The name Silversun Pickups refers to a liquor store across the road L.A. rock-scene hang Silverlake Lounge. One of the band’s friends would often arrive at the store late at night to buy liquor, and would be as such making the "Silversun Pickup".
The band is signed to Dangerbird Records. They released their debut EP "Pikul" in July of 2005. The band has released four albums, 2006's "Carnavas", 2009's "Swoon", 2012's "Neck of the Woods" and 2015's "Better Nature". The band managed two Top 10 singles on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2007: "Lazy Eye" (#5) and "Well Thought Out Twinkles" (#9). In 2009, they managed their third top 10 on the chart, "Panic Switch" (#1) and a fourth song "Substitution" was also on that chart (#23).
Silversun Pickups have been compared to The Smashing Pumpkins (possibly due in part to Brian Aubert's vocal style) and 90's shoegazing bands like My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Ride, and Slowdive. Silversun Pickups claim they have been heavily influenced by Modest Mouse and The Velvet Underground as well as other lesser-known acts.
Their first break came when a friend mailed a boombox demo to CMJ and they were accepted. They got their start in many of the most important L.A. clubs and began to draw a strong following upon the release of the Pikul EP. This culminated in frequent touring, including a co-headlining stint with Viva Voce.
The band finished a three-week tour opening for Australian rockers Wolfmother on December 9, 2006, and have toured with OK Go and Snow Patrol on their U.S. spring tour, which ended on April 10, 2007. The Pickups played at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California on April 27, 2007.
The band supported Foo Fighters, along with Nine Inch Nails on August 21st 2007 as part of the 'T on the Fringe' music festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, and then on the 22nd in Marley Park, Dublin, Ireland. They also performed at the Carling Reading and Leeds festivals on the 25th/26th August 2007 and supported Kaiser Chiefs on their Autumn European tour and Snow Patrol on their tour of Australia (with Paolo from Snow Patrol joining them regularly to play guitar on Lazy Eye and Nikki guesting on vocals for Snow Patrol's Set The Fire To The Third Bar onstage). On some of these dates the band have been covering Joy Division's Shadowplay and Bjork's Big Time Sensuality, both of which have been recorded for web or radio sessions.
The second full studio album, entitled "Swoon", was released 14th April 2009 in both the US and UK.
The band was also part of Lollapalooza 2009 in Chicago, IL, Voodoo Fest 2009 and 2012 in New Orleans, and the 2009 Sasquatch! Festival.
In early 2010, they supported the UK anthem-rock superstars Muse for several of their North American dates for The Resistance tour.
Bloody Mary
Silversun Pickups Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And left you with a sound
We'll spoil good-nights
Replacing lullabies
How could they never notice
What they planted in your space
See you laughing in our picture
We barely cried
But she made it out alive
And I'm so proud
That you're in my hands now
If we grew up together
You will find it's not the same
I wanna jump inside that picture
Show you what you gave
If we stay long enough
We can play with Bloody Mary
Say her name into the dark
Activate our nerve endings
If we stay long enough
We can play with Bloody Mary
She'll chase us though the dark
Activate our nerve endings
If we stay
I'll never let them get closer
Or shower you with any blame
Now we dance in our own picture
Where the rules have changed
If we stay long enough
We can play with Bloody Mary
Say her name into the dark
Activate our nerve endings
If we stay long enough
We can play with Bloody Mary
She'll chase us though the dark
Activate our nerve endings
If we stay
The lyrics to Silversun Pickups' song "Bloody Mary" contain themes of survival, escape, and the desire to hold onto one's personal power. The singer of the song is addressing someone who has gone through a difficult experience and has emerged stronger on the other side. The first verse refers to drowning out the memories of the past and replacing them with new, positive experiences. The second verse is a commentary on how others failed to see the potential in this person, but the singer recognizes their strength and resilience. The chorus includes the repeated phrase "if we stay long enough," which suggests a willingness to confront the past and move beyond it together. The title, "Bloody Mary," is a reference to a traditional children's game where participants chant the name of a ghostly figure in a mirror, and the song uses this imagery to suggest a willingness to face one's fears and overcome them.
