They released their first album, The Big Come Up, in 2002, followed by Thickfreakness in 2003, and Rubber Factory in 2004. October 2005 saw the release of the DVD Live, recorded live at The Metro Theatre in Sydney, Australia March 18, 2005. In 2006 they released Magic Potion, as well as the lesser-known Chulahoma and a single version of Your Touch.
One of their trademarks is their preference for simple, lo-fi recording techniques. They refuse to use big-name studios, and do most recording, producing, and mixing themselves. Most of Thickfreakness was recorded in about 14 hours in Carney's basement, using only an early 80's Tascam 388 8-track recorder. Often, their recordings still have background noises (such as an owl hooting).
The Black Keys have achieved increasing critical acclaim and recognition since their debut album, which itself received praise from Rolling Stone magazine. Time magazine named them one of the "10 Best Acts of 2003" (behind OutKast and The White Stripes). They have supported a number of bands: they toured with Sleater-Kinney in 2003, had a short stint opening for Beck, have recently opened for Radiohead on the American leg of their brief 2006 tour, and performed at Lollapalooza in 2005 and 2007. In addition to this, they were also well-liked by influential British radio DJ John Peel and appeared on both Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Show with David Letterman. Famous followers of the band include Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammet. Matt Helders, drummer for the Arctic Monkeys, can be seen in a Black Keys T-Shirt in an interview on MTV's RAW.
Their song "When the Lights Go Out" was featured in the 2007 film Black Snake Moan, and also on the soundtrack for that movie. The Black Keys were included in the soundtrack of the 2003 movie School of Rock with their song, "Set You Free". "Lies" was featured in the conclusion of the February 4, 2009 episode of Lie to Me. One of their songs, "Girl Is on My Mind", was used in a 2006 Sony Ericsson advertisement, starring the tennis players Ana Ivanović and Daniela Hantuchová, gaining the band more commercial recognition. It was also used in a 2006 Victoria's Secret commercial featuring Heidi Klum and could be heard in the movies Rest Stop and Cashback. Their song "10 am Automatic" was used in the video game MLB '06: The Show, The O.C., The Go-Getter, and was also used in a 2007 American Express commercial starring Shaun White. "Your Touch" was featured in a 2007 Lee's jeans commercial, and can be heard both in an episode of NBC's Friday Night Lights and in an episode of "Eastbound and Down". Their cover "Grown So Ugly" can be heard in the background of the going away party in the 2007 film Cloverfield. "Strange Times" is used in Grand Theft Auto IV on the in-game radio station Radio Broker. "Strange Times" can also be heard during a preview for ABC's The Mole, and the trailer for season three of the Showtime series Dexter, as well as a promo for Gossip Girl. Their song "Just Got To Be" is used on the soundtrack for the video game NHL 08, and "Hard Row" is featured in the premiere episode of the FX show Sons of Anarchy. Sons of Anarchy has gone on to use "Keep Me" in both Episodes 6 and 7, as well as "Busted" in episode 7. The song "Lies" is featured in the advertising campaign for the third season of HBO's Big Love. "The Breaks" can be heard in Guy Ritchie' film RocknRolla. "Your Touch" can also be heard in the HBO series "Entourage" in the episode "Manic Monday", during the opening scenes. The song "Psychotic Girl" is featured the episode "Messin' with the Kid" in season 6 of One Tree Hill. "I'll Be Your Man" is the opening theme song for the HBO show Hungand was also featured in an episode of the FX Network show Rescue Me. "Your Touch" can also be heard in the film Zombieland and in an episode of "Eastbound and Down" on HBO. The song "I Got Mine" has been used in HBO's sports reality series 24/7 Pacquiao-Hatton" [13] as well as background music for the 2009 American League Championship Series. The song "Next Girl" is featured in the in game radio of Saints Row the Third.
Their fourth record that Danger Mouse produced Attack & Release was out April 1st 2008. The duo's fifth album is the first one recorded in a proper studio.
The Band's fifth album, "Brothers" was released in spring 2010 and has seen increasing amounts of exposure to the "Dancing T-Rex" video for the song "Tighten Up" that went viral...until the band asked it to be removed because they felt it made light of their music. A proper video was released later in 2010, featuring Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney at a playground and was pushed on the band's official YouTube channel, as well as through the iTunes and Zune marketplaces. The track "Tighten Up" was also used as the background music for a Subaru Legacy commercial and on the FIFA 2011 Soundtrack.
The Black Keys' seventh studio album, "El Camino," was released on the 6th of December 2011. Co-produced by Danger Mouse, the album was released to critical acclaim, receiving positive reviews from The Rolling Stones, NME and more. Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly commented on "El Camino", saying that "El Camino trades the soulful stylings of Brothers for harder-driving, faster-riffing rock & roll". At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, El Camino won the award for Best Rock Album, while "Lonely Boy" received multiple honors, taking 'Best Rock Performance' and 'Best Rock Song'. The album has sold 1.4 million copies in the United States to date.
