This London duo use gritty beats, droning guitars, abstract effects and dreamy vocals to create a soundscape that is arty yet tuneful. They have previously supported Muse, TV On The Radio, Florence + The Machine, Crystal Castles and Klaxons.
Milo Cordell is son of 1960s pop producer Denny and runs the Merok label, which has released cutting-edge dance acts Klaxons and Crystal Castles. Robbie Furze is a former guitarist with electro-punk singer Alec Empire and is also a founding member of the band Panic DHH.
Their first three singles were "Too Young To Love"/"Crystal Visions" (House Anxiety), "Velvet" and "Stop the World" (4AD). Their debut album A Brief History of Love was recorded at the Electric Ladyland Studios in New York and was released in the UK on the 14th of September 2009. The Big Pink supported Muse on the UK leg of The Resistance Tour.
Their second album Future This was released on 11 January 2012 on 4AD label.
Official site: http://www.musicfromthebigpink.com
Give It Up
The Big Pink Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looking back, we were lost from the start
All locked up in your own mind
It's no surprise your tongue was tied
We did bad things when we were young
You'd smile and torture me just for fun
When the sun went down, I replayed the past
Knew every scene, it went by so fast
When I have the strength enough to fight
When the fire that burns goes out inside
Cry for desire to change your mind
What's left you played, it's your hardest role
Give it up, give it up for me
You make your move
?
Give it up, it doesn't have to be
So hard
Twenty-four floors above the ground
We shared the 60's silver sound
A glass of goose, a magnetic stare
Behind those eyes, there was nothing there
Strange little girl, what did you do
I could always see straight through you
It's so pretty on the other side
Your reflection will fool us all in time
When I have the strength enough to fight
When the fire that burns goes out inside
Cry for desire to change your mind
What's left you played, it's your hardest role
Give it up, give it up for me
You make your move
?
Give it up, it doesn't have to be
So hard
And I know it won't be long
'til I give up
And the roles reverse, and I give you another chance
And I'd love to try again
Try again to warm that heart
Give it up, give it up for me
You make your move
?
Give it up, it doesn't have to be
So hard
The lyrics to The Big Pink's song "Give It Up" explore the complexities of a past relationship that was doomed from the start. The first verse reveals that the relationship was built on a shaky foundation, as the two parties were "lost from the start" and "locked up in [their] own mind[s]." The singer is aware of the other person's internal struggles, and understands that their "tongue was tied," which could explain why things never worked out.
As the chorus comes in, the singer expresses their desire for the other person to let go of their past and to "give it up" for them. The line "you make your move" suggests that the other person is now in control of the situation and holds the power to make a change. However, the second verse hints at a darker side to the other person, who is described as a "strange little girl" with "nothing behind those eyes." Despite this, the singer is still drawn to them and wants to "warm that heart" once again.
The final verse speaks of the singer's resignation, knowing that the roles will soon be reversed and they will give the other person yet another chance. In the end, they express their desire to try again, even though it seems inevitable that they will fail once more.
Line by Line Meaning
We'll laugh, I tried to warm that heart
We used to laugh, but I tried to mend your broken heart.
Looking back, we were lost from the start
In retrospect, we were never meant to be together.
All locked up in your own mind
You were trapped within your own thoughts.
It's no surprise your tongue was tied
It's understandable why you were unable to express yourself.
We did bad things when we were young
We used to misbehave when we were adolescents.
You'd smile and torture me just for fun
You found pleasure in tormenting me.
When the sun went down, I replayed the past
During evenings, I would reflect on our history together.
Knew every scene, it went by so fast
I remember every moment of our time together, and it feels like it flew by so fast.
When I have the strength enough to fight
When I finally have the courage to confront our problems head-on,
When the fire that burns goes out inside
When the passion between us fades away,
Cry for desire to change your mind
I'll plead with you to reconsider our relationship.
What's left you played, it's your hardest role
You're only continuing to stay with me because it's difficult to end things.
Give it up, give it up for me
Let's move on from each other and end our relationship gracefully.
You make your move
It's up to you to decide to end things and move on.
?
Give it up, it doesn't have to be
Breaking up doesn't have to be painful and miserable.
So hard
It doesn't have to be difficult.
Twenty-four floors above the ground
We were on the twenty-fourth floor of a building.
We shared the 60's silver sound
We listened to music from the 60s together.
A glass of goose, a magnetic stare
We were drinking Grey Goose, and you had a captivating gaze.
Behind those eyes, there was nothing there
Despite your alluring look, there was something vacant behind your eyes.
Strange little girl, what did you do
You were a curious and peculiar girl, what did you do to end up like this?
I could always see straight through you
I was able to see through your facade.
It's so pretty on the other side
It seems like things would be better apart from each other.
Your reflection will fool us all in time
Eventually, your appearance will deceive others too.
And I know it won't be long
I'm positive it won't be very long until we separate for good.
'til I give up
Until I decide to let go.
And the roles reverse, and I give you another chance
In an unlikely turn of events, I might end up giving you another chance.
And I'd love to try again
I would be willing to start over again.
Give it up, give it up for me
Let's move on from each other and end our relationship gracefully (repeated).
You make your move
It's up to you to decide to end things and move on (repeated).
?
Give it up, it doesn't have to be
Breaking up doesn't have to be painful and miserable (repeated).
So hard
It doesn't have to be difficult (repeated).
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, KIONGAZI MUSIC AMARI MUSIC, INC., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LAVARACK MILO CORDELL, PAUL RICHARD EPWORTH, DAVID FURZE ROBERTSON, EARL RANDLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Slyman Collector
I remember discovering this song in early 2012. Listened to it throughout the summer when I found the love of my life. Here's to 7 years and hopefully 100 more.
Daniel Carhuff
This is by far the coolest music video I have ever seen. There is something about imperfection that really makes a video.
ChiraInside
i love it ! it's on my repeat list!
marcin dziobas
amazing song, the best of them
Geo&Sely 4-6-10
Awesome song and band
peefg
very easy to rate... masterpiece !
launderground
we love the big pink.
YiJune Pan
brilliant!!
Richard Price Elliott
Keep it up Big. We likes ya'.
Richard Price Elliott
I had this track charted at #1 before the video. I think you are going to stick around.