Massachusetts-born Pernice had begun his recording career in the country-rock Scud Mountain Boys. He left the band, and most of its country music trappings, to pursue pure pop.
The Pernice Brothers also included Joe's brother Bob Pernice on guitar (hence the name), Peyton Pinkerton (guitar), Mike Deming (piano), bassist Thom Monahan, and Aaron Sperske on drums.
The band's first release was 1998's Overcome By Happiness. They have since recorded four more studio albums: The World Won't End (2001); Yours, Mine & Ours (2003), Discover A Lovelier You (2005), and Live A Little (2006). They released a live album, Nobody's Watching/Nobody's Listening in 2004. Pernice has also made two solo outings, one under the name Chappaquiddick Skyline.
Their music is distinguished by Pernice's silky, breathy vocals, reminiscent of Colin Blunstone or Nick Drake. He cites many musical influences: Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr, as well as Jimmy Webb, The Carpenters, and The Bee Gees. The deceptive simplicity, seductive melodies and soaring choruses of his songs also attract comparisons with the Beach Boys, Big Star, The Hollies and The Zombies. Yet the band can as easily sound like The Cure or New Order.
Pernice is also a fine lyricist (he has a master's degree in creative writing). His songwords show that Pernice can not only tackle difficult and offbeat subjects, but that he has a Morrissey-esque dark sense of humour too.
Automaton
Pernice Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out of proportion, distorted, par for the course
Two irrational thinkers
Passive aggression and pent-up excessive force
Something came over me, crimson not clover-leafed
Think of the humanity
Thankfully paralyzed
Maniac in his eyes looked much the same as mine
And just before it could happen, we coiled backward and acted like we were friends
The sloops in the harbor survived the storm
I gathered my good sense up off the lawn like an automaton
The song “Automaton” by Pernice Brothers delivers a message of regret framed within an introspective and thoughtful lyrical landscape. The song deals with the singer's response to a situation gone drastically wrong; a situation that was caused by the irrational thinking, passive aggression, and pent-up excessive force of two people. However, the singer does not lay blame solely on the other two people, as he also recognizes that he was not immune to the situation, as evidenced by the "maniac in his eyes" that looked much like the other two people's.
The lyrics convey a sense of emotional turmoil and self-reflection. When the singer mentions “something came over me, crimson not clover-leafed," he is expressing a feeling of being overwhelmed by emotions which were beyond his control as represented by the color crimson. The line "Thankfully paralyzed" suggests that the singer is now too scared to act on those emotions. Furthermore, the singer speaks of the “stars of natural selection” which “ought to know better, forgetful and arrogant." This may be interpreted as a commentary on human nature – suggesting that we are often driven by impulses that are not necessarily rational, such as those displayed by the two irrational thinkers in the song.
Overall, “Automaton” is a complex and introspective song that intertwines themes of regret, missed opportunities, and personal growth. The singer recognizes his own flaws and limitations within a context of broader societal issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Blew it out of the water
We completely ruined it and made it much worse than it actually was.
Out of proportion, distorted, par for the course
Exaggerating the situation is typical of our behavior.
Two irrational thinkers
Both parties were being unreasonable and not thinking logically.
Passive aggression and pent-up excessive force
We were both expressing our anger indirectly while holding back our true feelings.
Something came over me, crimson not clover-leafed
I became overwhelmed with emotions that were intense and negative, rather than positive.
Think of the humanity
Consider the impact that our actions will have on others.
Thankfully paralyzed
Grateful for the inability to act in that moment and make the situation worse.
Maniac in his eyes looked much the same as mine
We were both angry and irrational, with the same crazed look in our eyes.
The stars of natural selection ought to know better, forgetful and arrogant
Even those who are deemed successful by nature should not always be trusted, as they may forget to act wisely.
And just before it could happen, we coiled backward and acted like we were friends
We stepped back from the situation and pretended to get along, avoiding the looming conflict.
The sloops in the harbor survived the storm
People can withstand difficult situations and come out strong on the other side.
I gathered my good sense up off the lawn like an automaton
I regained my composure and acted in a mechanical, automatic way to move past the situation.
Contributed by Anna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Duff Baker
I'm hearing a little of the Fabs' 'For No One'' here. Niice.