1) Placebo is… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least four artists with the name Placebo:
1) Placebo is a British alternative rock band formed in London in 1994 by vocalist-guitarist Brian Molko and bassist-guitarist Stefan Olsdal. Drummer Robert Schultzberg joined in late 1994 but left in 1996 shortly after the release of the band's eponymous debut album due to conflicts with Molko. He was replaced the same year by Steve Hewitt. Molko was born in Belgium, and Olsdal and Schultzberg were born in Sweden. Remaining members Molko and Olsdal both grew up in Luxembourg before separately relocating to London and are both British citizens.
Following the release of a demo, a split single, and their eponymous debut album, Placebo gained exposure in 1997 after the single "Nancy Boy" became popular in the UK, a song notorious at the time for its gender-bending content. The band stood out among the Britpop scene they were associated with at the time for their androgynous appearance and musical content, as well as Molko's distinctive voice and lyrics which openly discussed sexuality, mental health, and drug use.
Hewitt left Placebo in 2007 due to personal and musical differences. He was replaced the following year by Steve Forrest. Placebo released two albums with Forrest, who left in 2015 to pursue his own musical career. Since 2015, Placebo has been officially a duo, though augmented with additional musicians.
Placebo has collaborated with various artists over the years, including David Bowie, Justin Warfield, Michael Stipe, and Alison Mosshart. To date, Placebo has released eight studio albums, all of which have reached the Top 20 in the United Kingdom, and have sold around 14 million records worldwide.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo_(band)
Discography
Placebo (1996)
Without You I'm Nothing (1998)
Black Market Music (2000)
Sleeping with Ghosts (2003)
Meds (2006)
Battle for the Sun (2009)
Loud Like Love (2013)
Never Let Me Go (2022)
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2) Placebo is a Jazz Rock/Jazz fusion band from Belgium who released three LPs in the early '70s. Their members were performing with Aksak Maboul, Larry Coryell, Focus, Telex, and Cos.
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3) Placebo is a female-fronted British Post-Punk/New Wave band from the early '80s who had two LPs and two 45s out.
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4) Placebo is a four-piece rock band from Calgary, AB, Canada, fronted by Leslie Feist. Other members included Kieran McAuley on guitar, Elescia on bass, and Toby on drums. This information is based on the liner notes of their CD "Don't Drink the Bathwater," released in 1994 on Cry Baby Records. After discovering the UK Placebo, they renamed the band Placebo4 for the 1996 release of their 7-inch "Sailor Boy," also on Cry Baby Records. Dale Becker on drums.
Breathe Underwater
Placebo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm always falling on my face.
This attitude that I embrace,
For a love I'm trying to replace.
Try to kill this song,
'Cause the melody's all wrong.
And there's a fever, comin' on.
What I've become.
With the wounded child,
Hiding deep inside.
Breathe underwater,
I'm comin' up for air!
I wanna see another dawn,
Comin' up for air!
Sick of the slaughter,
I'm comin' up for air!
'Cause I've floating here too long.
Take my ego for a ride,
'Cause there's nobody by my side.
It's getting hard to justify.
And it won't be long 'til I collide.
My weaknesses laid bare,
As people stop and stare.
But It's the last time, I swear.
It's hard to reconcile,
What I've become.
With the wounded child,
Hiding deep inside.
Breathe underwater,
I'm comin' up for air!
I wanna see another dawn,
Comin' up for air!
Sick of the slaughter,
I'm comin' up for air!
'Cause I've been floating here too long.
Stop breathing,
Stop breathing,
Stop breathing,
Stop breathing!
Breathe underwater,
I'm comin' up for air!
I wanna see another dawn,
Comin' up for air!
S-i-ck of the slaughter,
I'm comin' up for air!
'Cause I've floating here too long.
I'm coming, I'm coming,
I'm coming, ' coming
Comin' up for air
Comin' up for air!
Comin' up for air!
The lyrics of Placebo's "Breathe Underwater" are a representation of the struggle to move on from a past love that still lingers. The singer speaks of fallen grace and always falling on their face, suggesting a sense of constant failure. They admit to embracing this self-defeating attitude because of a love they are trying to replace, indicating that they have not fully let go of a past relationship. The singer is feeling ill at ease and disconnected with what they have become, but there is a wounded child hidden deep inside that they cannot reconcile with their current state.
The chorus lyrics of the song provide a glimmer of hope as the singer wants to "breathe underwater" and "come up for air." This symbolizes the need to reemerge and start anew. The constant repetition of the phrase "stop breathing" in the bridge may indicate that the singer wants to stop feeling the pain associated with their past relationship, but is finding it hard to let go. Eventually, the song ends with an emphasis on "coming up for air" as the singer feels it's time to move on from the pain and start anew.
Overall, the lyrics of "Breathe Underwater" are an honest reflection of the struggle to let go of a past that still haunts, and the need to start afresh and reemerge after a period of stagnation.
Line by Line Meaning
Here comes another fall from grace,
I'm making another mistake and losing my dignity.
I'm always falling on my face.
I'm constantly making errors and failing.
This attitude that I embrace,
I'm choosing to have a certain perspective.
For a love I'm trying to replace.
I'm attempting to forget an old love by finding a new one.
Try to kill this song,
I want to stop thinking about this issue.
'Cause the melody's all wrong.
