With their debut, Yerself Is Steam, the band gained an underground following, particularly in the UK. 1993's Boces was critically acclaimed for its alternative sound, and the band's next album, See You on the Other Side, begins a shift away from the extremes of sonic experimentalism towards the elaborately-orchestrated classic rock blueprint of their later work.
With their early records, Mercury Rev offered experimental, psychedelic rock, which gradually shifted to a melodic, ornate sound. Mercury Rev is often compared to The Flaming Lips, and in fact share close ties: soon after the band's formation, Donahue also joined the Flaming Lips as second guitarist and appeared on two of their albums; and since the 1990 album In a Priest Driven Ambulance, Dave Fridmann has co-produced every Flaming Lips studio album to date except 1993's Transmissions from the Satellite Heart.
Despite considerable critical acclaim, their early releases never gave Mercury Rev more than cult popularity, though they appeared on the smaller second stage at some 1993 Lollapalooza stops. Baker left after their second record, Boces (1993), citing musical and personal disputes; he later recorded an album as Shady. With his departure, the darker, more experimental and less accessible features of their music began to disappear.
The band's first post-Baker album, See You on the Other Side (1995), found them in transition, and the 1998 release of the acclaimed Deserter's Songs (which featured appearances by Garth Hudson and Levon Helm of The Band) made Mercury Rev unexpected pop stars. In the UK, NME Magazine made Deserter's Songs their Album of the Year. Donahue's earnest, high-pitched vocals and concentration on relatively concise, melodic songs gave the band's material an entirely new feel and much increased popularity (Deserter's Songs spawned three UK top 40 singles).
All Is Dream was issued in 2001. It managed a UK top 20 single, "The Dark is Rising," which reached #16 in the UK Top 40.
Mercury Rev's much-anticipated The Secret Migration was released on January 24, 2005. This was followed up in 2006 by a compilation album called The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006 and the film soundtrack album Hello Blackbird. More recently, the band released a pair of albums on September 29, 2008: Snowflake Midnight, and a free MP3 album of instrumentals, Strange Attractor.
In 2011 the band performed Deserter's Songs in it's complete form live at several festivals in the UK.
Boys Peel Out
Mercury Rev Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shoes on your feet
Life still living [why still live?] from week to week
And cheek to cheek
Waitin' for the phone to blink
Waitin' for the phone to blink
Waitin' for the blow to snow
Skating around
Prayin' for your hair to grow
Now your mama say
Back before the war
Everything was sugar free
Everything was sugar free
A girl's heart
Was filled with stars
And the boys peeled out
In muscle cars
Back before the war
The boys peeled out
In muscle cars
Before the war
Everything was sugar free
Everything was sugar free
A girl's heart
Was filled with stars
And your mom say
Back before the war
Everything was sugar free
Everything was sugar free
A girl's heart
Was filled with stars
And the boys peeled out
In muscle cars
Ya got brains on your head
And shoes on your feet
Life still living from week to week
And cheek to cheek
Waitin' around
Waitin' around for the phone to blink
Waitin' around
Brains on your head
Shoes on your feet
Brains on your head
Shoes on your feet
Brains on your head
Shoes on your feet
Life still living from week to week
The lyrics of Mercury Rev's song Boys Peel Out paint a picture of a nostalgic past and a sense of longing for a time that was seemingly carefree. The song is characterized by its use of repetition as the singer repeatedly informs the listener that they have "brains on your head and shoes on your feet," yet still remain "waitin' for the phone to blink" and "skating around the only place you know."
The line "back before the war" is repeated throughout the song, which could refer to any number of wars throughout human history, but the lack of specificity serves to evoke a sense of a time before any conflict, before the world was tainted by war and division. The idea that "everything was sugar free" further reinforces this sense of a golden, idyllic era.
The refrain "and the boys peeled out in muscle cars" adds an element of rebellion and excitement to the song. It highlights the idea of teenage freedom and reckless abandon, a simple time when life was less complicated. Overall, the lyrics of Boys Peel Out depict a yearning for a simpler past, a longing to return to a time unburdened by the complexities of modern life.
Line by Line Meaning
Brains on your head
You possess the power to think and make decisions
Shoes on your feet
You have the ability to move and walk forward
Life still living [why still live?] from week to week
You continue to exist and strive through each passing week
And cheek to cheek
You are physically close and intimate with someone
Waitin' for the phone to blink
You anxiously await communication or news from someone
Waitin' for the blow to snow
You anticipate a significant event or change to come
Skating around
You are aimlessly moving about or avoiding something
The only place you know
You are comfortable and familiar with a particular location or situation
Prayin' for your hair to grow
You are wishing for something to change or improve in your life
Now your mama say
Your mother is telling you something
Back before the war
Referring to a time before a major or significant event
Everything was sugar free
Life was simpler and less complicated
A girl's heart
A woman's emotions and feelings
Was filled with stars
She had hopeful and ambitious aspirations
And the boys peeled out
Young men raced and sped away in their cars
In muscle cars
Specifically in fast and powerful vehicles
Ya got brains on your head
You are still capable of thought and decision-making
And shoes on your feet
You still have the ability to move and make choices
Life still living from week to week
You continue to exist and survive each passing week
And cheek to cheek
You remain close and intimate with someone
Waitin' around for the phone to blink
You still eagerly anticipate communication or news from someone
Brains on your head
Your capability for thought and decision-making persists
Shoes on your feet
You still have the ability to move forward and take action
Brains on your head
Your intelligence and decision-making ability remain
Shoes on your feet
Your ability to move and take action still exists
Life still living from week to week
You continue to survive and exist as time passes
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVID BAKER, DAVID FRIDMAN, JONATHAN DONAHUE, SEAN MACKOWIAC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matthew Puhr
So damn good. Thanks for upping this especially with the album art. Def want to add this to my record collection!
The Lying Facts
Wow! Such a great track!
Filipe Esgrouviado
brilliant ...jazzy vibe ...top tune