hair metal screams but a little of everything with a dark deep twist descending into despair but rising to hope and forward,its deep and irreverent, explaining the world these artists live NOW and how they feed off each other and and inextricable intertwined. what a ascend, id give anything ti have been there...
Instrument
this is quite a rare album. thanks for posting!
Gaetano Paolino
harcore melvins!
Melkor Morgoth
Don't get me wrong, I think it should be 25 seconds thats all.
Jason Doyle
ššš
Yasuhito Saito
2x speed thank me later
Druffmaul
@TheLegitMan93 Buzz hates lyrics, the only reason he sings is that he hates intrumentals even more.
Melkor Morgoth
Why is it only 40 seconds?
Punk & Metal & Vidya
Melvins used to be Hardcore Punk outfit
bongeggs
that's about how long Melvins songs were back then