Neko Case (born September 8, 1970, in Alexandria, Virginia) is an American … Read Full Bio ↴Neko Case (born September 8, 1970, in Alexandria, Virginia) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers.

Case moved around often as a child, spending the largest part of her youth in Tacoma, Washington. She left her parents at age 15 and three years later she started playing drums for several bands around the Northwest's punk rock scene. In 1994, she moved to Vancouver, BC to enter art school, and simultaneously joined the punk group Maow, who released a record on the Mint label. She also played with roots rockers the Weasles, and eventually formed her own backing band, the Boyfriends, which initially featured alumni of the Softies, Zumpano, and Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet.

Case released her solo debut, The Virginian, in 1997, delving wholeheartedly into traditional country via a mix of covers and originals. She went on to perform with Carolyn Mark in the old-timey side project the Corn Sisters, and recorded with the Vancouver indie supergroup the New Pornographers, which she continues to be a member of. In 1998, Case completed her studies and, with her student visa expired, returned to Washington and began work on her second solo album. The lovely, melancholy Furnace Room Lullaby was released on Bloodshot Records in 2000 and won high praise from most critics.

Case subsequently relocated to Chicago, home of a thriving alt-country scene, and released the home-recorded Canadian Amp EP in 2001. Its moody, late-night ambiance carried over to 2002's Blacklisted, a darker yet more eclectic affair; it garnered Case her strongest reviews up to that point, making many year-end critics' polls, and landed her a tour slot opening for Nick Cave. Blacklisted was recorded at Wavelab Studio in Tuscon AZ, where Case had moved to in 2002.

In 2004, Case signed with Anti Records in the United States, and that year she released a live album, The Tigers Have Spoken, recorded during several dates with Canadian surf-country band the Sadies.

Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, hailed by critics as an instant classic and Case's most realized work yet, followed in 2006. Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino contributed guitar, cello, bass, and drums to the album.

On March 3, 2009, Case released Middle Cyclone. It was her first album to reach the top ten's on the Billboard charts in the US.

Middle Cyclone was followed by "The worse things get, the harder I fight, the harder I fight, the more I love you" which came out September 4th 2013.

Case now lives on her farm in Vermont.

The Needle Has Landed
Neko Case Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Here I am in traffic's slow flow
(Where the needle touched down)
Carbon planes draw a cage around the air force base
(where the needle touched down)
My foot on the brake
Its OK to fly low
Over poor spanaway
An eagle swooped down from a semitrailer

Took the name of your town from a sharktooth freighter
The needles the same its recorded and played
As when you left me at the greyhound station the year I moved away
And if I knew then what's so obvious now
You'd still be here baby
My baby
Baby

that's why I never come back here
That's why they spit out my name
Your ex is a part of the battle
Trying to keep me away
The sledge of tectonic fever
The needle has landed again
Let it play

And the needle touched down
The needle has landed
The needle touched down
The needle has landed

The needle touched down from a semitrailer
Took the name of your town from a sharktooth freighter

And if I knew then what's so obvious now
You'd still be here

Overall Meaning

Neko Case's song The Needle Has Landed is a complex and evocative piece that touches on themes such as nostalgia, longing, and regret. At the start of the song, we find the singer stuck in traffic, watching as carbon planes trace a cage around an air force base, a scene that contrasts with the freedom and expansiveness of flight. But while stuck on solid ground, the singer finds solace in the music, which transcends the limitations of time and space. The needle, a reference to record players, symbolizes both the past and the present, as the music played on it is just as potent as when she first heard it in the past. The singer laments the loss of a past love, wishing she knew then what she knows now, and ultimately, concludes that she can never go back to that time because it would be too painful.

The second half of the song is more cryptic, with the "needle" taking on a more abstract meaning. We hear of a battle where the singer's ex-partner is trying to keep her away, and the "sledge of tectonic fever" adds to the sense of something monumental and threatening. When the needle touches down once more, it's a powerful moment that signals the song's climax. There's a sense that something important is happening that goes beyond the singer's personal feelings; the needle has landed again, and we're left to ponder its significance.

Overall, The Needle Has Landed is a rich and complex song that rewards careful listening. It draws on a range of themes and metaphors to evoke a powerful sense of nostalgia and loss, ultimately leaving us with more questions than answers.

Line by Line Meaning

Here I am in traffic's slow flow
I feel stuck and unable to move forward, similar to traffic

(Where the needle touched down)
A reference to the chorus, indicating that something impactful has happened to the singer

Carbon planes draw a cage around the air force base
The military and war machines are rampant and destructive

(Where the needle touched down)
A reference to something significant happening, possibly related to military machines

My foot on the brake
The artist feels stuck and unable to move forward

Its OK to fly low
It's important to take risks and make bold choices

Over poor spanaway
A reference to a specific location that may be a source of sadness or pain for the singer

An eagle swooped down from a semitrailer
A moment of beauty and grace in an unexpected place

Took the name of your town from a sharktooth freighter
A reference to someone renaming the artist's town, possibly erasing or taking away its identity and history

The needles the same its recorded and played
Despite time passing and changes occurring, some things stay the same and continue to cause pain

As when you left me at the greyhound station the year I moved away
A reference to a significant moment in the past where the singer was left with unresolved feelings of loss and heartbreak

And if I knew then what's so obvious now
Reflecting on past mistakes or missed opportunities

You'd still be here baby
Regretting losing someone important

My baby
Affection for the person who is no longer with the singer

that's why I never come back here
Avoiding going back to a painful place or memory

That's why they spit out my name
Feeling unwelcome or unwanted in a specific place or community

Your ex is a part of the battle
Old memories and relationships can continue to impact current situations and feelings

Trying to keep me away
Resistance or pushback from people or situations preventing the singer from moving forward

The sledge of tectonic fever
A reference to powerful seismic activity

The needle has landed again
A significant event has occurred, potentially related to previous references to the needle

Let it play
Accepting and embracing the consequences or outcomes of events

And the needle touched down
Repeating the significance of the needle landing, possibly referring to a moment of impact or change

The needle has landed
Echoing the idea that something important has occurred or changed

The needle touched down
Repeating the idea of an important moment or event

The needle has landed
Echoing the idea of something impactful taking place

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Dallas Good, Michael Bellitsky, Neko Case, Sean Dean, Travis Good

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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