Landing their first record deal with Twin/Tone in 1984, Soul Asylum recorded a total of four albums for the local label: Say What You Will... Everything Can Happen in 1984 (later reissued as Say What You Will, Clarence... Karl Sold the Truck), Made To Be Broken in 1986, While You Were Out in 1986, and the EP Clam Dip and Other Delights in 1988. The band then switched to A&M, releasing Hang Time in 1988 and And the Horse They Rode In On in 1990 under that label. Although they enjoyed some success as a live band, Soul Asylum suffered from low album sales and considered disbanding.
In 1992, they signed with Columbia Records to produce Grave Dancers Union, a record that would come to transform them from underground college rockers to international superstars. The first two singles off the album, Somebody To Shove and Black Gold, both came in at high positions at the Modern Rock and Album Rock charts, but it was the album's third track and it's video of missing teens that led them to their major breakthrough. Runaway Train peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, raised album sales to double-platinum level, and won Soul Asylum the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994.
In 1995, Soul Asylum followed up the success of Grave Dancers Union with Let Your Dim Light Shine, which climbed to #6 on the Billboard 200 and featured the #1 Modern Rock track Misery. After releasing Candy From A Stranger in 1998, the band members took a break from recording and didn't release a new studio album for the better part of seven years. During the interim singer Dave Pirner released a solo album and Dan Murphy toured and recorded with Golden Smog.
They reunited in 2004 to record their ninth full-length album, The Silver Lining, brought together by the news of Mueller being diagnosed with throat cancer. Up until this point, Soul Asylum had always included Murphy, Mueller, and Pirner, despite several line-up changes. This changed on June 17th, 2005, when Mueller passed away after finishing his work on several tracks on the new album. The Silver Lining was released in 2006 and dedicated to Karl Mueller's life and memory, with Murphy expressing that, "For me, this record is Karl."
In late 2005, ex-Replacements bassist (and current Guns N' Roses bassist) Tommy Stinson and former Prince drummer Michael Bland joined Soul Asylum in tribute to the late Karl Mueller. They completed their American tour in support of The Silver Lining in late 2006. In November and December 2006 they opened for Cheap Trick on their American tour. On March 10th, 2007, Soul Asylum joined Cyndi Lauper, Mint Condition, and Lifehouse to hold a concert to benefit Wain McFarlane, the leader of the legendary reggae band Ipso Facto, to help pay for the expenses of a kidney transplant.
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Oxygen
Soul Asylum Lyrics
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Slipping in stillness, flipping the pearl [unverified]
I walk you when you're wasted
I can almost taste it, all this oxygen's for your
But it's a couple more volts of shock treatment for you
When a couple more votes of confidence will do
I walk you when you are wasted
And it's a couple more volts of shock treatment for you
When a couple more votes of confidence will do
All is there to remind you, before and behind you
Follows you everywhere you go
Make me say you're crazy, it don't even phase me
'Cause you're the sanest one I know
Just a couple more breaths of oxygen will do
They may say you're crazy but she's so amazing
But it's couple volts of shock treatment for you
(A couple volts of shock treatment for you)
When a couple more votes of confidence will do
(Loneliness, loneliness again)
Just a couple more breaths of oxygen will do
But it's a couple more pills and a couple more pills
And a couple more, "What do you do those things you do?"
(Shock treatment for you)
Just a couple more volts of shock treatment for you
(Shock treatment for you)
Just a couple more breaths of oxygen will do
(Shock treatment for you)
Treatment, treatment for your
(Shock treatment for you)
That will do, that will do
That will do, that will do, that will do
The lyrics of Soul Asylum's Oxygen convey a message of support and unconditional love for someone who is struggling with addiction or mental health issues. The singer portrays oneself as the reliable support system for the person, walking with them even when they are wasted, and reminding them that they are not alone. However, despite the singer's efforts to give comfort and love, there are moments when the person is overwhelmed by the weight of their struggles and requires more help - a couple of more votes of confidence or volts of shock treatment. The lines "Make me say you're crazy, it don't even phase me/ 'Cause you're the sanest one I know" highlight the internal conflicts that the person is dealing with and how their behavior might be perceived by others.
The chorus "Just a couple more breaths of oxygen will do" seems to hint at the idea that recovery, healing, and help are just around the corner, waiting to be grasped. The use of the metaphor of oxygen reflects the idea that the person needs support to survive, just as the body needs oxygen.
Line by Line Meaning
Wishing upon a mattress, falling off the axis
Dreaming of a better life and feeling lost and out of control
Slipping in stillness, flipping the pearl [unverified]
Being stuck in a stagnant situation and hoping for a change
I walk you when you're wasted, I can almost taste it, all this oxygen's for your
Supporting someone who is struggling with addiction or mental health issues, offering hope and help
But it's a couple more volts of shock treatment for you, When a couple more votes of confidence will do
People in positions of authority or power may sometimes opt for punishment over encouragement, when the latter would be more effective
All is there to remind you, before and behind you, Follows you everywhere you go
The past shapes who you are and influences your present and future, even when you try to forget it
Make me say you're crazy, it don't even phase me, 'Cause you're the sanest one I know
Other people may judge and criticize you, but you know yourself better than anyone, and that's what really matters
They may say you're crazy but she's so amazing
Just because someone is different or misunderstood doesn't mean they're not valuable and wonderful
But it's couple volts of shock treatment for you, (A couple volts of shock treatment for you), When a couple more votes of confidence will do, (Loneliness, loneliness again)
Repeating the idea that punishment or alienation is not the best way to help someone who is struggling
Just a couple more breaths of oxygen will do
Sometimes all you need is a moment of calm and clarity before taking the next step
But it's a couple more pills and a couple more pills, And a couple more, "What do you do those things you do?", (Shock treatment for you)
A commentary on the over-reliance on medication and institutionalization to treat mental illness
Treatment, treatment for your, (Shock treatment for you), That will do, that will do, That will do, that will do, that will do
The repetition of 'that will do' may suggest resignation or acceptance of an imperfect solution, or perhaps a sarcastic response to inadequate treatment
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID PIRNER, DAVID ANTHONY PIRNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind