Superchunk is an indie rock band which formed in 1989 in the college town o… Read Full Bio ↴Superchunk is an indie rock band which formed in 1989 in the college town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. The band consists of Mac McCaughan (vocals, guitar), Laura Ballance (bass), Jim Wilbur (guitar) and Jon Wurster (drums). McCaughan and Ballance founded the indie record label Merge Records mostly to distribute the band's material, but has since grown into one of the largest indie record labels in the United States.

After a pair of well-received singles, Superchunk released Superchunk in 1990, a critically-lauded LP. In spite of the ensuing interest from major labels, Superchunk decided to stay independent, going with Matador Records for their second, just as critically-lauded LP, No Pocky for Kitty, followed by a collection of singles, Tossing Seeds and another pair of well-reviewed LP's, On the Mouth and Foolish.

Superchunk singer Mac McCaughan and bassist Laura Ballance decided to release future albums on their own Merge Records, which they had started in 1989. The band continued touring and recording, appearing on Lollapalooza and backing a minor hit in "Hyper Enough" (from Here's Where the Strings Come In). In 1999, Superchunk released Come Pick Me Up.

McCaughan was a member of Seam and has also recorded several albums as Portastatic. Initially a solo project, Portastatic has evolved into a full band, which currently includes Superchunk's Jim Wilbur as a member. Before forming Superchunk, McCaughan was a member of the Slushpuppies, Wwax, and Bricks.

In 2008, the band announced they would be performing live shows and working on new material. That new material manifested itself as 2009's Leaves in the Gutter EP, which was followed by a full-length in 2010.

In 2013 bassist Laura Ballance announced that she would no longer tour, due to a worsening hearing condition (hyperacusis). However, the band continues to release new material, including the 2018 album "What a Time to be Alive."

Invitation
Superchunk Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The way I told you
I never thought you'd believe me
And you took my offer
And doubled it back [above me]
And now it
[Hold on
Expect you
Decision

Pull her tightly]
Never said the same thing
But they don't mean the same thing
Please accept this invitation
Please do not accept this invitation
Please do not accept this invitation
Please accept this invitation
And we will have our little scene
Set it up with lots of cameras
For one minute we will be
Just for the sake of being
And then we'll try hard to forget it
Please accept this invitation
Please do not accept this invitation

Please do not accept this invitation
Please accept this invitation

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Superchunk's song "Invitation" express a sense of uncertainty and conflicted emotions towards an offer that was made. The singer seems surprised and perhaps even skeptical that the other person has taken them up on their offer, and they question whether their true intentions were understood. The lines "Never said the same thing / But they don't mean the same thing" suggest a tension between what was communicated and what was really meant.

The chorus of the song consists of two opposing pleas: "Please accept this invitation / Please do not accept this invitation." This dichotomy reflects the singer's ambivalence and confusion about the situation. They yearn for a moment of connection and spontaneity ("And we will have our little scene / Set it up with lots of cameras"), but at the same time, they seem to recognize the potential consequences of such an encounter. The final lines, "And then we'll try hard to forget it," indicate a recognition that whatever happens, it may not be easy to move on from.

Overall, "Invitation" is a complex and introspective exploration of human connection, communication, and the challenges of reconciling our inner thoughts with our outward expressions.

Line by Line Meaning

The way I told you
The way I expressed myself to you

I never thought you'd believe me
I didn't expect you to trust me

And you took my offer
You accepted my proposal

And doubled it back [above me]
And returned a better offer

And now it
And now the situation

[Hold on
Hang on

Expect you
I anticipate you

Decision
Making a choice

Pull her tightly]
Hold on to her tightly

Never said the same thing
I never spoke the same words

But they don't mean the same thing
But they have different meanings

Please accept this invitation
I request you to accept this invitation

Please do not accept this invitation
I request you not to accept this invitation

And we will have our little scene
We'll have our own moment

Set it up with lots of cameras
Record the moment with lots of cameras

For one minute we will be
Just for one minute we'll experience

Just for the sake of being
Just for the sake of experience

And then we'll try hard to forget it
And then we'll make an effort to forget

Please accept this invitation
Again, I request you to accept this invitation

Please do not accept this invitation
Again, I request you not to accept this invitation

Please accept this invitation
Again, I request you to accept this invitation

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: James August Wilbur, Jonathan Patrick Wurster, Laura Jane Ballance, Ralph Lee Mccaughan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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