The lyrics of "Bloody Mary" are open to interpretation, but they may have been inspired by real-life experiences of the members of Silversun Pickups. The band has spoken in interviews about the challenges they faced as young artists trying to make it in the music industry, and the song's themes of survival and resilience could be seen as reflecting those struggles. Additionally, the title "Bloody Mary" may also be a nod to the band's love of horror films, which often feature supernatural or otherworldly themes.
Line by Line Meaning
Drown you out
We will drown out any negative feelings and replace them with a sound that brings comfort.
And left you with a sound
We will leave you with a new sound that will replace the old, negative one.
We'll spoil good-nights
We'll disturb any feelings of peace or comfort you may have had.
Replacing lullabies
We'll replace the comforting songs meant to help you sleep with something new.
How could they never notice
It's surprising that others didn't notice what they planted in your life.
What they planted in your space
Others have planted something that is now taking up space in your life.
See you laughing in our picture
We see you as happy and carefree in our minds.
But I know it's out of frame
We know that this is only a small part of your life and there is more going on outside of this picture.
We barely cried
We didn't let ourselves cry or show vulnerability even though things were difficult.
But she made it out alive
Despite the difficulties, she was able to survive.
And I'm so proud
We are proud of her for her strength and resilience.
That you're in my hands now
We are taking care of her now and make sure she is safe and happy.
If we grew up together
If we were raised together, our experiences would have been different.
You will find it's not the same
You would notice that our lives are very different from each other's.
I wanna jump inside that picture
I wish I could go back to that time when we were happy and carefree.
Show you what you gave
I want to show you how much you meant to us and what you brought to our lives.
I'll never let them get closer
I'll protect you from anyone who might harm you or bring you down.
Or shower you with any blame
I won't blame you for anything that happened in the past.
Now we dance in our own picture
We are creating our own happy memories now.
Where the rules have changed
We are living a different life now where we make our own rules.
If we stay long enough
If we keep going and don't give up.
We can play with Bloody Mary
We can explore the unknown and take risks.
Say her name into the dark
We can call out to something unknown, yet thrilling.
Activate our nerve endings
We can feel alive and experience new, intense emotions.
She'll chase us though the dark
We will be pursued by something unknown, but exciting.
Lyrics © Word Collections Publishing
Written by: Brian Nolan Kalei Aubert, Christopher Andrew Guanlao, Joseph C Lester, Nicole Lynn Webber
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sheila Anderson
"Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)"
Drown you out
And left you with the sounds
Of spoiled goodnights
Replacing lullabies
How could they never notice?
What they planted in your spades
See you laughing in a picture
But I know what's out of frame
You barely cried
But you made it out alive
And I'm so proud
That you're in my hands now
If we grew up together
You would find it's not the same
I want to jump inside that picture
Show you a new game
If we can stay here long enough
We can play with Bloody Mary
Say her name into the dark
Activate our nerve endings
If we can stay here long enough
We can play with Bloody Mary
She can chase us through the dark
Activate our nerve endings
If we'll stay...
I'll never let them get closer
Or shower you with any blame
Now we dance in our own picture
Where the rules have changed
If we can stay here long enough
We can play with Bloody Mary
Say her name into the dark
Activate our nerve endings
If we can stay here long enough
We can play with Bloody Mary
She can chase us through the dark
Activate our nerve endings
If we'll stay...
candi ramirez
every time the chorus kicks in, so do the chills. 🖤
jesse_j_hutchings
Totally. I can't get enough of this song
Michelle Mateus
It's such a perfect band, they had me when I first heard lazy eye.
KilCityKitty
Same! I miss music like this
kurt coffield
Agreed!!
Tom Baumgardner
Lazy eye and Kissing families
john criswell
Panic switch
BabyYeeta
A perfect comment 8 years later. I heard Lazy Eye the first time 15 years ago. I feel young and old at the same listening to this.
adam m
The drums on this album are amazing
Kingofdacutt
This is what rock music needs! Something to bring back that Nirvana/Smashing Pumpkins/Pixies era!