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"
No Snow on the Mountain
Nada Surf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no river to cross
We'd gone past it and we counted
Now we're drinking our dust
There's no snow on the mountain
There's no water to drink
We sat back and we just counted
It's crazy cause it shouldn't be that hard
To take care of everyone we don't need petty guards
The only crimes left to be ones of love
And when those eyes go dark you know it's bad enough
We signed up for extinction anyway
Threw out our thinking caps and gave our minds away
There's no snow on the mountain
There's no river to cross
We'd gone past it and we counted
Now we're drinking our dust
But how many dreams do we hold on to?
You've had so many you left with so few
But it's really all you ever did
You piled up the shares since you were a kid
So many pictures of things to do
What you were just thinking now you see right through
Baby, I've only got summer tires
But we're driving deep in your snow
Baby, I can't reach your wires
Let it go, let it go, let it go
There's no snow on the mountain
There's no water to drink
We got past it and we counted
We didn't think
Baby, I've only got summer tires
But we're driving deep in your snow
Baby, I can't redo your wires
Let it go, let it go, let it go
Let it go
There on every Broadway, the liar, the friend, the curious, the cold of heart
We did it our way, we used, we burned, we lobbed, we shipped, we scarred
There on every Broadway, the liar, the friend, the curious, the cold of heart
We did it our way, we used, we burned, we lobbed, we shipped, we scarred
We chose the scepter, we played the emperor card
We chose the scepter, we played the emperor card
The lyrics to Nada Surf's song "No Snow on the Mountain" seem to be painting a picture of a world that has been mistreated and left barren. The opening lines "There's no snow on the mountain, there's no river to cross" set the scene of a barren, dry landscape. The repetition of "we counted" hints at the idea that the singer and others around them have been counting the things that used to exist in this world, but are now gone.
The lyrics then take a turn, and the singer expresses frustration with the fact that taking care of everyone should not be hard, yet we still have petty guards and crimes that are not rooted in love. The lines "We signed up for extinction anyway, threw out our thinking caps and gave our minds away" highlight the idea that humans have been complicit in the destruction of the natural world.
The final lines "We chose the scepter, we played the emperor card" suggest that humans have put themselves in a position of power, but at what cost? The song seems to be a call to action to recognize the damage that has been done and to take responsibility for our actions before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no snow on the mountain
There's no water to drink
There's no river to cross
We got past it and we counted, we didn't think
We'd gone past it and we counted
We got past the problem and ignored it. We didn't think of the consequences.
Now we're drinking our dust
We're facing the consequences of our inaction and ignorance.
It's crazy cause it shouldn't be that hard
Taking care of each other should not be a difficult task.
To take care of everyone we don't need petty guards
We don't need small-minded people to tell us what to do and how to live.
The only crimes left to be ones of love
The only thing we should be guilty of is loving too much.
And when those eyes go dark you know it's bad enough
When we stop caring and paying attention, things have really gone wrong.
We signed up for extinction anyway
We are causing our own downfall.
Threw out our thinking caps and gave our minds away
We've stopped thinking for ourselves and are following the crowd blindly.
But how many dreams do we hold on to?
How many of our hopes and aspirations do we continue to believe in and work towards?
You've had so many you left with so few
We may have had many dreams, but most of them have never been realized.
But it's really all you ever did
The pursuit of our hopes and dreams is what gives our lives meaning.
You piled up the shares since you were a kid
We've been taught to accumulate wealth and possessions since childhood.
So many pictures of things to do
We have so many plans and goals.
What you were just thinking now you see right through
We are beginning to realize the futility and emptiness of our materialistic pursuits.
Baby, I've only got summer tires
I'm not prepared for the challenges ahead.
But we're driving deep in your snow
We are facing these challenges head-on, even though we are not fully prepared.
Baby, I can't reach your wires
I'm not sure how to fix the problems that we are facing.
Let it go, let it go, let it go
Let go of our old ways and habits, and embrace change.
There on every Broadway, the liar, the friend, the curious, the cold of heart
Everywhere you look, there are people of all types and dispositions.
We did it our way, we used, we burned, we lobbed, we shipped, we scarred
We've done things our own way, even if it meant causing destruction and pain.
We chose the scepter, we played the emperor card
We've taken control and acted as rulers, regardless of the consequences.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind