While in high school, Homme got together with locals Brant Bjork, Chris Cockrell (later replaced by Nick Oliveri) and John Garcia resulting in the formation of Kyuss (firstly known as "Sons of Kyuss"). Queens of the Stone Age formed in 1997, rising from the ashes of Kyuss and began playing together during the now legendary Desert Sessions. Homme has drawn all of the members from that diverse group of musicians for Queens of the Stone Age. The band originally formed under the name Gamma Ray, but almost faced a lawsuit from the European metal band of the same name.
Queens of the Stone Age have gone through many line-up changes since first breaking into the hard rock scene. Their most recent line-up includes: Josh Homme (guitar, vocals), Troy Van Leeuwen (guitar, lap steel, keyboards, backing vocals), Jon Theodore (drums, percussion), Michael Shuman (bass, backing vocals), and Dean Fertita (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals).
Former core members include Joey Castillo, Alain Johannes, Natasha Shneider, Mark Lanegan, and Nick Oliveri, among other members and contributors. In 2002, regarding the band line-up, Homme said: "It really is more of a musical experiment… It keeps moving and reinventing itself. That way we never get painted into a corner."
Dave Grohl recorded drums, percussion and backing vocals on Songs for the Deaf and toured in support of the album in 2002 before returning to the Foo Fighters. Grohl also made a live appearance in 2007, to play Make It wit Chu, and recorded tracks on …Like Clockwork, following Joey Castillo's departure.
Mark Lanegan has long been an on/off vocalist for the band, toured from 2001 to 2005 and made live appearances in 2007 and 2010. He has recorded with the band on all albums except for their self-titled debut album. Lanegan has also played keyboards in live performances during the tour preceding the release of Lullabies to Paralyze, before Natasha Shneider joined the band.
Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri were seen as the only two consistent Queens of the Stone Age members. Oliveri had previously played alongside Homme in the band Kyuss and joined Queens of the Stone Age as its permanent bass guitarist and co-lead vocalist, in 1998, upon the release of its debut album, Queens of the Stone Age. Being friends since childhood, the two meshed well together. Oliveri's punk background brought an element of danger and attitude to the Queens' live shows. As the band's two core members, the duo recorded the breakthrough albums, Rated R and Songs for the Deaf, together. Oliveri's unique "howling" singing style made him easily distinguishable on songs such as Six Shooter from the album Songs for the Deaf; he also displays a more melodic singing style in Rated R songs such as Auto Pilot.
However, Homme fired Oliveri in 2004 for excessive partying and an alleged incident of domestic abuse (an accusation which Oliveri strongly denies). The duo repaired their friendship shortly afterwards. Oliveri, however, did not return to the band. In 2013, upon hearing that former contributor Dave Grohl was recording drums for the band's sixth studio album, …Like Clockwork, Oliveri asked Homme if he too could return on bass guitar. Homme ultimately did not grant Oliveri's request. He does, however, appear on backing vocals on the album track, If I Had a Tail.
Diskographie:
1997 - Kyuss / Queens of the Stone Age
1998 - Queens of the Stone Age / Beaver Split
1998 - Queens of the Stone Age
2000 - Rated R
2002 - Songs for the Deaf
2002 - Sample This School Boy
2002 - 2002-10-29: Rock City, Nottingham, UK
2002 - 2002-11-06: Stockholm, Sweden
2003 - Songs For The Deaf Tour Edition
2004 - Stone Age Complication
2005 - Lullabies to Paralyze
2005 - Lullabies To Paralize Tour Edition
2005 - MTV Unplugged (Berlin 2005-06-10)
2005 - Over the Years and Through the Woods
2006 - 2005-12-20: Los Angeles, CA, USA
2006 - Over The Years And Through The Woods
2007 - The Definitive Collection Of B-sides & Rarities
2007 - Era Vulgaris
2008 - Era Vulgaris Tour Edition
2013 - ...Like Clockwork
2017 - Villains
2023 - In Times New Roman...
Song For The Dead
Queens of the Stone Age Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah
It's late enough to go driving
And see what's mine
Life's the study of dying
You're a holy roller
If you bettin' to lose
If you're hanging around
I'm holding the noose
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Come a little bit closer
And get untied
In a hearse rolling over
Just a track in the line
Fuck it
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Come on, let's go driving
Come on, let's take a little ride
That's the study of dying
How to do it right
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah
What?
"Song for the Dead" by Queens of the Stone Age is a song about confronting the inevitable end that awaits everyone: death. The first lines of the song, "It's late enough to go driving and see what's mine," hint at the idea that life is a journey and that one must take the wheel to discover what they will make of it. The line "Life's the study of dying, how to do it right" indicates that the singer has already started studying death as a means to appreciate life better.
The chorus of the song, consisting of only moans and groans, might represent the inescapable darkness that comes with death. The lyrics "You're a holy roller if you're bettin' to lose" and "If you're hanging around, I'm holding the noose" allude to the idea that life is a gamble and some people live on the edge. The singer seems to be warning others about being too reckless with their lives and reminds them that death is indeed waiting for them.
In the second verse, the lyrics "Come a little bit closer and get untied/ In a hearse rolling over just a track in the line" seem to suggest that the singer is willingly exploring the idea of death and is unafraid of approaching it closer. He compares the "track in the line" to life's inevitable path that everyone must follow eventually.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah, ah, ah
Vocals with no lyrics
It's late enough to go driving
It's the right time for a ride
And see what's mine
Explore what belongs to me
Life's the study of dying
Death is an inevitable part of life
How to do it right
The correct way to go through the experience of dying
You're a holy roller
You're naive and foolishly optimistic
If you bettin' to lose
If you're risking everything without any gain
If you're hanging around
If you're wasting time doing nothing
I'm holding the noose
I have control over your fate
Come a little bit closer
Get nearer to me
And get untied
Free yourself from something which is restraining you
In a hearse rolling over
A funeral car is turning upside down
Just a track in the line
A usual event in the course of life
Fuck it
I don't care
Come on, let's go driving
Let's take a ride
Come on, let's take a little ride
Let's go for a short trip
What?
Interjection indicating the artist is perplexed or irritated
Oh, oh, oh
Repetitive hook vocalization
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Josh Homme, Mark William Lanegan, Nick Oliveri
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@konstantinosharden9233
R.I.P. to one of the greatest rock voices of all time, Mark Lanegan. You will be missed!
@goalieg3391
The is the video I had to listen to . Heard of his passing at work, and took a bullet hearing that. Powerful voice he had
@ryanvandyke5898
RIP dark mark
@goosecampbell5110
That is the nutshell, know doubt. Seen him perform with QOTSA at Glasgow on the Green years ago; privileged. Sad times but he has left behind an absolute treasure trove for the ear
@elpelukasapbe
Damn, i didn't know he passed away. RIP Layne's friend, dear Mark Lanegan
@jimlthor
Damn. I didnt know he died =(
So.. I Googled it, and I guess a bunch of idiots thought the Queen of England died. Kinda funny because "of the Stone Age" implies that's she's old as dirt
@iliketrains3495
Don’t let this awesome performance distract you from the fact the setlist by Dave Grohl is in Comic Sans MS
@Rurikpaon
That’s hilarious xd
@IMN602
Shit we use to just write it out in sharpie on whatever we could find. Plates, napkins, cardboard ,each other LOL
@travismarshall633
Haha This comment wins YouTube comments today! Everytime I watch this video I notice that and try to read the song titles