Our Lady Peace (also known as OLP) is an alternative rock band formed in To… Read Full Bio ↴Our Lady Peace (also known as OLP) is an alternative rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1992.

The band has sold over five million albums worldwide, won four Juno Awards, and ten MuchMusic Video Awards. OLP has released eight studio albums to date, with "Clumsy" often being considered the most popularized of the set. The Heavyweight Songfacts reports that their eighth studio album Curve was recorded from 2010 through 2012 at vocalist Raine Maida's home recording studio. It was released on April 3, 2012.

Full circle: a theme that eagerly resonates with each member of multiplatinum survivors, Our Lady Peace. As the band approached the release of their seventh studio album, a feeling of renewal and excitement washed over Toronto’s favorite sons in a manner not felt since their earliest days.

Self-produced in lead singer Raine Maida’s Los Angeles home studio, the 10-track Burn Burn (in stores July 21 2009), marks the longest period between studio albums for Our Lady Peace. It also signifies a sonic and philosophical rebirth. The band now enjoys a creative and professional freedom that they haven’t experienced since the release of their now classic debut. “I think about the way we made Naveed,” Maida recalls. “We were just starting, we knew nothing about the business and we had no expectations. It was four guys in a room just trusting their instincts. We went back to that. ‘Liberating’ doesn’t really even sum it up.”

Burn Burn is a triumphant return to what Maida terms “a proper, mature rock album,” steeped in the kind of raw intensity that drove their early material. Blinding rays of anthemic light make way to the tender poise and precision of a band that was looking for a way out and found a satisfying new way in.

With caution thrown to the wind, tracks such as the stunningly arranged “Dreamland” and the overpowering first single, “All You Did Was Save My Life,” soar above angry clouds of confusion and insecurity with an ascending clarity that can only come from experience and growth.

The pounding affirmation of “The Right Stuff” and the vigilant build of band favorite “Refuge,” also reinforce the notion that OLP now occupy a unique and enviable mindspace. “We’re not looking back with any kind of regret,” Maida points out, “but we’ve been doing this long enough now that we know what we want to say. We didn’t want to compromise a thing.”

Having scattered in different directions after the release of 2005’s Healthy In Paranoid Times, all four members took on projects of their own, ranging from solo records, production and songwriting work, tours and guest performances. Over the last two years, Raine Maida, guitarist Steve Mazur, bassist Duncan Coutts and drummer Jeremy Taggart sporadically reconvened and lived at Madia’s home, creating what he calls their best effort to date.

Members would leave each session without tapes, giving themselves a much fresher perspective on the material they created when they returned. Producing themselves and an adherence to rolling tape off the floor gave birth to an urgent, natural body of work. “We didn’t put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Coutts confirms. “We left things alone and haven't done that in a long time."

“For us,” adds Maida, “a big part of this band is playing live. It has to be something that we’re going to enjoy; a real dynamic collection of songs. When we really started to understand that, the record took on this whole other life.”

This work ethic allowed room for guitarist Steve Mazur, who joined the band in 2002, to blossom on Burn Burn. “On this album I really felt comfortable with my role and what I sound like as the guitarist of Our Lady Peace.” Mazur shines on tracks such as “Escape Artist” and “Paper Moon,” a song where Mazur’s solowork was nailed on the first go-round.

Our Lady Peace is also striking out on their own professionally this time around, opting for what the band terms a “true partnership” with both North American record labels. “We’ve never been this prepared for an album,” adds OLP founding member Jeremy Taggart. “In the past, we’ve never had the foresight to have maybe two or three singles in the can already with videos, etc.”

“Nobody knows us better than ourselves,” Taggart continues. “We didn’t over think a good song or idea or under think anything. The good songs really picked themselves.”

