They were founded in 1990 by songwriters Tim Gane (guitar, keyboards), formerly of the band McCarthy, and Laetitia Sadier (sometimes credited as Seaya Sadier; vocals, keyboards, trombone, guitar), who is from France and sings in both English and French.
Over the years, Gane and Sadier have enlisted a large number of other musicians to accompany them on stage and on record. The initial line-up featured Martin Kean, formerly of The Chills, on bass, and Joe Dilworth (from their Too Pure label-mates Th’ Faith Healers) on drums, with Russell Yates (of Moose) and Mick Conroy (ex-Modern English) also appearing at early live shows. In 1993 they recruited Andy Ramsay (drums), who has remained in the group line-up ever since, and Mary Hansen (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion). Hansen’s distinctive backing vocals became an important aspect of the Stereolab sound, and she remained a regular feature of the line-up until her death in a cycling accident on December 9, 2002. Multi-instrumentalist Sean O’Hagan of The High Llamas has also been a frequent contributor, particularly with string, brass and keyboard arrangements to the band’s studio albums. John McEntire (Tortoise) has also contributed keyboard, electronic effects and studio help over the years. Other members have come and (in some cases) gone over the years, including Duncan Brown, Dave Pajo (from Tortoise), Richard Harrison and Simon Johns (all bass); Gina Morris (vocals); and Katharine Gifford and Morgane Lhote (both on keyboards).
Early Stereolab material displayed a heavy influence of krautrock sounds, particularly Neu! and Faust, characteristically relying on droning, repetitive guitar or keyboard riffs, with or without vocals. Early heavy use of distorted Farfisa combo-organ sounds were also reminiscent of early recordings by The Modern Lovers. As the band developed, they incorporated new instrumentation, and an increasingly complex sense of rhythm and structure, frequently making use of irregular time signatures as well as unorthodox chord progressions and melodic intervals. The band has often made copious use of female backing vocal lines.
Lyrically, Stereolab’s music is quirky (song titles evoke memories of 1950s science fiction stories, and are often borrowed directly from old films and records of the period, but have nothing to do with the song’s content), but highly politically and philosophically charged, sometimes with a decidedly Surrealist or Situationist bent. (Sadier notes the libertarian Marxist theoretician Cornelius Castoriadis as a particular inspiration.) Sadier’s lyrics, in both French and English, often read like highly condensed sociological texts, standing in deliberate and distinct counterpoint to the lush hedonic pop sound of the band. A prime example would be “Ping Pong” from Mars Audiac Quintet, which is an explicit restating of Marxist theory concerning the relationship between economic cycles and war cycles.
Stereolab earned a minor place in the Britpop movement, with their sound proving influential to bands like Blur: occasional keyboard-driven b-sides and singer Damon Albarn’s love of retro keyboards showed the influence, and in recognition Laetitia Sadier was invited to provide vocals on “To The End” from Parklife.
Despite the band’s fan base and critical acclaim, Stereolab has not achieved high levels of financial or popular success. On June 7, 2004, suits at the Warner Music label (to whom the band was signed in the U.S.) announced they were dropping Stereolab in response to the poor sales (40,000 to that date) of Margerine Eclipse. This was part of an ongoing effort by Warner to cut costs; The Breeders and Third Eye Blind were also dropped from the label for this reason. Laetitia Sadier is now also a member of Monade, which is essentially expressive of her own singular musical goals.
Double Rocker
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Le morceau de beurre
Qui rend la vie si délicieuse.
(Ouvrir ton cœur, ouvrir mon cœur)
Excuse-moi j'ai tant résisté
Notre miroir m'a tant appeuré.
La ton cœur
(Ouvrir mon cœur, ouvrir ton cœur)
La peur me quitte, je peux me livrer,
Je peux sentir et enfin t'aimer.
La ta bouche.
La chaleur monte dans l'abdomen,
Tu l'alimentes et le feu se réveille.
J'étais de glace dans la glace,
Complètement à la masse.
Le feu crépite, il a trouve les os.
Les flammes s'agitent, elles me redonnent la force.
Ta chaleur grandissante
M'a fait fondre, me délivre.
The lyrics of Stereolab's song "Double Rocker" express the joy and liberation of finally allowing oneself to feel love and passion. The singer addresses their lover as the source of happiness, comparing them to a delicious piece of butter that brings flavor to life. The lyrics speak of resistance and fear, reflecting a struggle with opening up emotionally to the other person. However, this resistance is overcome, and the singer describes feeling warmth rising in their abdomen, fed by their lover's energy. The metaphorical language used portrays the idea of a physical and spiritual awakening, an ability to feel again after having been numb.
The lyrics are rich in imagery and wordplay, playing with the sounds of words and incorporating multiple layers of meaning. For example, the line "Notre miroir m'a tant appeuré" can be interpreted as referring to the fear of intimacy and seeing one's own reflection in the other person, but it also contains a play on words with the sounds of "miroir" (mirror) and "appeuré" (scared). The repetition of "ouvrir ton cœur, ouvrir mon cœur" emphasizes the idea of mutual vulnerability and opening up.
Overall, "Double Rocker" is a complex and evocative song that celebrates the power of love to overcome fear and awaken the senses.
Line by Line Meaning
Oui tu es le bonheur, Le morceau de beurre Qui rend la vie si délicieuse.
You bring happiness and make life delicious, like a piece of butter. (Open your heart, open my heart) I apologize for resisting you for so long, our reflection in the mirror scared me. But now, it's your turn to open your heart.
C'est toi qui lui donne son goût profond. (Ouvrir mon cœur, ouvrir ton cœur)
It's you who gives my life a deep meaning. (Open my heart, open your heart) I can finally let go of my fear and love you fully. Here's your chance to open your heart too.
La peur me quitte, je peux me livrer, Je peux sentir et enfin t'aimer. La ta bouche.
I'm no longer scared and can give myself to you fully. I can finally feel and love you. It's all thanks to your mouth.
La chaleur monte dans l'abdomen, Tu l'alimentes et le feu se réveille.
I feel warmth growing in my abdomen, and you're the one fueling it, waking up a fire in me.
J'étais de glace dans la glace, Complètement à la masse.
I was stuck in a frozen state, lost and hopeless.
Le feu crépite, il a trouve les os. Les flammes s'agitent, elles me redonnent la force.
The fire crackles and finds its way into my bones. The flames move and give me strength again.
Ta chaleur grandissante M'a fait fondre, me délivre.
Your growing warmth melts me away, and I feel free.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: LAETITIA SADIER, TIMOTHY JOHN GANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind