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.
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 opening lines of the song “Repelled by just the sight you take me” introduces the themes of revulsion and rejection. The singer suggests that the listener feels disgusted by him, even by just looking at him. However, the singer still has a desire to be accepted and embraced by the listener, as evident in the following lines: “Now you want to take me for everything I am.” This can be interpreted as the singer wanting to prove his worth and win over the listener’s approval, despite feeling rejected.
The lyrics “Gotta word that's coming up, coming up my throat” suggest a feeling of suffocation and struggle. The singer seems to be holding back something, possibly his true feelings or emotions, which are making him feel choked up. It is unclear what this “long-ass word” might mean, but it can be interpreted as a significant revelation or confession that the singer is trying to express. The lines “I like to hold my pride right in between my hands, So I can feel it hang” might suggest that the singer is trying to maintain his self-respect and dignity despite feeling rejected.
The chorus “Hardly, we reach” suggests that the singer and the listener are having difficulty connecting with each other. The word “reach” can be interpreted as a metaphor for trying to bridge the gap between two people, but in this context, it seems that despite their efforts, the two cannot come together. The song creates a tension-filled atmosphere, with the singer struggling to express his emotions and the listener remaining cold and distant, leading to a sense of revulsion and disconnection.
Line by Line Meaning
Repelled by just the sight you take me
You are disgusted by my mere presence.
You feel me coming on
You sense my approach.
It repels the big strong man
Even the strongest person is repulsed by me.
Now you want to take me for everything I am
Although you are disgusted by me, you still want to take advantage of everything I have to offer.
Gotta word that's coming up, coming up my throat
I have a word that I need to say, but it's difficult to express.
It's a long-ass word, gonna make me choke
The word I need to say is very long and difficult to articulate.
I like to hold my pride right in between my hands
I take pride in myself and like to physically feel it.
So I can feel it hang
I want to experience the sensation of my pride dangling from my hands.
I could have hoped for a better piece of your man
I was hoping for a better outcome or result from our interaction.
Better times I wrote for glass, less wind
I have had better experiences when writing about more tangible things, rather than abstract concepts like the wind.
From both behinds in back, we're reaching one of each in time
We are coming at this situation from different perspectives, but we will eventually reach a common ground.
Heart like a picture to be
My emotions are frozen, like a still image.
Hardly, we reach
It is challenging for us to connect or come to an agreement.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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