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.
Hi
Mercury Rev Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's why you must evaporate above the earth
Pressure can make the clouds burst
Soon you wind up in the mud
Just where you were
Leaves may not reasons to believe in love
Can't you see to me she means the whole wide world
Queen bee shields my eyes
And the force they may you blind
Is beautiful
On the imaginary side
Even bored it is exciting
Being a drone is better than being alone
Bees may not be reasons to believe in love
Can't you see to me she means the whole wide world
Ain't yourself that fingers mean fun
Shake a quarter flip in the air is gone
In your silent fears it's first
A little bit of help and the tournament's over [and you try and get sober?]
See the bladder bleed from an itty bitty hole
Do the weird blitzing no, no, no
You bet your sweater should be all the way gone
These/bees may bot be reasons to believe in love
Can't you see to me she means the whole wide world
The lyrics of Mercury Rev's song "Hi" suggest that life can be bleak and confusing, but there are still small moments of joy to be found. The opening lines, "Clouds taste better than dirt / That's why you must evaporate above the earth," suggest a desire to escape the mundane and find something more sublime. However, even the act of flying above the earth can be risky ("Pressure can make the clouds burst / Soon you wind up in the mud / Just where you were").
The second verse focuses on the idea of finding joy in the company of others ("Being a drone is better than being alone"). The singer describes the queen bee as a protective force against the chaos of their own mind ("Queen bee shields my eyes / From the force inside of my mind / And the force they may you blind / Is beautiful"). However, the final lines of this verse suggest a sense of disillusionment: "Even bored it is exciting / Bees may not be reasons to believe in love."
The final verse is the hardest to parse, as it seems to be a stream of consciousness riff on disparate topics. The line "Ain't yourself that fingers mean fun" could mean that depending on external stimuli for validation is ultimately empty. The following lines suggest that even small things (like flipping a coin) can bring excitement, but that life is ultimately temporary and perhaps futile ("In your silent fears it's first / A little bit of help and the tournament's over"). The final lines of the song bring us back to the idea that love, while elusive, is ultimately the most important thing in life ("These/bees may bot be reasons to believe in love / Can't you see to me she means the whole wide world").
Overall, "Hi" seems to present a sense of dissatisfaction with life, but one tempered by small moments of joy (like flying above the clouds or being part of a community like a bee hive). The lyrics suggest that love is ultimately the most important thing, but that it can be hard to find and even harder to hold onto.
Line by Line Meaning
Clouds taste better than dirt
Clouds are more desirable than dirt because they are high up in the sky and cannot be contaminated like dirt on the ground.
That's why you must evaporate above the earth
To enjoy the clouds, you must evaporate from the ground and rise up to the sky.
Pressure can make the clouds burst
Too much pressure on the clouds can cause them to burst and release rain.
Soon you wind up in the mud
If you don't rise up to the sky, you'll end up stuck in the mud.
Just where you were
You won't make any progress if you don't move away from where you started.
Leaves may not reasons to believe in love
Falling leaves might not be an indication or sign that love exists.
Can't you see to me she means the whole wide world
For me, the person I love means everything and I cannot imagine my world without them.
Queen bee shields my eyes
The queen bee is a protector and prevents harm from coming to the 'drone' bees.
From the force inside of my mind
I am protected from the negative thoughts and detrimental impulses coming from within me.
And the force they may you blind
Negative thoughts and impulses can blind you from seeing the beauty of the world.
Is beautiful
The world is beautiful, even with its imperfections.
On the imaginary side
When you let your imagination run wild, you may find a version of the world that is even more beautiful.
Even bored it is exciting
Even in the mundane moments of life, there is still potential for excitement.
Being a drone is better than being alone
It's better to be a part of a community, even if it's not perfect, than to be completely alone.
Bees may not be reasons to believe in love
Bees might not serve as evidence that love exists.
Ain't yourself that fingers mean fun
It's not always about what you do that makes things fun, it's the people you do things with that make a difference.
Shake a quarter flip in the air is gone
Gambling and taking risks may lead to losing everything.
In your silent fears it's first
The things that terrify you most are usually the first things to come to mind when you're alone.
A little bit of help and the tournament's over [and you try and get sober?]
A little assistance can go a long way in overcoming any challenge or obstacle.
See the bladder bleed from an itty bitty hole
Even the smallest issue can cause major problems and discomfort.
Do the weird blitzing no, no, no
Stop engaging in strange behavior that could lead to negative consequences.
You bet your sweater should be all the way gone
You should be willing to take risks and put everything on the line, even if it means losing everything.
These/bees may bot be reasons to believe in love
Neither these things nor bees should be seen as evidence of love's existence.
Can't you see to me she means the whole wide world
For me, the person I love means everything and I cannot imagine my world without them.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAVID BAKER, DAVID FRIDMAN, SEAN MACKOWIAC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
layitonmenow
One of my favorite albums from the 90s!
e5kimo
goosebumbs. awesome band/
pinkpools
Dat 90s sound