The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a rigorous touring schedule that draws a famously dedicated fan base. Their music blends elements of a wide variety of genres, including funk, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, folk, country, jazz, blues, bluegrass, and pop. Phish were part of a movement of improvisational rock groups, inspired by the Grateful Dead and colloquially known as "jam bands", which gained considerable popularity as touring concert acts in the 1990s.
After 15 years of performing together, Phish went on hiatus in 2000. They resumed touring in December 2002, but disbanded in 2004 after a farewell performance at their Coventry Festival in Vermont. They reunited in March 2009 for a series of three consecutive concerts played in the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, and have since resumed performing regularly.
Although the group received little radio play or MTV exposure, Phish developed a large following by word of mouth during the 1990s, particularly through fan-record tapes of their concerts, which circulated for free online with the band's permission. While often compared to the Grateful Dead, Phish finds their roots in styles such as jazz, funk and alternative rock as opposed to the Dead, who were more influenced by folk, country and blues.
Each Phish concert is different in terms of the songs included and the order in which they appeared, and (for many songs) in the way in which they were performed. Also unique to Phish are their large summer festivals which draw upwards of 70K people to remote areas in Maine and New York State as well as close to 100K for their epic Millennium Show in the Everglades of South Florida.
Along with Bob Dylan and The Beatles, Phish were one of the first bands to have an Internet newsgroup - rec.music.phish - launched in 1991.
In regards to Phish, Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed "Given their sense of community, their ambition and their challenging, generous performances, Phish have become the most important band of the Nineties."
Bouncing Around the Room
Phish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though rather hard to keep
For when my eyes were watching hers, they closed, and I was still asleep
For when my hand was holding hers
She whispered words and I awoke
And faintly bouncing round the room
And I awoke, and faintly bouncing round the room
The echo of whomever spoke
The place I sought was far beneath, the surface of the sea
My sight was poor, but I was sure
The sirens sang their song for me
They dance above me as I sink
I see them through a crystal haze
And hear the sweet sound bouncing round
The never-ending coral maze,
The crystal haze,
And hear the bouncing round the room
The never-ending coral maze
Then before and now once more, I'm bouncing round the room
That time then and once again, I'm bouncing round the room
That time then and once again, I'm bouncing round the room
That time then and once again, I'm bouncing round the room
That time then and once again, I'm bouncing round the room, (cont)
And I awoke, faintly bouncing round the room
The echo of whomever spoke
And I awoke, faintly bouncing round the room
The echo of whomever spoke
And I awoke, faintly bouncing round the room
The echo of whomever spoke
The lyrics to Phish’s song “Bouncing Around the Room” are complex, evocative, and open to interpretation. The first stanza seems to describe a dream the singer had about a woman. However, the dream is difficult to maintain because whenever the singer gazes into the woman’s eyes, he falls asleep. When the woman holds his hand, he awakens to hear the echo of someone whispering in the room. The second stanza is more abstract, as the singer describes a journey underwater where he encounters sirens that serenade him with their songs. He sees the sirens through a “crystal haze,” and hears the sounds of their songs bouncing around the never-ending coral maze. The third and final stanza seems to tie these disparate elements together with a refrain of the singer “bouncing around the room,” suggesting that these experiences are all interconnected and part of a larger narrative.
The overall meaning of this song is open to interpretation, but it seems to revolve around the idea of dreams, both literal and metaphorical. The dream of the woman suggests a desire for connection and intimacy, but one that is elusive and fleeting. The underwater journey with the sirens suggests that there are deeper, more mysterious aspects to the self that can only be accessed through a kind of liminal experience. The singer is “bouncing around the room” throughout the song, which can be read as a metaphor for the constant movement and flux of life.
Line by Line Meaning
The woman was a dream I had
The woman was a figment of my imagination
Though rather hard to keep
Although it was difficult to keep my imagination in check
For when my eyes were watching hers, they closed, and I was still asleep
Whenever I tried to focus on my imagination, I would become lost in my own thoughts
For when my hand was holding hers, She whispered words and I awoke
Whenever I tried to control my imagination, it would lead to new ideas and creative awakenings
And faintly bouncing round the room, The echo of whomever spoke
The echoes of my thoughts seemed to reverberate around the room
The place I sought was far beneath, the surface of the sea
My imagination took me to a hidden, secluded place deep under the ocean
My sight was poor, but I was sure, The sirens sang their song for me
Although I couldn't physically see, I knew that the mermaids were calling out to me
They dance above me as I sink, I see them through a crystal haze
As I become more lost in my imagination, I can see glimpses of dancing mermaids through the haze
And hear the sweet sound bouncing round, The never-ending coral maze, The crystal haze
The sounds and sights of my imagination combine into an never-ending maze of vibrant colors and sounds
Then before and now once more, I'm bouncing round the room
As my mind wanders, I once again find myself lost in my imagination
That time then and once again, I'm bouncing round the room
I am continually bouncing between reality and my imagination
And I awoke, faintly bouncing round the room, The echo of whomever spoke
When I finally snap back to reality, remnants of my imagination remain with me
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: MIKE GORDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind