The band is best known for the song "Popular", released as a single from their aformentioned debut. The song reached #11 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart and propelled the album itself to #63 on the Billboard 200. Each of the verses in "Popular" are extracted from the 1964 guide 'Penny's Guide to Teen-Age Charm and Popularity', a work by former teen television actress Gloria Winters, and the lyrics are sarcastically spoken, with a calm, deadpan voice used initially that gradually builds Kinison-style in teen angst and rage.
The groups follow-up effort, an album titled 'The Proximity Effect', failed to garner as much attention due to music industry shenanigans. The band explains on their official website:
Nada Surf recorded The Proximity Effect in 1998 with Fred Maher (Luna, Lou Reed, Matthew Sweet). It was a mighty fine record. Elektra [now part of Atlantic], claiming they "didn’t hear a single," asked the band to go back in the studio to hunt for one. As this was months after they’d handed the record in, the band refused and were dropped. It’s pretty safe to say, though, that Elektra didn’t appear to be "listening" very hard. The Proximity Effect was released as scheduled in Europe. Critics loved it and fans bought it. Elektra still didn’t care, but the band still did. So after wrestling the rights back, Nada Surf released The Proximity Effect stateside in 2000 on their own label, MarDev Records, and toured accordingly...
After a three-year wait, the group released Let Go through Barsuk Records to positive reviews. The song "Inside of Love" received some airplay and even reached #73 in the United Kingdom, a feat which neither "Popular" nor the other two previously released singles from Let Go achieved. On the strength of the single, the album reached #31 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart.
The band's fourth album, The Weight Is a Gift, was released in Germany on September 5, 2005, by City Slang Records, in Japan/Australia September 12th and in the US September 13th by Barsuk, and in the rest of Europe September 19th by V2/City Slang. It was produced by Chris Walla of the band Death Cab for Cutie, Louie Lino and Nada Surf. The album's lead single is "Always Love."
In 2008, Lucky was released. In 2010 the band returned to the scene triumphantly with the cover-album If I Had a Hi-Fi, revealing a diversity in source material whilst re-moulding it into trademark Nada Surf songs.
The band announced a new record will be released in January, 2012 called " The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy." The first single is called "When I was Young" and is available free to download from the band's website. On Oct 24th, 2011, the song was also featured as an NPR "Song of the Day"
Concrete Bed
Nada Surf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've been pouring it a concrete bed
Your habits ossify
You don't realize you're fried
To find someone you love
You've gotta be someone you love
Bit it takes years til it sinks in
You've used up the easy streets
And you lost your taste for treats
You're so fried
Stay high if you have to
Do whatever it asks you
You've got another calling
Don't let it pass you
You know it 'cause you wrote it
You just didn't think
You'd actually do it
Its just another wish you wished
In a very long list
To find someone to love
You've gotta call your own bluff
The lyrics to Nada Surf's song Concrete Bed are a reflection on the struggles of finding love and happiness. The world is locked up in your head, meaning that we often get trapped in our own thoughts and beliefs, preventing us from moving forward and finding what we truly want. Pouring concrete represents how we often become rigid and stuck in our ways, making it hard to break free from our old habits and patterns. Ossify, meaning to turn into bone, emphasizes how a lack of flexibility can lead to rigidity and brittleness.
The chorus "To find someone you love, you've gotta be someone you love" highlights the idea that we cannot seek love from others if we do not first love and accept ourselves. Only by being true to who we are and embracing our flaws and imperfections can we attract someone who will love and accept us for who we are.
The second verse delves deeper into the struggles of finding love, suggesting that we often take the easy route and lose our sense of adventure and passion for life. We lose our taste for treats, which could refer to the little things in life that bring us joy and fulfillment. The line "Stay high if you have to, do whatever it asks you" suggests that we need to seek out what makes us happy, even if it means taking risks or pushing boundaries. We have another calling, something that we are meant to do, and we must not let it pass us by.
Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that finding love is not always an easy journey. It requires us to let go of our rigid beliefs and habits, be true to ourselves and our passions, and take risks. We must also be willing to call our own bluff and acknowledge our flaws and shortcomings. Only then can we find someone who will love and accept us for who we are.
