They play indie rock music, with influences such as Cheap Trick, T Rex and Queen. They share management with They Might Be Giants, with whom they toured before signing to Capitol Records. They served as the house band to the public radio program This American Life on the show's fifth anniversary tour. Ira Glass, the show's host, wrote their first official bio, calling them "living catnip" and describing their songs as "part indie rock, part stadium rock, part straight up pop with the occasional whiff of The Pixies or The Cars or Elliott Smith."
In the United Kingdom, "Get Over It", from their self-titled debut album, appeared at No. 21 in the singles chart on March 16, 2003, and the band performed it on that week's edition of Top of the Pops. Also that week, the single's video was named video of the week by Q Magazine. The single was also featured in EA Sports video games Triple Play Baseball and Madden NFL 2003 in 2002.
The band contributed a cover of "This Will Be Our Year," the Zombies classic, as the lead track of Future Soundtrack for America, a political benefit album put out by Barsuk Records in the fall of 2004. Lead singer Damian Kulash also became somewhat politically active during that election cycle, writing a heavily downloaded how-to-guide entitled "How Your Band Can Fire Bush" for bands hoping to help unseat President George W. Bush, which garnered him an avalanche of hate mail.
The band's second record, "Oh No", was recorded in Malmö, Sweden and produced by Tore Johansson (The Cardigans, Franz Ferdinand) in the fall of 2004. Released in August 2005, it gained notoriety for its first single, the Clash-esque "A Million Ways." Its popularity was due in large part to its video, which proved to be a viral internet sensation in the fall of 2005. The ultra-low budget, one-take video featured the band in their back yard performing a dance choreographed by lead singer Kulash's sister, Trish Sie. Using a camera borrowed from a friend, the video was produced for under ten dollars and released without the knowledge or consent of their label, Capitol Records. By November 2005, the video had become the most downloaded music video ever with over 3 million downloads. It also spawned hundreds of tribute performances by amateur dancers around the world, a phenomenon that was encouraged by the group, which sponsored a dance contest, "OK Go Dances with You(Tube)", in which contestants were asked to upload videos of themselves doing the 'million ways dance' to YouTube, which would subsequently be judged, with the winning group of dancers to appear on stage with the band at a future OK Go performance.
The nontraditional video for "A Million Ways" is not without precedent for the band. Previous oddball video efforts featuring OK Go include their Ping Pong Instructional Video and the Federal Truth In Music Project.
Their next video featured the band dancing on treadmills to the single "Here It Goes Again" from the "Oh No" Album. This video was produced in a similar style to "A Million Ways", and also choreographed by singer/songwriter Damian Kulash's sister, Trish Sie. As with the previous music video for "A Million Ways", "Here It Goes Again" was also recorded as one continuous unedited take, although it required 7 days of rehearsal, and was the best (take 14) of 17 attempts. The amateur and yet brilliantly original 'treadmill video' sparked an even greater viral internet phenomenon than the AMW video, and was subsequently viewed on YouTube and elsewhere online well over 15 million times. On February 11, 2007, the "Here It Goes Again" music video earned the band members of OK Go and Trish Sie the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.
OK Go toured North America with Silversun Pickups and Snow Patrol in 2007.
C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips
OK Go Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be-be-be-Buttery eyes, if only cries could come from those eyes. Oh!
Have you landed yet and, if so, would you let me know?
I'm tired of looking up into those starry eyes.
Does it rain where you are? Does it snow?
And, if so, remind me not to go there, the weather affects my knee.
I've never felt this way before.
See-see-see-Cinnamon Lips, go powder your cheeks and meet your
New beau, oh
See-see-see-Counting sheep, if only sheep could put me to sleep, oh
I've never felt this way before.
Some day (one day) you'll miss me.
Mundane Sundays, when I'm gone.
One day (some day) you'll miss me.
One day when I'm gone (adieu and so long)
One day when I'm gone!
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Have you landed yet and, if so, would you let me know?
I've never felt this way before.
The lyrics of OK Go's "C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips" song are an intriguing mix of sweet, funny, and sad. The song's opening lines describe the taste and sensation of Cinnamon Lips and Candy Kisses on the tongue, expressing joy at the experience. However, the song soon shifts to a contemplative mood, wondering about the object of affection's whereabouts and weather conditions in their location, ending with a wistful prediction that someday they will be missed.
The chorus of the song, with its repetition of "I've never felt this way before," expresses a sense of wonder and excitement at a new feeling that the singer has not experienced before. There is a strong implication that this feeling may be associated with the object of their affection, but the exact nature of that feeling is left up to interpretation. The lyrics may suggest a traditional romantic attraction, but they could also be read more broadly as describing any intense emotional experience.
The melancholy ending to the song hints at a sense of inevitability, both in the singer's feelings and in their ultimate separation from the object of their affection. Despite the playful language and upbeat music, there is a sense of underlying sadness to the lyrics that makes the song both joyful and bittersweet.
Line by Line Meaning
See-see-see-Cinnamon lips and candy kisses, on my tongue. Fun!
I am enjoying the sweetness of your kisses and the warm taste of your mouth.
Be-be-be-Buttery eyes, if only cries could come from those eyes. Oh!
Your eyes are very expressive, I wish I could understand what you are feeling deep inside.
Have you landed yet and, if so, would you let me know?
Are you here with me yet? Please tell me when you arrive.
I'm tired of looking up into those starry eyes.
I am tired of admiring you and feeling overwhelmed by your beauty.
Does it rain where you are? Does it snow?
I am curious about your whereabouts and what the weather feels like in your location.
And, if so, remind me not to go there, the weather affects my knee.
I'm just kidding, I will go wherever you are, even if it means dealing with unfamiliar weather.
See-see-see-Cinnamon Lips, go powder your cheeks and meet your New beau, oh
I am jealous of your new boyfriend and I hope you both have a good time together.
See-see-see-Counting sheep, if only sheep could put me to sleep, oh
I am having trouble sleeping and I wish I could find comfort in counting sheep like they say in the movies.
Some day (one day) you'll miss me. Mundane Sundays, when I'm gone.
One day, when I am no longer around, you will realize how much I meant to you and how you miss our time spent together.
One day (some day) you'll miss me. One day when I'm gone (adieu and so long)
When I am gone, you will regret not cherishing our memories together and it will be too late to make amends.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
I am in denial about the end of our relationship and I don't want to accept that you will eventually move on.
I've never felt this way before.
This whole experience is new to me and I am trying to navigate my feelings as best as I can.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DAMIAN KULASH, TIMOTHY NORDWIND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@demonsrun425
Perfect even before they were famous. Them's my boys.
@sarahkimbrough8982
EVERY OK GO FAN NEEDS TO SEE THIS. How did I not find out about this till now. :')
@Babelfish112
haha saw you on the other video! This song is way too catchy and just cheesy fun. A precursor to their later dance videos :)
@sarahkimbrough8982
Yes!! :)
@aleenoland9938
Everyone's commenting "WTF?" but that's a different music video ba dum tsch
@dlc.1117
Ha. Ha. Ha.
@kitgrrrl
This is the best thing I've ever seen in my life. This is what Chica-go-go was like every time I've seen it. Super cheesy, people just dancing all goofy, and there were always kids there. It was a rather bizarre show.
@Katya_Lastochka
kitgrrrl Sounds fun.
@peetah_gryffyn
This was honestly my favorite episode.
@bertumblus8083
All the hair from Dan's head went to Tim's chin