I'm not handling the situation in the best way.
And there's a fever, comin' on.
I'm starting to become overwhelmed with emotions.
It's hard to reconcile,
It's difficult to match two aspects of myself.
What I've become.
Who I am following recent events.
With the wounded child,
With a past version of myself that was injured.
Hiding deep inside.
That is deeply ingrained within me.
Breathe underwater,
To survive in this difficult situation.
I'm comin' up for air!
I'm taking a break and regaining my strength.
I wanna see another dawn,
I hope for a new and better day.
Sick of the slaughter,
Exhausted from the current pain and unpleasantness.
'Cause I've floating here too long.
I've been stuck in this situation for too long.
Take my ego for a ride,
I'm letting go of pride and accepting help.
'Cause there's nobody by my side.
I don't have anyone to support me.
It's getting hard to justify.
I'm struggling to understand why I'm going through this.
And it won't be long 'til I collide.
I'm heading towards a breaking point.
My weaknesses laid bare,
My vulnerabilities are being exposed to others.
As people stop and stare.
As others observe my struggles.
But It's the last time, I swear.
I promise myself that this will be the end of it.
Stop breathing,
I'm considering giving up.
Stop breathing,
I'm thinking about ending it all.
Stop breathing,
I don't want to continue living.
Stop breathing!
I want everything to come to an end.
I'm coming, I'm coming,
But I'm not giving up just yet.
' coming
My efforts to keep going.
Comin' up for air
I'm taking a new approach and learning how to cope.
Comin' up for air!
I'm determined to overcome this challenge.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVE FORREST, WILLIAM LLOYD, BRIAN MOLKO, STEFAN OLSDAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PavelPokoracky
"Breathe Underwater"
Here comes another fall from grace
I'm always falling on my face
This attitude that I embrace
For the love
I'm trying to replace
I try to kill the song
'Cause the melody's all wrong
And there's a fever coming on
It's hard to reconcile
What I've become
With a wounded child
Hiding deep inside
Breath underwater
I'm coming up for air
I wanna see another dawn
Coming up for the air
Sick of the slaughter
I'm coming up for air
'Cause I've been floating here too long
Take my ego for a ride
'Cause there's nobody by my side
It's getting hard to justify
And it won't be long 'till I collide
My weakness is laid bare
As people stop and stare
But it's the last time I swear
It's hard to reconcile
What I've become
With a wounded child
Hiding deep inside
Breath underwater
I'm coming up for air
I wanna see another dawn
Coming up for air
Sick of the slaughter
I'm coming up for air
'Cause I've been floating here too long
Start breathing
Start breathing
Start breathing
Start breathing
Breath underwater
I'm coming up for air
I wanna see another dawn
Coming up for air
Sick of the slaughter
I'm coming up for air
'Cause I've been floating here too long
I'm coming
I'm coming
I'm coming
Coming up for air
Coming up for air
Coming up for air
@katya231
The slow acoustic version of Breathe Underwater is truly brilliant. Placebo are masters of turning their fast loud songs into magical acoustic ones (like Special K, 36 Degrees, Because I Want You, Drag, and so many others), but the piano transformation of this one is probably the greatest. Bravo! P.S. Your weakness laid bare is actually what people are in love with :)
@buffysummers8159
An absolute masterpiece.
@DJJJ1138
i feel like "battle for the sun" is placebos best album so far. it's so full of energy in comparison to the previous albums, that new drummer they hired really kicked them back into life
@edwin81
Their best song, fast, aggressive, spherical. A wonderful locomotive that keeps rushing on. Perfect for live concerts/festivals.
@PavelPokoracky
"Breathe Underwater"
Here comes another fall from grace
I'm always falling on my face
This attitude that I embrace
For the love
I'm trying to replace
I try to kill the song
'Cause the melody's all wrong
And there's a fever coming on
It's hard to reconcile
What I've become
With a wounded child
Hiding deep inside
Breath underwater
I'm coming up for air
I wanna see another dawn
Coming up for the air
Sick of the slaughter
I'm coming up for air
'Cause I've been floating here too long
Take my ego for a ride
'Cause there's nobody by my side
It's getting hard to justify
And it won't be long 'till I collide
My weakness is laid bare
As people stop and stare
But it's the last time I swear
It's hard to reconcile
What I've become
With a wounded child
Hiding deep inside
Breath underwater
I'm coming up for air
I wanna see another dawn
Coming up for air
Sick of the slaughter
I'm coming up for air
'Cause I've been floating here too long
Start breathing
Start breathing
Start breathing
Start breathing
Breath underwater
I'm coming up for air
I wanna see another dawn
Coming up for air
Sick of the slaughter
I'm coming up for air
'Cause I've been floating here too long
I'm coming
I'm coming
I'm coming
Coming up for air
Coming up for air
Coming up for air
@mauriliopaiva9680
GreenStreet Studio thank u for sharing those lyrics here, my friend!
@ro3435_6
I think, "stop breathing".
@Kiunlo
I really love this song. Especially the drums, brilliant.
@waynedunn1108
One of the best bands around great album
@Catweazel1976
Brilliant song! Need for Speed: Nitro brought me here. Also, my neighbour is a huge Placebo fan.......and she's never heard Breathe Underwater.......so I swear to rectify this......I mean, it fricken rocks!