Telefon Tel Aviv is a Los Angeles-based group formed in 1999 by Josh Eustis… Read Full Bio ↴Telefon Tel Aviv is a Los Angeles-based group formed in 1999 by Josh Eustis and the late Charlie Cooper, originally based in New Orleans, and then Chicago before Cooper's death. The two met in high school, but did not begin working on music together until after university studies. Since 1999, Josh and Charlie had been working to cultivate their sound, based largely in electronic music, but that also showed flourishes of classical, vintage soul, ambient drone, and noise, among other things. The group continues as a mostly solo project of Josh Eustis after Charlie Cooper's death in January 2009.

In early 2000, the duo collaborated with Danny Lohner, Trent Reznor, and Alan Moulder on several remixes for Nine Inch Nails's then-to-be-released remix EP, Things Falling Apart. Shortly thereafter, Telefon Tel Aviv resumed work on their debut LP, Fahrenheit Fair Enough, for Chicago's Hefty Records, while at the same time completing the original score for the film Newport South. In 2002, the duo paired with L'Altra's Lindsay Anderson to release an EP featuring the single, Sound In A Dark Room. Work on the sophomore LP, Map Of What Is Effortless, was completed in summer of 2003. On May 15th of 2007, a retrospective of their remix work for other artists was released on Hefty Records. Work on their third LP had been ongoing since late 2006 and wrapped up with the album Immolate Yourself's release on January 20th, 2009.

Over the past few years, together and separately, the duo completed production work for many other artists, including Marc Hellner/Pulseprogramming, L'Altra, The Album Leaf, Apparat, Belong, The Race, and others. They built a studio in Chicago to work on all of their projects.

Charlie Cooper passed away on Thursday 22nd January 2009, after taking an accidental overdose of sleeping pills. Josh Eustis later posted a confirmation on the band's Myspace page and the Telefon Tel Aviv website still shows an epitaph for Cooper. Josh continues to play Telefon Tel Aviv songs live as a duo with close friend Fredo Nogueira, but has said that the future of the band as regards recording new material remains uncertain.

Following this, Joshua would release, (as Telefon Tel Aviv) Map of What Is Effortless (April 2014), (as Sons of Magdalene) Move to Pain (Recorded 2010, released June 2014), Ecumenicals (March 2015), (as Telefon Tel Aviv) Something Akin to Lust (May 2017) and Dreams Are Not Enough (September 2019). After Dreams Are Not Enough, Joshua would release For James, To Sleep to Bandcamp as a "name your price" single.

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What It Was Will Never Again
Telefon Tel Aviv Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And now that time has gone away
and in my mind you're underneath
and clearly I can tear a moment

And now that time has gone away
and in my mind you're underneath

The pleasure is mine

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of “What It Was Will Never Again” by Telefon Tel Aviv convey a sense of longing and nostalgia. The singer refers to a past time that has since passed, and someone they hold dear is still present in their mind, even though they are no longer around physically. The use of the word “underneath” suggests a kind of emotional support that this person had provided, leading the singer to want to “tear a moment” by reliving the past. However, given the nature of time, the moment can never truly be recreated.

The final line of the stanza, “the pleasure is mine,” adds a level of subtext. It could be interpreted as the singer reminiscing about a happy moment shared with this person and expressing gratitude for having had that experience. On the other hand, it could also be an ironic statement, implying that the singer's pleasure is a result of the pain they are feeling due to the absence of this person.

Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of melancholic nostalgia, regret, and ultimately, acceptance of the fact that the past can never be regained.

Line by Line Meaning

The pleasure is mine
I am satisfied by the memories we have shared and the thought of you being with me.

and clearly I can tear a moment
I am able to vividly recall a specific moment in time with you and relive it in my mind.

What it was will never again
The past experiences and moments shared between us can never be recreated or repeated exactly as they were.

Contributed by Claire O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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