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...
Tension Head
Queens of the Stone Age Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeling this way.
I take it down town
With all the action going down
I strike a match,
Strike a match.
Work it up!
I feel so fucking sick
On the bathroom floor
Gotta get out and get right
Hustling little girls
Cheating little boys,yeah
Gotta get out, gotta get out
Get right
Gotta get out
I gotta get out
No more
No more
No more
I'm feelin' so sick
On the bathroom floor
I'm feelin' so sick
No more
Yeah
I'm feelin' so sick
Sick
On the bathroom floor
Sick
No no more
The lyrics of Queens of the Stone Age's song "Tension Head" express the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of self-destructive behavior. The opening lines convey a sense of frustration and resignation towards a life that seems to be going nowhere. The singer is stuck in a routine of going downtown to indulge in reckless behavior, and although he tries to light a spark (strike a match), he can't seem to break free from his own destructive tendencies.
As the song progresses, we see the singer increasingly succumbing to his own sickness. He feels sick and helpless, lying on the bathroom floor, and he knows he needs to get out and get right. But even then, he finds himself hustling and cheating, unable to escape the cycle of toxic behavior.
The repetition of the phrase "gotta get out, gotta get out" reflects the singer's desperate desire to break free from the patterns that have been holding him back. The final lines of the song underline this sense of urgency, with the repetition of the word "sick" emphasizing the toll that this lifestyle has taken on him.
Overall, "Tension Head" is a powerful exploration of the struggle to overcome self-destructive tendencies and break free from the cycle of toxic behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
Every day I wake up,
Regularly, I become aware of my existence,
Feeling this way.
Experiencing these emotions,
I take it down town
I go where the crowd is headed,
With all the action going down
Amidst all the excitement and events happening there,
I strike a match,
I light a fire,
Strike a match.
I light a fire.
Work it up!
Makes me feel euphoric
I'm feeling so sick
I'm feeling extremely unwell
I feel so fucking sick
I am in a considerably distressing state
On the bathroom floor
I have collapsed in the bathroom
Gotta get out and get right
I need to leave and recover
Hustling little girls
I have been taking advantage of young girls
Cheating little boys, yeah
I have also been dishonest with young boys
Gotta get out, gotta get out
I urgently need to leave this situation
Get right
I must set myself right
Gotta get out
I must leave immediately
I gotta get out
I must leave now
No more
I will no longer continue this harmful behavior
No more
I will not allow myself to experience this again
No more
I will do everything within my power to prevent this from happening again
I'm feelin' so sick
I am overwhelmed with feelings of unwellness
On the bathroom floor
I am lying down on the bathroom floor
I'm feelin' so sick
I am in a state of intense illness
No more
I can't handle this anymore
Yeah
I am acknowledging my struggle
I'm feelin' so sick
I am feeling terrible
Sick
Unwell
On the bathroom floor
Lying on the ground in the bathroom
Sick
Extremely unwell
No no more
I will not tolerate this anymore
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOSH HOMME, NICK S. OLIVERI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind