Mercury Rev is an American rock music group, that formed in 1989 in Buffal… Read Full Bio ↴Mercury Rev is an American rock music group, that formed in 1989 in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker (vocals), Jonathan Donahue (vocals, guitars), Sean "Grasshopper" Mackowiak (guitars, clarinet), Suzanne Thorpe (flute), Dave Fridmann (bass) and Jimy Chambers (drums).

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.

Bronx Cheer
Mercury Rev Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Have you seen her running 'round (have you seen her)
And the way she wears her hair (running 'round)
If you see her out tonight (have you seen her)
Tell her I don't care (running 'round)
Tell her I don't care (running 'round)
Have you heard she's coming down (have you seen her)
With every sickness in the air (running 'round)
If you see her out tonight (have you seen her)

Tell her I don't care (running 'round)
Tell her I don't care
Tell her I don't care (running 'round)
I don't care
I don't care
(kumbaya, kumbaya, have you seen her, let her know)
And if you get alone let her know that I don't really care
And if you get alone let her know that I don't really care
Have you seen her running 'round
And the way she wears her hair
If you see her out tonight
Tell her I don't care
Tell her I don't care
Tell her I don't care
Tell her I don't care
I don't care

I don't care
(kumbaya, kumbaya, kumbaya)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Mercury Rev's song "Bronx Cheer" seem to be a message from a soon-to-be-ex-lover to his friend or acquaintance, asking them to relay to his significant other that he doesn't care about her anymore. The opening lines of the song ask if the friend has seen her running around, presumably with someone else, and mentions the way she wears her hair, possibly indicating that the singer is jealous or bothered by her appearance. The chorus repeats the message of not caring if the friend sees her out tonight, and the song ends with the mantra of "tell her I don't care."

Overall, the lyrics seem to convey a sense of detachment and numbness towards a relationship that has ended or is in the process of ending. The repeated phrase "I don't care" serves as a sort of coping mechanism for the singer, as he tries to convince himself that he is over the relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Have you seen her running 'round
Have you witnessed her aimless wandering?

And the way she wears her hair
Her hairstyle seems to be noteworthy, have you noticed?

If you see her out tonight
In case you encounter her tonight

Tell her I don't care
Inform her that I am not concerned

Tell her I don't care
Once more, convey the message that I am indifferent

Have you heard she's coming down
Is it accurate that she is descending?

With every sickness in the air
Is she weighed down by the sickness that is prevalent in the environment?

If you see her out tonight
If you happen to spot her this evening

Tell her I don't care
Tell her that I am uninterested

Tell her I don't care
Reiterate that I am apathetic

Tell her I don't care
Let her know that I do not care in the slightest

I don't care
I am indifferent to the situation

I don't care
It is of no interest or concern to me

(kumbaya, kumbaya, have you seen her, let her know)
The singer chants kumbaya, an African American spiritual song, and requests for information about her whereabouts and emotions to be conveyed to her

And if you get alone let her know that I don't really care
In case you avail an opportunity to speak with her alone, inform her that I am truly detached

And if you get alone let her know that I don't really care
Once more, emphasize that I am aloof and disinterested

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVID BAKER, DAVID FRIDMAN, JONATHAN DONAHUE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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