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"
Jules and Jim
Nada Surf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's weird how you never lose
What can I do when I'm next to you?
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
You gape and lose sight
Under the midnight sun well my thoughts still run
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
Never felt such a pull before
I'm hypnotized I'm destabilized
I am Jules and Jim I'm me and him
I am all three I am Katharine
The speed at which you move
It's weird how you never lose
What can I do when I'm next to you?
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
Never felt such a pull before
I'm hypnotized I'm -
Never felt such a pull before
I'm paralyzed I'm destabilized
I am Jules and Jim I'm me and him
I am all three I am Katharine
I am all three I am Katharine
I am all three I am Katharine
In the song "Jules and Jim" by Nada Surf, the singer is expressing his infatuation with someone who captivates him to the point of losing himself mentally when she's not around. He describes how he is hypnotized and destabilized by her pull, feeling like he is multiple characters at once, including Jules and Jim, the two male characters from the French film of the same name, and Katharine, the female character they both love. Although the singer is lost and feels paralyzed and destabilized, he seems to revel in the feeling of being so completely drawn to someone.
The lyrics convey a sense of intense desire and devotion, yet also a feeling of being overcome and overwhelmed by this feeling. The line "What can I do when I'm next to you?" suggests a helplessness or powerlessness in the singer's attraction to the other person. It's both exhilarating and frightening to feel so strongly about someone, and the song captures that dichotomy well.
Line by Line Meaning
The speed at which you move
You move so quickly, it's remarkable how you are able to maintain your pace.
It's weird how you never lose
It's strange that you never seem to tire or slow down.
What can I do when I'm next to you?
I am helpless when I am with you, unable to control or resist the attraction between us.
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
I become lost in thought when you are not around, consumed with thoughts of you even when you are asleep.
You gape and lose sight
You become mesmerized and lose focus of the world around you.
Even under the northern lights
Even in the most awe-inspiring and beautiful natural phenomenon, your mind is still consumed by other thoughts.
Under the midnight sun well my thoughts still run
Even in times of endless daylight, my thoughts are still caught in a cycle, unable to break away.
Never felt such a pull before
I have never experienced such a strong sense of attraction before.
I'm hypnotized I'm destabilized
I am under a spell and thrown off balance because of the magnetism between us.
I am Jules and Jim I'm me and him
I am consumed by the three characters in the story Jules et Jim, embodying the different perspectives and experiences of each.
I am all three I am Katharine
I identify with all three characters and am also caught up in the love triangle that exists between them.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GEORGES DELERUE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@waakkeuppp
The speed at which you move
It's weird how you never lose
What can I do when I'm next to you?
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
You gape and lose sight
Even under the northern lights
Under the midnight sun well my thoughts still run
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
Never felt such a pull before
I'm hypnotized I'm destabilized
I am Jules and Jim I'm me and him
I am all three I am Katharine
The speed at which you move
It's weird how you never lose
What can I do when I'm next to you?
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
I am lost in my mind when you go to sleep
Never felt such a pull before
I'm hypnotized I'm -
Never felt such a pull before
I'm paralyzed I'm destabilized
I am Jules and Jim I'm me and him
I am all three I am Katharine
I am all three I am Katharine
I am all three I am Katharine
@artvandelay1967
why nada surf isnt one of the most popular bands of the last decade escapes me. another great song.
@neverenoughtech
always loved this song - listened alot when Imoved across the country
@gekritzl
Another one of those rare groups that always pumps out GREAT songs, never boring, never lets you down. (Heck, even the Beatles let us down from time to time.)
@emerckx53
More hooks and melodies and great lyrics in 5 minutes than some bands produce in a career.
@fadgadgeter3352
Le meilleur groupe sur cette planète.......accept and be happy...love.
@jsmilhomens
The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy - This album made my year!
@lougraziano6356
Very underrated
@mattaki
this band never stops!
@LCrosbyGarcia
Omg, this pays homage to the French New Wave film, Jules and Jim. I like how they recreated some of the scenes, lol. Too cute...
@lenag533
Love this brilliant melody