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.
Feel and Triple
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Goodbye Mary
Memory of a friend
Memory I need to embrace
Fallen out
Fallen out
Fallen out
Memory
Of a friend
Memory
All the aches, pains and the joys
Of growing up beside you
Dancing a spontaneous
A dance with you
Your spirit lives
As you have spread the seed
Of love
Love of life
Dark and bright
Love of life
Loved to laugh
Love of life
Dark and bright
Dark and bright
It took years to intimate (I remember)
But finally love found its way (I remember)
Unimpeded it could exist (A victory)
So fun, so free
Love of life
Dark and bright
Love of life
Loved to laugh
Love of life
Dark and bright
Dark and bright
It took years to intimate (I remember)
But finally love found its way (I remember)
Unimpeded it could exist (A victory)
So fun, so free
As much
As I don't want,
I have to say goodbye
You
Will
Sing
For
Ever
Like
An
Angel
Who
Flew away
The song "Feel and Triple" by Stereolab is a melancholic tribute to a lost friend, Mary. The first two lines of the song, "Goodbye Mary, Goodbye Mary" set the tone for the rest of the lyrics, which express feelings of nostalgia and loss. The singer is filled with memories of Mary, a close friend who has fallen out of their shared world, which leaves the singer with a deep sense of sadness. But even in death, Mary's spirit lives on, as she inspired love in everyone she knew.
The verses of the song are short and repetitive, with the same phrases repeated three times in succession. This repetition is effective in conveying the singer's sense of loss and mourning. The chorus, on the other hand, is more upbeat and affirming, repeating the phrase "Love of life" multiple times. This repetition expresses a sense of positivity and hope, indicating that although Mary is gone, her legacy lives on through the love she inspired in those who knew her.
Overall, "Feel and Triple" is a poignant and emotional tribute to a departed friend. The lyrics convey a bittersweet mix of sadness and joy, as the singer remembers their shared experiences with Mary and celebrates her enduring legacy.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye Mary
Farewell to a friend named Mary
Goodbye Mary
Repeating the farewell to stress the importance of the goodbye
Memory of a friend
Remembrance of the person who has left
Memory I need to embrace
The memory of the friend has to be cherished and held onto
Fallen out
Relationship has ended or become estranged
Fallen out
Repeating the previous line to add emphasis
Fallen out
Repeating the previous line to add emphasis
Of our time and space
The separation is due to distance or time period between them
Memory
Repeating the remembrance or memory of the friend who has gone
Of a friend
Clarifying the memory or remembrance is of a friend who has departed
All the aches, pains and the joys
The experiences of growing up together that contained struggles and happy moments
Of growing up beside you
The shared childhood experiences
Dancing a spontaneous
Dancing together without a set plan or choreography
A dance with you
Referring to the spontaneous and carefree dance the singer shared with the friend
Your spirit lives
The essence of the friend still exists
As you have spread the seed
The friend has influenced and affected others positively
Of love
The seed that has been spread is that of love
Love of life
An appreciation for the ups and downs that come with living
Dark and bright
Acknowledging that life has both good and bad times
Love of life
Reiterating the sentiment of the previous line - a deep appreciation for living
Loved to laugh
The friend had a happy and light-hearted nature
Love of life
Repeated once again to emphasize the theme of valuing life
Dark and bright
Repeating the idea that life has both positive and negative moments
Dark and bright
Emphasizing once again that living contains both good and bad parts
It took years to intimate (I remember)
The journey towards understanding or realizing love took a long time and was remembered by the singer
But finally love found its way (I remember)
After the long journey, love was able to take root and be understood
Unimpeded it could exist (A victory)
Without any obstacles, love could exist and flourish, a great triumph for both parties involved
So fun, so free
Describing the joy and ease of experiencing love without any impediments
As much
Despite any reluctance
As I don't want,
Even though it is undesirable
I have to say goodbye
The singer must say farewell to the departed friend
You
Referring to the friend who has left
Will
Inevitably
Sing
The friend's spirit or essence will continue to live on and affect others positively
For
Indicating an infinite amount of time
Ever
Continuously and eternally
Like
Comparing the friend to
An
A singular
Angel
A pure and positive entity
Who
That
Flew away
Left, in their physical form
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Graveyard Shifter
i can never get enough of these guys, their shit is not from this planet
Ward de jager
yep and sampled by lesser geniusses like busta rhymes and j dilla
Music Lover Chicago
This is one of the most beautiful pieces of popular music ever created. Oh don't we all wish this band would get back together???
CRH
Yesssssssss!!!!!!!
Greenhorses
2019! Lab's facebook says live dates to be announced!
SwitcherooU
@Alice B. Toklas Mary Hansen died in a cycling accident in 2002. She was hit by a truck and sadly passed.
Alice B. Toklas
Who?
仕方が無い
I always cry at bit at the beginning of this song. Though by end of the song, it reminds that Mary still lives on though her music. Which makes me happy in the end :] You will sing forever like an angel who flew away.
Elaine Rosefelder
the electronic tribute at the end... i can't...<3,
breathethestardust
imagine a version entirely based on intro chord progression, where the rest of the verses could have their lines sung in the melody of either of the two layers from the first verse, maybe dropping out words where needed to fit the rhythm. and then the drums do the same fill but track goes back to intro progression with drums at a faster speed so the slow chords play against the faster timed drums, like how the rest of the song is a slightly higher tempo. if it were looping that look then the same like ascending arpeggio synth from intro can drop out, or take it easy. but this imaginary version has it where the ending is still the synth ending you hear, which sounds like living beings.