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.
When The Lights Go Out
The Black Keys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you're standin' in the sun
In the bottom of your heart
You don't love no one
You can be oh so mean
I just can't see, no in between
You know what the sun's all about
When the lights go out
What a way to live
Back of your class
End of the line
Always last
You can be oh so mean
I just can't see, no in between
You know what the sun's all about
When the lights go out
See the moon
See the stars
From your lonely seat
In your lonely cars
You can be oh so mean
I just can't see, no in between
You know what the sun's all about
When the lights go out
The lyrics to The Black Keys's song When The Lights Go Out convey feelings of loneliness, heartache, and longing for connection despite being mean and misunderstood. The opening lines, "Don't it hurt so bad, when you're standin' in the sun, in the bottom of your heart, you don't love no one," suggest the pain of feeling alone and unloved even when living in society's spotlight. The recognition of one's own meanness, "You can be oh so mean, I just can't see, no in between," further underscores a feeling of isolation from others. The contrast between the bright, sunny imagery and the dark, lonely reality of the lyrics is emphasized by the refrain, "You know what the sun's all about, when the lights go out," which speaks to a sense of hidden pain and fear of being exposed to others.
The second verse finds the singer musing on "what a way to live," with "back of your class" and "end of the line" both serving as metaphors for feeling excluded from society's normative expectations. The imagery of viewing the moon and stars from a "lonely seat," such as in a car, further emphasizes the theme of solitary contemplation. Ultimately, the song offers a poignant commentary on the price of success and the personal toll it can take on one's emotional well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't it hurt so bad
The feeling is painful
When you're standin' in the sun
When you're exposed and vulnerable
In the bottom of your heart
Deep down
You don't love no one
You can't find love or give love in your current state
You can be oh so mean
Your actions demonstrate cruelty towards others
I just can't see, no in between
I can't perceive any gray area in your behavior
You know what the sun's all about
You have an understanding of the exposure and vulnerability of life
When the lights go out
When the protection of social interaction disappears
What a way to live
Living in a state of isolation and unhappiness
Back of your class
Feeling inferior and unworthy compared to others
End of the line
At the very bottom of society
Always last
Never getting a chance to be first or noticed
See the moon
Looking up towards hope
See the stars
Finding inspiration in the beauty of the world
From your lonely seat
As an isolated and unhappy individual
In your lonely cars
Seeking solitude as a means of escape
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Daniel Quine Auerbach, Patrick James Carney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Don't it hurt so bad,
Standin' in the sun,
The bottom of your heart,
You don't love no one,
You can be,
Oh, so mean,
I just can't see,
No in-between,
You know what the sun's all about,
When the lights go out,
What a way to live,
Back of your class,
The end of the line--
You're always last,
You can be,
Oh, so mean,
I just can't see,
No in-between,
You know what the sun's all about,
When the lights go out,
See the moon,
See the stars,
From your lonely seat,
In lonely cars,
You can be,
Jack Schmit
I've seen them play live twice....they didn't play this song. I wasn't even mad. And this is my favorite song from them.
Minze Katze
They are just freaking perfect! Love that song :)
Dale Jefferson
Listen to Samuel Blues - Grunge Blues Psychedelia,
way under the radar
Michael Nuber
It's simple. It's dark. It's a great song!
Jillian
Fav band of all time
Julian Grant
best black keys album
river tide
totally amazing
Science Fantastic
I feel that Southern heat. Awesome.
Science Fantastic
@Pierre Fogliata really? Huh. It sounds very Southern Bluesy.
Prince Albert In A Can
I expect to see a gator crawling across the road.