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.
Neon Beanbag
Stereolab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sad to see that you are sad
But there's nothing to be sad about
Really nothing to feel bad about
There she was standing peacefully
Sending the message through telepathy
Way beyond the speculation
But there's nothing to be sad about
Really nothing to feel bad about
There she was standing peacefully
Sending the message through telepathy
Way beyond the speculation
Furthest away from any condition
Here to pacify, connected to joy
Here to pacify, connected to joy
The Stereolab song Neon Beanbag seems to have a theme of empathy and consolation, despite the somewhat upbeat and danceable nature of the music. The repeated refrain of "I'm sad to see that you are sad/but there's nothing to be sad about/really nothing to feel bad about" is a kind of reassurance that the singer is offering to someone who is down. The lyrics suggest that the sadness is perhaps unfounded or overblown, that there is no real reason for it, and that the singer wants to help the other person shake it off.
The second half of the song seems to expand on this idea of consolation through a more abstract and otherworldly lens, with references to telepathy and being "way beyond the speculation" or "furthest away from any condition." The lines "here to pacify, connected to joy" suggest that there is a kind of healing or soothing force at play, something that can help lift the sadness and connect one to a more positive state of being.
Overall, the lyrics of Neon Beanbag are somewhat enigmatic and open to interpretation, but the general sense of empathy and consolation seems to be a key theme. The music itself, with its trippy keyboards and driving beat, adds an additional layer of energetic positivity that reinforces the message of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sad to see that you are sad
I feel empathy towards your sadness
But there's nothing to be sad about
Really nothing to feel bad about
There's no actual reason for you to feel sad, so let's look at the bright side of things
There she was standing peacefully
Sending the message through telepathy
Way beyond the speculation
Furthest away from any condition
The subject being observed is in a state of peace, transmitting a message without words or physical gestures, and is beyond the reach of analysis or diagnosis
Here to pacify, connected to joy
The subject is present to calm and bring joy
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
11 11
I’m sad to see that you are sad
I’m sad to see that you are sad
But there’s nothing to be sad about
Really nothing to feel bad about
There she was standing peacefully
Sending the message through telepathy
Way beyond the speculation
Furthest away from any condition
But there’s nothing to be sad about
Really nothing to feel bad about
There she was standing peacefully
Sending the message through telepathy
Way beyond the speculation
Furthest away from any condition
Here to pacify, connected to joy
Here to pacify, connected to joy
Whammy Bard
I’m sad to see that you are sad I’m sad to see that you are sad But there’s nothing to be sad about Really nothing to feel bad about There she was standing peacefully Sending the message through telepathy Way beyond the speculation Furthest away from any condition Here to pacify, connected to joy Long Live The Lab!
zzz wy
Beautiful lyrics and so true.
dante chinnell
Stereolab has one of the best musical sounds of any band, ever changing and evolving. I don't just dig it, I love it!
paul elliott
Agree they should be bigger
Sometimes it's baffling why completely great music can be so overlooked
But, applaud them for the endless supply of musique fantastique
Very cool song
Mafoo Matty
paul elliott u know there so much better than oasis and other ilk bands,,,,but I'm glad there not that famous in a way,keep me underground and alternative keeps the masses away if u get what I mean but Yeh I agree there fantastic
Mox A
I was literally sad and thinking wow Stereolab makes me happy! And then she said, "there's nothing to be sad about." Oh my god I could cry
deauxj
This is one of the best songs to listen to when you're sad
Benedetto Bruno
Aaaaah! That cracked me up!
Starfield Railway
I don't understand why this band wasn't majorly famous. They were much better than the vast majority of the mainstream 90's alternative bands. In fact, I think their only contender was the Breeders, who also should have been much more famous.
lincbond442
And Portishead.