The band self-released their first album, Stars Too Small to Use, which led them to the South by Southwest music festival. After recording their first album in a garage, they signed with Jagjaguwar. Okkervil River continued by releasing four more albums, including critically lauded concept album Black Sheep Boy.
After a period of touring for Black Sheep Boy, Okkervil River followed up with The Stage Names. The album sold 10,000 in its opening week in the United States. The group released a free covers album, Golden Opportunities Mixtape from their live performances.
The band has garnered positive critical reception. Especially noted are each song's lyrics, intricate instrumentation, and thematic albums. In addition, they were featured on the talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien and have performed with high profile bands such as The Decemberists, The New Pornographers, The National, and Lou Reed.
Okkervil River released their most recent album The Silver Gymnasium on September 3, 2013.
Discography:
* 1998 Bedroom EP – Jound
* 1999 Stars Too Small to Use - Jound
* 2002 Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See - Jagjaguwar
* 2003 Down the River of Golden Dreams - Jagjaguwar
* 2003 Julie Doiron/Okkervil River (A split CD with Julie Dorion) - Acuarela
* 2004 Sleep and Wake-Up Songs (EP) - Jagjaguwar
* 2004 Sham Wedding/Hoax Funeral (A split CD with Shearwater) - Jagjaguwar
* 2005 Black Sheep Boy - Jagjaguwar
* 2005 Black Sheep Boy Appendix (EP) - Jagjaguwar
* 2006 Overboard and Down (EP) – Inertia, Australia-only tour EP
* 2007 The Stage Names - Jagjaguwar
* 2008 The Stand-Ins - Jagjaguwar
* 2011 I Am Very Far - Jagjaguwar
* 2013 The Silver Gymnasium - ATO Records
* 2016 Away - ATO Records
* 2018 In The Rainbow Rain - ATO Records
Current band members:
* Will Sheff - acoustic guitar, vocals, harmonica (keyboard occasionally)
* Travis Nelsen - drums, misc. percussion
* Scott Brackett - trumpet, coronet, keyboards, organ, tape player, misc. percussion
* Patrick Pestorius - bass, piano, woodblocks
* Justin Sherburn - keys, guitar
* Lauren Gurgiolo - electric guitar, pedal steel, mandolin
Past band members:
* Seth Warren - guitar
* Zachary Thomas - vocals, bass
* Jonathan Meiburg - vocals, banjo, guitar, accordion, piano, organ
* Mark Pedini - drums
* Brian Cassidy - electric guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, melodica (keyboard and accordion when on tour without Jonathan)
Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe
Okkervil River Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Handing the keys to me in this Red Lion
Where the lock that you locked in the suite
Says there's no prying
When the breath that you breathed in the street
Screams there's no science
When you look how you looked then to me
It's just a life story, so there's no climax
No more new territory, so pull away the IMAX
In the slot that you sliced through the scene
There was no shyness
In the plot that you passed through your teeth
There was no pity
No fade in, film begins on a kid in the big city
And no cut to a costly parade, that's for him only
No dissolve to a sliver of gray, that's his new lady
Where she glows just like grain on the flickering pane
Of some great movie
Hey, I didn't watch it
It's just a house burning, but it's not haunted
It was your heart hurting but not for too long, kid
In the socket you spin from with ease
There is no sticking
From the speakers your fake masterpiece
Comes serenely dribbling
And when the air 'round your chair fills with heat
That's the flames licking
Beneath the clock on the clean mantelpiece
It's got a calm clicking
Like a pro at his editing suite takes two weeks stitching
Up some bad movie
In Okkervil River's song "Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe," the lyrics tell a story of a bad movie where there's no crying but the keys are handed to the singer in the Red Lion. The lock that was locked in the suite says there's no prying, and the breath that was breathed in the street screams there's no science. The singer falls into silence when they look how the person looked then. It's just a life story, so there's no climax, and no more new territory, so pull away the IMAX. In the slot that was sliced through the scene, there was no shyness, and in the plot that was passed through the teeth, there was no pity.
There's no cut to a costly parade, that's for him only. No dissolve to a sliver of grey, that's his new lady. Where she glows just like grain on the flickering pane of some great movie. Hey, I didn't watch it. It's just a house burning but not haunted. It was their heart hurting but not for too long, kid. In the socket, they spin from with ease, there is no sticking. From the singers, their fake masterpiece comes serenely dribbling. And when the air 'round the chair fills with heat, that's the flames licking, beneath the clock on the clean mantelpiece, it's got a calm clicking. Like a pro at his editing suite takes two weeks stitching up some bad movie.
The lyrics in this song seem to be suggesting that life is not like a movie because it doesn't have a climax or new territory, and it's not always pretty or sentimental. There's no hero to save the day, and there's no happily ever after, and things don't always make sense. It's just a bad movie where nothing always makes sense, and things don't always happen the way they're supposed to. The song seems to highlight the imperfections of life and emphasizes that sometimes life's bad moments can still be valuable.