Line by Line Meaning
The world's locked up in your head
You are so consumed in your own thoughts and ideas that you cannot see beyond them.
You've been pouring it a concrete bed
Your thoughts and ideas have become so rigid and unmoving that they have formed a solid and unchanging foundation.
Your habits ossify
Your routines and actions have become fossilized and unchanging, making it difficult for you to break out of them.
You don't realize you're fried
You are unaware of the fact that you are mentally and emotionally burnt out.
To find someone you love
In order to have a successful relationship, you must first love and accept yourself.
You've gotta be someone you love
You must embody the traits and qualities that you desire in a partner.
The reason's somewhere in the din
The answers to your problems are hidden within the chaos and noise of daily life.
Bit it takes years til it sinks in
It can be a slow and lengthy process before you come to realize the truth behind your struggles.
You've used up the easy streets
You have exhausted all of the obvious and simple solutions to your problems.
And you lost your taste for treats
You have lost the desire for things that were once pleasurable and enjoyable.
Stay high if you have to
If you need to rely on something to get through difficult times, then do so.
Do whatever it asks you
Whatever it takes to move forward and find happiness, you should do it without hesitation.
You've got another calling
You have a greater purpose or passion that is waiting for you to embrace it.
Don't let it pass you
Make sure you take action and pursue your passions before it's too late.
You know it 'cause you wrote it
You have knowledge and ideas within yourself that you may not realize you possess.
You just didn't think
It's possible that you may have overlooked or disregarded your own inner wisdom and ideas.
You'd actually do it
Your ideas and desires are achievable and feasible if you take the necessary steps to make them happen.
Its just another wish you wished
You may have many desires and hopes that go unfulfilled.
In a very long list
Your long list of unfulfilled wishes may be overwhelming and daunting to tackle.
To find someone to love
In order to find a partner who will love and accept you, you must first love and accept yourself.
You've gotta call your own bluff
You must be honest with yourself and confront the things within yourself that may be holding you back from happiness and love.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DANIEL PRIETO CASTRO LORCA, IRA ELLIOT, MATTHEW RORISON CAWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zachzimmerman7105
The world's locked up in your head
You've been pouring in a concrete bed
Your habits ossified
You don't realize you're fried,
You so fried
To find someone you love
You gotta be someone you love
To find someone you love
You gotta be someone you love
The reason's somewhere in the timber
It takes years till it sinks in
You've used up the easy streets,
And you lost your taste for treats
You're so fried
To find someone you love
You gotta be someone you love
To find someone you love
You gotta be someone you love
Stay high if you have to
Do whatever it asks you
You got another calling
Don't let it pass you
You know it cause you wrote it
You just didnt think you'd actually do it
It's just another wish you wished in a very long list
To find someone you love
You gotta be someone you love
To find someone you love
You gotta call your own bluff
@luke182777
My superb taste in music brought me here.
@LyzAgnew
one tree hill, always. miss it so much, always.
@wwcwcp09
What was it about??
@jacksonteller3973
it was also in Everwood.
@jnerdsblog
Listening to good music in college and remembering it over a decade later brought me here.
@indierockandroll3
One Tree Hill brought me here, can't believe I never came across this before, so perfect.
@zachzimmerman7105
The world's locked up in your head
You've been pouring in a concrete bed
Your habits ossified
You don't realize you're fried,
You so fried
To find someone you love
You gotta be someone you love
To find someone you love
You gotta be someone you love
The reason's somewhere in the timber
It takes years till it sinks in
You've used up the easy streets,
And you lost your taste for treats
You're so fried
To find someone you love
You gotta be someone you love
To find someone you love
You gotta be someone you love
Stay high if you have to
Do whatever it asks you
You got another calling
Don't let it pass you
You know it cause you wrote it
You just didnt think you'd actually do it
It's just another wish you wished in a very long list
To find someone you love
You gotta be someone you love
To find someone you love
You gotta call your own bluff
@cyriljezequel4486
One Tree Hill, saison 3, Peyton et Elie à un concert de N.S écoutent cette musique.
@fafadu03
True story! et c'est grâce à cette série et à la virée de Peyton et Ellie au concert de Nada Surf que j'ai découvert cette chanson trop bonne!
@NormRecs
One Tree Hill