The Black Keys' eighth studio album, Turn Blue, was released on May 12, 2014 to generally favorable reviews.
The Flame
The Black Keys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've ever done
This time I can't go back
When a heart gets broke
This many times
It's easy to lose track
Takin' all this pain
The flame, oh the flame
Like a dreamer needs
Time with you
So unreal, baby
And all our life
Love for me
Is what you feel
Takin' all this pain
And you know I can't regain
The flame, oh the flame
Greater men
Have made it here
Only to turn back
So cut me loose
If you want
Or tighten up the slack
Takin' all this pain
And you know we can't regain
The flame, oh the flame
The Black Keys' "The Flame" is a haunting and melancholic song that delves into the pain of heartbreak and the desperate desire to regain lost love. The opening lines "Out of all the things you've ever done, this time I can't go back" suggest a sense of finality and loss that the singer is struggling to come to terms with. The repetition of the phrase "This many times, it's easy to lose track" emphasizes the sheer weight of the heartbreak they've experienced, as well as the sense of hopelessness that comes with it.
The chorus, which features the repeated phrase "Takin' all this pain, and you know I can't regain the flame" speaks to the central theme of the song; the idea that the singer has lost something vital to their relationship and is unable to reclaim it. The use of the word "flame" is interesting; it suggests a fiery passion that has been extinguished, leaving only the cold ashes of regret.
The final lines of the song, "Greater men have made it here, only to turn back, so cut me loose if you want, or tighten up the slack" suggest the singer's emotional vulnerability and their willingness to be vulnerable once again, even if it means risking further heartbreak. "The Flame" is a masterful exploration of love, heartbreak, and the struggle to reconcile the two.
Line by Line Meaning
Out of all the things
Among all your past mistakes and regrets,
You've ever done
things you regret doing,
This time I can't go back
there's no way to undo the harm caused this time.
When a heart gets broke
After getting hurt emotionally,
This many times
a repeated occurrence of incidents,
It's easy to lose track
it's hard to keep count of the times we've been hurt.
Takin' all this pain
Enduring all the hurt and suffering,
And you know I can't regain
Realizing that there's no way to reverse what's been done,
The flame, oh the flame
the love they had has diminished to nothingness.
Like a dreamer needs
As a person needs to dream,
Time with you
They need to spend time with their lover,
So unreal, baby
Such that it feels too good to be true.
And all our life
Through all the ups, downs, and moments that make up life itself,
Love for me
Love that is exclusive to him/her,
Is what you feel
is what the partner perceives to be expressed.
Greater men
Even stronger or tougher personalities,
Have made it here
Have arrived at this point in life before,
Only to turn back
Only to leave once again; never to return,
So cut me loose
If there's no hope for recovery,
If you want
If you think that's what's best for you,
Or tighten up the slack
Or fix things up and give the bond another chance.
Takin' all this pain
Regardless of the decision made,
And you know we can't regain
no amount of effort can bring back what's been lost.
The flame, oh the flame
The love that has since died.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Daniel Auerbach, Patrick Carney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rhéa
Out of all the things,
You've ever done,
This time I can't go back,
When a heart gets broke,
This many times,
It's easy to lose track,
Takin' all this pain,
And you know I can't regain,
The flame,
Oh, the flame,
Like a dream to me,
Time with you,
So unreal,
Maybe another life,
Love for me,
Is what you feel,
Takin' all this pain,
And you know I can't regain,
The flame, oh,
Greater men made it here,
Only to turn back,
So cut me loose, if you want,
Or tighten up the slack,
Takin' all this pain,
And you know we can't regain,
The flame,
Oh, the flame,
Yeah...oh.
Rhéa
Out of all the things,
You've ever done,
This time I can't go back,
When a heart gets broke,
This many times,
It's easy to lose track,
Takin' all this pain,
And you know I can't regain,
The flame,
Oh, the flame,
Like a dream to me,
Time with you,
So unreal,
Maybe another life,
Love for me,
Is what you feel,
Takin' all this pain,
And you know I can't regain,
The flame, oh,
Greater men made it here,
Only to turn back,
So cut me loose, if you want,
Or tighten up the slack,
Takin' all this pain,
And you know we can't regain,
The flame,
Oh, the flame,
Yeah...oh.
Magnum Opus / Blues Artist
This is the creme de la creme of blues/rock..awesome sound these guys have! I like it raw 🎵🎸💯
Magnum Opus / Blues Artist
@Soulid Beats Thanks Mate. Cheers 🎵
Soulid Beats
You got some awsome blues on your channel Magnum Opus! 🎸👌
Joseph H
Probably my favorite black keys song
Bishop Louie
Same here
Mophony
Little Black Submarines is a close second
Neyén
Same
Luis Fernando SotoRestrepo
The song that take me back to my previous life on the 70's listening Blues in a bar drinking whiskey.
Lance Anthony
Amazing musical era for the black keys. Just like all of their stylistic changes over the years