Line by Line Meaning
It's just a bad movie where there's no crying
Life is not perfect like a movie, and tears don't always come when we need them.
Handing the keys to me in this Red Lion
Giving control of life to someone else, like being handed the keys to a hotel room.
Where the lock that you locked in the suite
Says there's no prying
The barriers you put up to protect yourself tell others not to invade your privacy.
When the breath that you breathed in the street
Screams there's no science
The complexity of life and our varied experiences can't be explained by science.
When you look how you looked then to me
Then I cease lying and fall into silence
Seeing someone for who they truly are can leave one speechless and exposed.
It's just a life story, so there's no climax
No more new territory, so pull away the IMAX
Life doesn't always have a dramatic conclusion or big surprises to keep us engaged.
In the slot that you sliced through the scene
There was no shyness
Bold choices are often necessary to make an impact and avoid being overlooked.
In the plot that you passed through your teeth
There was no pity
Sometimes people reveal tough truths to others without softening the blow, giving no mercy.
No fade in, film begins on a kid in the big city
And no cut to a costly parade, that's for him only
Life doesn't always give us the grand entrances or special treatment like in movies, some of us start by just surviving in a difficult place.
No dissolve to a sliver of gray, that's his new lady
Where she glows just like grain on the flickering pane
Of some great movie
Hey, I didn't watch it
Even if the world around someone has moments of beauty and glamour, individual engagement with those moments can be lacking.
It's just a house burning, but it's not haunted
It was your heart hurting but not for too long, kid
While past difficulties can hurt, they don't have to hold one down forever.
In the socket you spin from with ease
There is no sticking
Some people are naturally impressive when they act or work on tasks, without showing signs of hesitation.
From the speakers your fake masterpiece
Comes serenely dribbling
People can make beautiful creations and things that please others, but not everything is truthful or sincere.
And when the air 'round your chair fills with heat
That's the flames licking
Beneath the clock on the clean mantelpiece
It's got a calm clicking
Life can be tumultuous and unpredictable, but some things like time and space move at a constant pace.
Like a pro at his editing suite takes two weeks stitching
Up some bad movie
People can edit and manipulate their memories and experiences to tell a certain story, even if it's not true.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: WILL ROBINSON SHEFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@surberemily1679
It's just a bad movie where there's no crying
Handing the keys to me in this Red Lion
Where the lock that you locked in the suite
Says there's no prying
When the breath that you breathed in the street
Screams there's no science
When you look how you looked then to me
Then I cease lying and fall into silence
It's just a life story, so there's no climax
No more new territory, so pull away the IMAX
In the slot that you sliced through the scene
There was no shyness
In the plot that you passed through your teeth
There was no pity
No fade in, film begins on a kid in the big city
And no cut to a costly parade, that's for him only
No dissolve to a sliver of gray, that's his new lady
Where she glows just like grain on the flickering pane
Of some great movie
Hey, I didn't watch it
It's just a house burning, but it's not haunted
It was your heart hurting but not for too long, kid
In the socket you spin from with ease
There is no sticking
From the speakers your fake masterpiece
Comes serenely dribbling
And when the air 'round your chair fills with heat
That's the flames licking
Beneath the clock on the clean mantelpiece
It's got a calm clicking
Like a pro at his editing suite takes two weeks stitching
Up some bad movie
@user-sl7nq3cl3g
I recently bought an old ipod classic with the name of this song engraved so I googled it and I think I just found a gem.
@thegirlwonder13
I thought this song and band was the shit in 2007 when I was 17. I'm 23 now and my opinion hasn't changed ha ha ha. This song lives with me like a legend.
@wildmercuryfilms
Tamsyn Cox It lives with you like a legend? You mean a legend like what's in the corner of maps to tell you what each symbol on the map denotes? That's wonderful! Another word for the legend on the map is "key," as in the "key" to unlocking the meaning of the map. So, in other words, this song lives with you like a key ---- a key to your happiness, a key to your love, a key to your understanding. That's amazing!
@thegirlwonder13
Well that escalated quickly.....
hahaha
@BobDylansPet
it may sound very "hipster", but in a way, I am not unhappy about the fact that you can't hear this band on every elevator in every shopping mall in the country...this is magnificent music that mainstream hasn't had the chance to destroy yet.
@chrishouston968
I first read of Okkervil River in my local newspaper advertising their first album, decided to check them out, they're amazing!! This song is so good.
@coopsta12p
Haven't listened to this song in a long time...so good.
@becomeagain67
Me too
@tennisanya
I love this song more than I can say. Last summer I listened to it two or three times a day, every day.... and I still love it.
@DawnSuttonfabfour
The first time I heard this track about 5 years ago I was in open mouthed awe that such a complex, brilliant, imagery filled thing existed in these times of pap. I played it over and over (yeah, til I learned the words). It doesn't matter how much time passes between each listen, I hear it again and am once more blown away by the sheer, mad, shrieking, screaming brilliance of it. Will Sheff I love you.