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.”
R.K. 1949-97
Our Lady Peace Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Large bureaucracies to monitor and enslave the population in his book 1984.
The year is 1976.
Kurzweil Computer Products introduces the Kurzweil Reading Machine.
The first printed speech reading machine for the blind.
In 1997, Deep Blue beats
Gary Kasparov, the world chess champion, in a regulation tournament.
The lyrics to Our Lady Peace's song R.K. 1949-97 delve into the world of technological advancement and its possibilities, both positive and negative. The first line references George Orwell's classic book 1984, which imagines a dystopian world in which technology is used to monitor and control the population. The reference to computers used by large bureaucracies to enslave the population serves as a warning about the potential dangers of technology in the wrong hands.
The following line brings us to 1976, when Kurzweil Computer Products introduced the Kurzweil Reading Machine. This was an important innovation, as it was the first device that allowed printed text to be read aloud to the blind. The introduction of this technology is a positive example of how technology can be used to improve people's lives.
The final line of the lyrics brings us to 1997 when Deep Blue, a computer designed by IBM, defeated Gary Kasparov, the world chess champion, in a regulation tournament. This event is significant because it highlights the power of technology to outperform humans in certain tasks. It also raises questions about where the line should be drawn when it comes to relying on technology to make decisions that were previously made by humans.
Line by Line Meaning
In 1949 George Orwell portrays a chilling world in which computers are used by Large bureaucracies to monitor and enslave the population in his book 1984.
George Orwell, a renowned author, creates a dystopian world in his book 1984, published in 1949, where computers are utilized by the government and institutions to constantly monitor and control the citizens' lives.
The year is 1976.
This event takes place in the year 1976.
Kurzweil Computer Products introduces the Kurzweil Reading Machine.
Kurzweil Computer Products launches an innovative device called the Kurzweil Reading Machine which is specifically designed to scan and read printed text for individuals who are blind or visually incapable.
The first printed speech reading machine for the blind.
The Kurzweil Reading Machine is the first-ever technology for individuals who are blind to read printed text.
In 1997, Deep Blue beats Gary Kasparov, the world chess champion, in a regulation tournament.
The year 1997 saw a defining moment in the history of artificial intelligence when a computer program called Deep Blue defeats Gary Kasparov, who was regarded as the world's best chess player, in a formal tournament.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MAIDA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charley Edwards
i remember listening to my diskman late at night and being to tired to press the 'next' button just let the song play, and after a good while of dead air space i hear this start to play. trippiest thing id ever experienced up to that point. then i proceeded to listen to all the little bits in rapid succession over and over
J P
No lies detected