The members of Mew started playing music together in 1995. Mew first achieved success in Denmark with their album Frengers, although their debut album, A Triumph for Man, had been met with much critical acclaim back in 1997. At the 2003 Danish Music Critics Award Show, Mew won the awards for "Album of the Year" and "Band of the Year." Until this point Mew was relatively unknown outside of Denmark; however after a European tour supporting R.E.M. Mew began to attract wider attention. After releasing the critically-acclaimed album And The Glass Handed Kites, featuring contributions from J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr, Mew has built on their success in Denmark as well as attracting attention from other countries in Europe and Asia. In the summer of 2006, they toured as the supporting act for Bloc Party in the U.S. as well as for Kasabian in the U.S. and Canada in the fall. After these tours, they returned to Denmark to work on new material.
On March 14th, 2007, Mew embarked on their first ever headlining tour in America with Oh No! Oh My! as the supporting act. Their fifth studio album, No More Stories/Are Told Today/I'm Sorry/They Washed Away//No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I'm Tired/Let's Wash Away, was released in August 25, 2009. They've also toured with Nine Inch Nails, Kings of Leon and Sigur Rós. In 2010, they released a greatest hits compilation called Eggs are Funny. They began performing new material in 2012 at Roskilde Festival, and released their sixth studio album, +- in 2015. Madsen left the band the same year, and the band began writing new material for their new album shortly after they concluded their tour. They released their seventh studio album, Visuals, after releasing a few singles in the months preceding its release. They embarked on tours for the album, as well as a tour celebrating the 15th anniversary of their breakthrough album Frengers in 2018.
Discography:
* A Triumph for Man (1997, re-released 2006)
* Half the World Is Watching Me (2000, re-released Aug 2007)
* Frengers (2003)
* And the Glass Handed Kites (2005)
* No More Stories... (2009)
* Eggs are Funny (2010)
* +- (2015)
* Visuals (2017)
Count To Ten
Mew Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Travelling at the speed of light
As I've known deception
Friendship gets me through the night
Every time we move past each other
Causes a massive explosion to occur
Close your eyes
But never open them up again
‘Till I say when
Now ashes are falling
From afar it looks like snow
I don't have the answers
Who can tell how far we'll go?
Every time we move past each other
Causes a massive explosion to occur
Close your eyes
Count to ten
But never open them up again
‘Till I say when
Tonight we pay our respects to you
Be sure we won't forget you ever, no
Every time we move past each other
Causes a massive explosion to occur
Close your eyes
Count to ten
But never open them up again
‘Till I say when
The song “Count to Ten” by Mew is a reflective track that speaks to the idea of the immense power and energy that human relationships hold. The lyrics emphasize a sense of urgency and convey a deep yearning to connect with others, as the singer invokes the imagery of travelling at the speed of light and causing massive explosions in the wake of crossing paths with others. The singer acknowledges the difficulty of navigating the complexities of human relationships, especially with the risk of being hurt and deceived. However, the idea of friendship is presented as a source of comfort and strength to help make it through those difficult times.
The song’s chorus “Close your eyes, count to ten, but never open them up again ‘Til I say when” is both a reference to the classic game of hide-and-seek and an emotional plea from the singer to stay connected, to never let go even when things get hard. The repetition of the chorus throughout the song creates a sense of intimacy between the singer and the listener, as if the singer is trying to draw the listener in to understand and feel the same sense of longing and urgency. The song ends with a somber tribute to someone who has been lost, cementing the idea that our connections with others are incredibly valuable and should be cherished.
Line by Line Meaning
As I am a vessel
I am a carrier of emotions and experiences.
Travelling at the speed of light
I move through life quickly and without pause.
As I've known deception
I have experienced the pain of betrayal and deceit.
Friendship gets me through the night
My relationships with others sustain me through difficult times.
Every time we move past each other
When our lives intersect, there is a powerful reaction.
Causes a massive explosion to occur
Our collision creates a tumultuous impact on each other.
Close your eyes
Take a moment to center yourself.
Count to ten
Breathe and give yourself time to process.
But never open them up again
Don't rush to move on from this moment.
‘Till I say when
Wait until you feel ready to move forward.
Now ashes are falling
The aftermath of our collision is apparent.
From afar it looks like snow
The impact is hard to decipher from a distance.
I don't have the answers
I am uncertain of what comes next.
Who can tell how far we'll go?
The future is unknown and unpredictable.
Tonight we pay our respects to you
We honor the impact that you had on our lives.
Be sure we won't forget you ever, no
Your memory will live on in our hearts and minds.
Contributed by Eliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.