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"
The Moon Is Calling
Nada Surf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now I cannot sleep
They're saying something projecting something
Signals from the deep
I read it somewhere that we will be
Burning in the heat
It's hard to believe but I hear voices
The computer's recursive tuner
It's like the tolling of a bell
Bring me up
Deliver me out
Take me to the door
I'm not running anymore
Bring me up
Deliver me out
I want nature to be so strong
Wind and rain
Inky blue that goes on and on
In the day
Didn't plan it it wasn't habit
I don't speak to trees
I'm busy tracing I don't know what now
Looking for relief
They it's something
They're telling us something
We don't want to hear
The computer's recursive tuner
Is like the tolling of a bell
Bring me up
Deliver me out
Take me to the door
I'm not running anymore
Bring me up
Deliver me out
Take me to the door
I'm not running anymore
I want nature to be so strong
Wind and rain
Inky blue that goes on and on
In the day
The song "The Moon is Calling" by Nada Surf is a thought-provoking piece that seems to revolve around themes of nature, technology, and a general sense of foreboding. The lyrics talk about how the moon and the seas are calling, but the singer cannot sleep as they hear signals from the deep that are saying something, projecting something. The sense of unease is palpable throughout the song, and the singer seems to be grappling with some kind of existential crisis, trying to find relief from something they don't fully understand.
The lyrics suggest that there is some kind of impending doom, as the singer has read somewhere that "we will be burning in the heat." There is a sense that something big and ominous is coming, and the singer is trying to find meaning in the signals they're hearing from the deep, even as they struggle to grasp what those signals are.
The repeated refrain of "bring me up, deliver me out" seems to suggest a desire to transcend the limitations of the human body and escape to some kind of higher state of consciousness. The line "I want nature to be so strong" suggests a longing for a connection to the natural world, as a way of finding solace or shelter from whatever is coming. Overall, "The Moon is Calling" is a haunting song that speaks to the anxieties of our time, particularly around climate change and the uncertain future of our planet.
Line by Line Meaning
The moon is calling the seas are calling
The natural world is reaching out and projecting messages that cannot be ignored.
Now I cannot sleep
The intensity of the signals from nature is causing the singer to be unable to rest.
They're saying something projecting something
The messages are communicating something important to the singer.
Signals from the deep
The source of the messages seems to be coming from powerful and mysterious depths.
I read it somewhere that we will be
The artist has read predictions about the fate of humanity.
Burning in the heat
The impending future is bleak and disastrous.
It's hard to believe but I hear voices
Despite skepticism, the messages from nature are impossible to ignore.
And I cannot keep it secret
The artist feels compelled to share the weight of the messages with others.
The computer's recursive tuner
The technology that surrounds the artist is seen as analogous to natural rhythms.
It's like the tolling of a bell
The repetition of technology feels like an announcement or warning.
Bring me up
The singer wants to be raised above the mundane.
Deliver me out
The artist desires to be removed from the trappings of modern life.
Take me to the door
The singer is ready to leave and experience something different.
I'm not running anymore
The singer is no longer avoiding or ignoring the messages from nature.
I want nature to be so strong
The singer desires a powerful and transformative experience in nature.
Wind and rain
The artist is seeking elemental forces and natural rhythms.
Inky blue that goes on and on
The artist desires an endless and awe-inspiring experience.
In the day
Even in daylight, the singer desires an experience that transcends everyday life.
Didn't plan it it wasn't habit
The singer did not intentionally seek out this connection with nature.
I don't speak to trees
The artist is not seeking any kind of mystical or supernatural communication.
I'm busy tracing I don't know what now
The artist is caught up in the mystery and profundity of the natural world.
Looking for relief
The artist is searching for a sense of calm and harmony in nature.
They it's something
The messages from nature are felt to be coming from some kind of intelligent or conscious force.
They're telling us something
The messages are not just personal but are important for humanity as a whole.
We don't want to hear
The impending fate predicted by the messages is something that people are avoiding or denying.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DANIEL PRIETO CASTRO LORCA, IRA ELLIOT, MATTHEW RORISON CAWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mari
Me encanta!!!! la batería es lo mas!!
jesus moreno
Simplemente preciosa.
Lance Ashdown
I love cranking this one in the car.
Lance Ashdown
It makes me happy.
Dave Davidson
This song has a fucking sick Chris Squire sounding bass line !