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.”
Paper Moon
Our Lady Peace Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life itself just wears you out but
You keep getting ready for the big parade
Ah, you shine your shoes and you fake a smile
Salute the players with that famous style
'Cause keeping up has kept you in chains
Then I'd like to go with you
And we can burn out like candles
Under that paper moon
They just don't know anything at all
They just don't know anything at all
You'll fight traffic jams and big TVs and
Hipsters trapped in their own irony but
You'll finally think about settling down
Oh, you quit your job and you sell your car
You'll burn your clothes and pray to the stars 'cause
You swore to God that you'd never end up this way
I was thinking that if you know a way out
Then I'd like to go with you
And we can burn out like candles
Under that paper moon
They just don't know anything at all
They just don't know anything at all
At all, at all, at all, at all
Comes a time when you get turned around
Life itself just wears you out
You keep getting ready for that big parade
The lyrics of "Paper Moon" by Our Lady Peace express a sense of hopelessness and exhaustion that comes with the monotony and pressure of modern life. The first verse speaks to the struggle of keeping up appearances, of pretending everything is okay even when it's not. The image of shining one's shoes and faking a smile for a parade represents the performative nature of daily life, where we often feel we have to put on a show for others. The line "keeping up has kept you in chains" suggests that the constant pressure to be perfect, to keep up with societal expectations, can be suffocating and limiting.
The second verse explores the idea of wanting a way out, of fantasizing about a life free from the trappings of modern society. The singer imagines quitting their job, selling their car, and burning their clothes as a means of "settling down." This is a contradiction in terms, which reveals the singer's confusion and desperation. They swore to themselves that they would never end up this way, but they find themselves trapped in a cycle of unhappiness and ennui.
The chorus expresses a desire for escape and a kindred spirit to share the journey with. The line "we can burn out like candles under that paper moon" suggests that the sense of flickering, temporary light that candles give off is something to strive for, rather than the relentless brightness of modern life. The repeated refrain "they just don't know anything at all" echoes a feeling of alienation and isolation, a sense that other people don't understand the singer's struggles.
Overall, "Paper Moon" is a poignant and reflective meditation on the pressures of modern life and the desire for escape. It captures the sense of ennui and exhaustion that many people feel in our fast-paced, achievement-focused society, and offers a glimmer of hope in the form of a shared journey towards something more authentic and meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
Comes a time when you get turned around and,
There are moments in life when you feel lost and directionless, when you don't know which way to go.
Life itself just wears you out but,
Life can be exhausting and draining, and sometimes it feels like it's too much to bear.
You keep gettin' ready for the big parade.
Despite feeling tired and worn out, you keep pushing yourself forward, getting ready for what's next and putting on a brave face.
Oh you shine your shoes and you fake a smile.
Sometimes you have to put on a show and pretend that everything is okay, even when it's not. So you shine your shoes and force yourself to smile, hoping that no one sees through the facade.
Salute the players with that famous style,
You go through the motions of life, paying homage to the people and things that society deems important, even if you don't necessarily feel that way yourself.
'Cause keepin' up has kept you in chains.
The pressure to conform to societal norms and expectations has been suffocating, limiting your freedom and holding you back from living life on your own terms.
I was thinkin' that if you know a way out,
You're looking for a way out of the mundane and suffocating existence you've found yourself in - a chance to break free and live a life that's true to yourself.
Then I'd like to go with you.
You're not alone in feeling this way - you're hoping to find someone who shares your desires and aspirations, and who can help you along the way.
And we can burn out like candles,
You're not looking for a slow and steady burn - you want to go out in a blaze of glory, living life to the fullest and with no regrets.
Under that paper moon.
It's a metaphorical moon - not a real one - representing the idea that sometimes the things we strive for are only illusions, and that we need to break free from them to find true happiness.
They just don't know anything at all.
The people around you might not understand your desire for something more, they might not see the chains that are holding you down, but you know - and that's what matters.
If by traffic jams and big TV's,
The trappings of modern life - the traffic, the constant bombardment of media and entertainment - can be distracting and overwhelming, making it difficult to focus on what really matters.
And hipsters trapped in their own irony but,
Even the people who try to reject the mainstream and go their own way can end up getting trapped in their own self-imposed limitations, failing to see the bigger picture and missing out on true freedom and happiness as a result.
If I lay and think about settelin' down.
There are times when the idea of settling down and leading a quiet, contented life seems appealing, especially when the alternative is so uncertain and frightening.
Ah you quit your job and you sell your car.
To truly break free and start living life on your own terms, you might have to make some difficult choices - quitting your job, selling your possessions, and leaving behind the comforts and security of your old life.
You burn your clothes and you pray to the stars.
It's a symbolic gesture - burning your clothes represents shedding your old self and burning the bridges behind you, while praying to the stars represents the hope and faith you have in the journey ahead.
'Cause you swore to God that you'd never end up this way.
This isn't the life you imagined for yourself - you had dreams and aspirations that you've lost sight of along the way. But you're determined to get them back, no matter what it takes.
At all.
This line is repeated several times throughout the song, emphasizing the fact that the people around you might not understand you at all - and that's okay. You don't need their validation or approval to pursue your own happiness.
Comes a time when you get turned around.
The song ends where it began, reminding us that life is a cycle - there will always be times when we feel lost and directionless, and we'll have to find our way back to the path that's right for us.
Life itself just wears you out.
Life can be tough and unforgiving, and it's easy to become disillusioned and tired along the way. But we have to keep pushing forward, finding new sources of inspiration and motivation to keep going.
You keep gettin' ready for that big parade.
Despite everything, we can't give up hope. We have to keep preparing ourselves for what's next, even if we don't know what that is. The big parade is a symbol of all the good things that might be waiting for us - we just have to keep marching towards it, no matter how tired we get.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DUNCAN COUTTS, RAINE MAIDA, STEVE MAZUR, JEREMY TAGGART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@undeadtotheend6420
Still listening in 2022!
@mrfrost4064
I’m 24 my first ever album I purchased was you’re burn burn album 2008-2009 something like that 🫡all I gotta say is thank you.
Wild how the happy memories become sad memories the further away you get from them.
Your music has had an incredible impact and influence on my life thank you brother ❤️❤️❤️❤️
@joeguzek7299
Still loving this one!!!
@JohnFord706
Wow. I forgot just how amazing this song is.
@joeguzek7299
Still listen to it all the time! Love it!
@joeguzek7299
Wow, this song really brings tears to my eyes!!! Glad I got to see this video!
@Breebug3
I'm in this video in the line at the beginning! Awesome!
@blackjohn193
My fave OLP tune. Thank you boys
@fuzzinator5
Great song, I agree that it should be the next single.
@Kaker15
I totally agree with you, hands down there best song on the album