Lewis and Sennett are former child actors and were introduced to each other by Tara Subkoff, a mutual friend, in 1993. In 2001, original drummer Dave Rock left the band and was replaced by Boesel.
They began their career on Barsuk Records, releasing Take Offs And Landings in 2001. They moved to Omaha-based indie label Saddle Creek for their second album, 2002's The Execution of All Things. But come time for their third release, More Adventurous in 2004, the band left Saddle Creek for Brute/Beaute, a Warner Bros. imprint.
2004 saw a great increase in recognition for the band, as Sennett and Boesel released an album with their band The Elected and Lewis sang backup on Ben Gibbard's (Death Cab For Cutie) indie electronic side project The Postal Service. Lewis toured with The Postal Service before heading out on two tours in support of Rilo Kiley's More Adventurous in the summer and fall of 2004. The album spent late 2004 high on Billboard Magazine's Heatseekers Chart, success only furthered by appearances on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The band opened for Bright Eyes on the international leg of Conor Oberst's tour for 2005's i'm wide awake, it's morning. In Fall 2005, Rilo Kiley were the opening act for the North American dates of Coldplay's Twisted Logic Tour.
Lewis released her first solo album in January of 2006, with Leigh and Chandra Watson as Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. The album, entitled Rabbit Fur Coat, was co-produced by Clifford M Ward and Mike Mogis. Furthermore, The Elected released their second album, sun, sun, sun on the same day as Lewis' album.
The 4th Rilo Kiley LP, Under the Blacklight, was released in August 2007. This has a more pop-influenced sound and received mixed reviews.
The band broke up in 2011 after vague statements made by Blake Sennett comparing the band to a "corpse" and referring to disagreements among members.
Papillon
Rilo Kiley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though it took him 'til he was sixty-three
And nobody cared about the Goddamned inquiry
And Daga stayed on the farm
Though he found no cause for alarm
It was a hell of a swim but he still had two good arms
Gorillas are for eating
I fell in love with you
And don't you think it's sad
'Cause here we both stand
Amidst the wreckage of our past
And I'll spend the day with you
We'll meet at your house after two
You're the most exhausting girl I ever knew
And when you let me leave I'll go
I'll let you get back to your phone
You mean well, Mel, but you're all talk and no show
Pick you lips 'til they're bleeding
Don't you know I fell
The lair of the queer devil
Is deeper than you thought
The computer's still on
And the webpage is alt.com
And I hope you'll come back soon
And I feel like a million buck today, a million bucks today
'Cause I know it can only go up from here
'Cause she says it's so much better after all
After all we been through
I can't get my mind off of you
It's a hell of a way to spend the whole day through
And you left your name on the bar
You hopped your little brown car
You moved in with Gramps and you got yourself a job
And the room is slowly sinking
But I can play guitar
And Morgan you're so far
Away from me tonight
And I'll try to make it right
By putting you in this here song
Oh yeah
Okay
Okay wait
Oh my God, Blake
That's what she said
In bed
Papillon busted free
We watched him at 4:53
And I'm glad you chose to spend the night with me
The lyrics to Rilo Kiley's song Papillon are full of cryptic imagery and seemingly unrelated phrases that leave the listener to weave their own interpretation. The first verse tells of Papillon, a term which means butterfly in French, who finally finds freedom after a long period of enslavement. It takes him until he is 63 to escape, emphasizing the idea that freedom can come at any age or stage of life. However, no one cared about his escape or the circumstances of his imprisonment. Daga, on the other hand, who also had to endure a difficult swim, stayed put on his farm, as he found no need to leave. In the second verse, the song takes a strange turn, with a seemingly unrelated statement about eating gorillas. This is followed by a lament about falling in love and standing amidst the wreckage of one's past. The final lines of this verse mention spending the day with someone, but the person is described as being exhausting and all talk and no show.
Moving forward, the third verse mentions the act of self-harm by picking one's lips until they bleed, and then associates that with falling in love. Alt.com, a popular dating site for those seeking unconventional relationships, is mentioned next, before the song shifts back to feeling hopeful that things will improve. The chorus is repeated, emphasizing that the singer is unable to stop thinking about someone they love while the world around them is sinking. The song ends with a seemingly unrelated section, where someone says "That's what she said in bed," making the final few lines even more surreal.
Line by Line Meaning
Papillon busted free
Someone escaped despite facing obstacles.
Though it took him 'til he was sixty-three
The escape took a long time, but it was still worth it.
And nobody cared about the Goddamned inquiry
No one seemed to care about the problem at hand.
And Daga stayed on the farm
Despite challenges, Daga persevered and stayed on the farm.
Though he found no cause for alarm
Things were fine and there was no need to worry.
It was a hell of a swim but he still had two good arms
The journey was difficult, but he made it through and was still able to function.
Gorillas are for eating
This is an unclear line with no apparent meaning, potential interpretation of humans being destructive towards animals.
Don't you know it's true
This is said sarcastically or to emphasize a point.
I fell in love with you
The artist is in love with someone else.
And don't you think it's sad
The situation is unfortunate.
'Cause here we both stand
The two of them are working through something together.
Amidst the wreckage of our past
They are dealing with the aftermath of previous issues.
And I'll spend the day with you
They will be spending time together.
We'll meet at your house after two
They have a plan to meet at a specific place and time.
You're the most exhausting girl I ever knew
The person they are with is emotionally draining.
And when you let me leave I'll go
The artist will leave when they are allowed to.
I'll let you get back to your phone
The person they are with is likely distracted with their phone.
You mean well, Mel, but you're all talk and no show
The person they are with has good intentions, but doesn’t follow through.
Pick your lips 'til they're bleeding
This specific line is unclear, could have an interpretation of the person feeling anxious and biting their lips too much.
Don't you know I fell
The artist is reiterating that they are in love with someone.
The lair of the queer devil
This could be a reference to a specific place or person.
Is deeper than you thought
The situation is more complex than anticipated.
The computer's still on
The computer is still running or left on.
And the webpage is alt.com
This is an unclear line with no apparent meaning, potential interpretation of someone exploring alternative lifestyles.
And I hope you'll come back soon
The singer wants the person they are away from to return.
And I feel like a million buck today, a million bucks today
The singer feels great today.
'Cause I know it can only go up from here
Things can only get better from this point onwards.
'Cause she says it's so much better after all
The artist believes that things are better now than they were before.
After all we been through
This is referring to past events the artist and another person have experienced together.
I can't get my mind off of you
The singer is still thinking about the other person.
It's a hell of a way to spend the whole day through
It has been a difficult day.
And you left your name on the bar
The person left their name at a location.
You hopped your little brown car
The person left in their car.
You moved in with Gramps and you got yourself a job
The person found a new location to live and a job to support themselves.
And the room is slowly sinking
The room they are in is sinking, either metaphorically or literally.
But I can play guitar
The artist has their guitar and can still perform music.
And Morgan, you're so far
Morgan is currently not with the singer.
Away from me tonight
Morgan is not with the singer tonight.
And I'll try to make it right
The singer wants to make up for something.
By putting you in this here song
The song is a way for the singer to express themselves to Morgan.
Oh yeah
This is an unclear line with no apparent meaning, potential interpretation of agreement.
Okay
This is a response to something being asked.
Okay wait
The singer needs a moment to gather themselves.
Oh my God, Blake
The artist is addressing someone named Blake.
That's what she said
This is a joke based off of a common phrase.
In bed
This is a continuation of the previous joke.
We watched him at 4:53
They observed something at a specific time.
And I'm glad you chose to spend the night with me
The artist is happy that the other person chose to spend time with them.
Contributed by Declan K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.