Let You Down
Our Lady Peace Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey, what do you see?
It's not me, it's not me
Why, why won't you share?
It's not fair, it's not fair
There's a bicycle show
Where the bicycles blow
And I, I wouldn't've cared
I wouldn't've cared

I wouldn't've cared

And I won't be the one who bothers you
And I won't be the one who lets you down
Hey, bothers
Hey, bothers you
Hey, bothers
Hey

Now, now that you're there
You're not scared, not scared
But why, why would you care?
It's your dream
Not theirs

There's a cigarette thief
Stealing cigarette disease
And I, I wish I was there
I wish I was there
I wish I was there

And I won't be the one who bothers you
And I won't be the one who lets you down
And I won't be the one who bothers you
And I won't be the one who lets you down
Hey, bothers
Hey, bothers you
Hey, bothers
Hey
Bothers you

Who bothers you

And I won't be the one who bothers you
And I won't be the one who lets you down
And I won't be the one who bothers you
And I won't be the one who lets you down
Bothers you
Bothers you
Bothers you

Bothers you
Bothers you

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of “Let You Down” by Our Lady Peace are spoken in a worried tone. As if someone is questioning them, asking them about something that they have no knowledge of. This is followed immediately by the chorus, in which the singer promises not to be a bother or a letdown. The third line of the first verse begins with a plea. The singer seems to be pleading for someone to share something with them. The next line expresses discontent at the person's lack of willingness to share. The remainder of the verse depicts a bicycle show happening in the background, in which the bikes are somehow blowing up. The singer reflects upon how they wouldn't have cared about such an event, before moving into the chorus once again.

The second verse is more inward-focused, addressing the dread of the person who is now in charge of their dream. The singer asks why the person would care about the dream, when it wasn't theirs to begin with. The verse then moves into a thought about a cigarette thief and the disease associated with smoking. The singer expresses a desire to be there, to see the thief, perhaps to confront them.

The chorus is repeated twice more, with increasing intensity as the repetition continues. It's as if the singer is trying to convince the person, and maybe even themselves, of their commitment to not being a bother or a letdown. The song ends with a repetition of the phrase “bothers you.” This emphasizes how the singer's fears and worries are centered around the other person’s perception of them.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey, what do you see?
Asking someone what they see and hoping that they see the real you.

It's not me, it's not me
Feeling like you're pretending to be someone else in order to please others.

Why, why won't you share?
Questioning why someone is keeping their dreams and passions to themselves instead of talking about them with you.

It's not fair, it's not fair
Feeling like life is unfair because you're not able to be your true self around others.

There's a bicycle show
Referencing an event that others find exciting and interesting, but you don't really care about or feel included in.

Where the bicycles blow
A metaphorical phrase meaning that everyone else seems to be enjoying themselves, but it's not something that you find enjoyable.

And I, I wouldn't've cared
Acknowledging that even if you were there, you still wouldn't have been interested in the same things as everyone else.

And I won't be the one who bothers you
Promising not to be a burden on someone else's happiness or success.

And I won't be the one who lets you down
Assuring someone that you won't disappoint them or hinder their progress.

Now, now that you're there
Referring to someone else being in a better position or achieving a goal that you were unable to achieve.

You're not scared, not scared
Implying that the person is not experiencing the same feelings of doubt, anxiety, or fear that you are.

But why, why would you care?
Confused as to why someone wouldn't think about your feelings or how their success might affect you.

It's your dream
Realizing that the accomplishment is solely for the other person, and not something that you should try to claim or take away from them.

Not theirs
Asserting that the achievement is not meant for everyone and not everyone needs to understand or care about it.

There's a cigarette thief
Referencing someone who is taking something that is not theirs to take, or someone who is doing something that is not moral or ethical.

Stealing cigarette disease
Using a metaphor to describe the negative and harmful effects of the actions of the cigarette thief, and how their actions can be contagious or harmful to others.

And I, I wish I was there
Regretting not being able to be a part of something that you might have enjoyed or been interested in.

Bothers you
Repeating the phrase to emphasize that the singer does not want to be a burden or hindrance to someone else.

Who bothers you
Asking who else might be causing stress or anxiety for the other person, and implying that the singer doesn't want to be one of them.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: David Lanni, Michael Maida, Jeffrey Taggart, Mike Turner

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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