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"
Electrocution
Nada Surf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A little electrocution.
Sometimes I feel I need it here,
A little electrocution.
The wire's hot, lights are red
A sparkle straight to my heart
I'm still livin' in the dark
I wouldn't mind if I could find
A little electrocution.
My despair flows everywhere
To a little electrocution
Spools of coil across the sky
Unraveling out for miles
I've been bangin' on diles (not sure about this word)
I've been bangin' on diles
I wouldn't mind if I could find
A little electrocution.
I need a jolt some thunderbolts
Of a little electrocution
No one loves you like I do
No one loves you like, you know, I do
All there is is beautiful
All there is needs to die
I've been wandering why
I've been wandering why
I wouldn't mind if I could find
A little electrocution.
I'm down quite beneath the light
Of a little electrocution
I wouldn't mind if I could find
A little electrocution.
Sometimes I feel I need it here,
A little electrocution.
The Nada Surf song "Electrocution" has often been seen as a metaphorical representation of addiction. Frontman Matthew Caws has mentioned in interviews that the song is about the "desire to feel alive, and the danger or the thrill behind the pursuit of that feeling". The reference to electrocution could be a nod towards the dangerous nature of addiction, but also the desire to feel something so strong that it's almost like being struck by lightning. The opening lines "I wouldn't mind if I could find a little electrocution" speak to the desperation of the singer and their willingness to go to extreme lengths to feel something real.
The song's imagery is centered around electrical current and sparks, with the wire's hot, lights are red, a sparkle straight to my heart being one of the standout lyrics. The allusions to electrical current tie into the idea of addiction as a powerful force that can zap a person and leave them reeling. The line "My despair flows everywhere to a little electrocution" could be interpreted as the despair of addiction and how it permeates every part of a person's life. The repeated line "No one loves you like I do" could be seen as the voice of the addiction itself, promising to love the singer in a way that no one else can.
Overall, "Electrocution" is a potent song that speaks to the desire to feel alive and the danger of addiction. Its haunting lyrics and bleak imagery make it a standout track in the Nada Surf catalog.
Line by Line Meaning
I wouldn't mind if I could find
The singer desires electrocution to the point that they wouldn't mind the experience.
A little electrocution.
The singer seeks mild electrocution as a form of release or relief.
Sometimes I feel I need it here,
There are times when the singer feels desperate for electrocution to happen right away.
The wire's hot, lights are red
The environment is visually and physically stimulating for the artist.
A sparkle straight to my heart
The sensation of electric current flows directly into the artist's heart.
I'm still livin' in the dark
The singer feels trapped in the same depressing situation without any way out.
My despair flows everywhere
The singer's general sense of hopelessness permeates every aspect of their life.
To a little electrocution
The only hope or relief the artist can imagine is through mild electrocution.
Spools of coil across the sky
The artist imagines vast electrical currents surging overhead in the atmosphere.
Unraveling out for miles
The electrical currents are expansive and far-reaching as they unspool through the sky.
I've been bangin' on diles
The singer has been knocking on doors or seeking out solutions to their problems but with no luck.
I need a jolt some thunderbolts
The artist is desperate for a powerful electrocution experience that will bring real change to their situation.
No one loves you like I do
The singer claims to love someone deeply and possibly hope that this person will understand and provide some support.
All there is is beautiful
The singer acknowledges that there is beauty in the world, but it does not alleviate their pain or need for electrocution.
All there is needs to die
Everything else must be destroyed or eliminated to bring about the singer's desired state of electrocution.
I've been wandering why
The artist is questioning why they feel so helpless and crave electrocution so much.
I'm down quite beneath the light
The artist has fallen into a deep depression or darkness and needs a spark of electrocution to bring them back up.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: HARDY WINFRED FOX, HOMER FLYNN, HOMER III FLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bart McPherson
Bill Fox is an amazing song writer.
junkie4vids
Great song. Has a Byrds flavor to it. Keep it coming !
David Marshall
This is everything that a cover song should be. Take something unknown and make it your own. Just adore this in every sense. Top 5 favorite song the past 10 years.
Matthew Carter
Nice guys! Great band!
Craig Hubbard
These dudes knocked it out of the park and honored my boy Bill Fox from Cleveland Ohio!
joe s
Just listening to this song on a walk the other day, great then and now!!!!
Spin Jennies
Sublime version of a gem from Bill Fox.
NadaChris7
Wow, cool cover! I can't wait to see them tonight and tomorrow at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. I hope they keep touring, and sharing their music with us. :)
KidBowery
I'm too old to be such a fan, but damn! That was beautiful. Cant wait to see these guys at the Mercury Lounge this Friday night!!!
fakeplasticmike
Don't get me wrong, Nada Surf is my absolute favorite band... I just hope that that is not a real fur coat on Ira from 2:30 onward.