The band has had multiple EP releases, regular rotation on station WXPN in Philadelphia, and near capacity headliners at TLA. In 2002, The Brakes set the record for highest ticket sales at The Point in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.[1]
In early 2006, The Brakes joined forces with H&R Block and became the face of the company's "TaxCut program" advertising campaign. The advertisements were featured on major national networks during shows like American Idol and The OC. The "TaxCut Program"'s print campaign graced the back covers of Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, and Us Weekly.[2]
On Father's Day 2006, Djanikian was chosen to sing "God Bless America" during the seventh innings stretch at the Philadelphia Phillies game.
Josh Sack, drummer for The Brakes, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in August, 2007 and he died on May 4, 2008, two days before the day of the release of their Hyena Records album, Tale of Two Cities.[3] The album is a tribute to Sack's life and a showcase of his talents as a performer. Sack's successor, Spence Cohen, has been drumming with The Brakes since late April 2008.
The Brakes are winners of the 8th annual Independent Music Awards Vox Pop vote for best Live Performance Album "Tale of Two Cities".
Margarita
The Brakes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What a thing to waste.
Margarita would you come and liberate me,
Take me away from this place?
It's here, but it's unclear,
What it's here for
But it's clear,
It's the fear that keeps us under control
If the devil's in the detail,
He's been homogonised,
Redesigned and pre-trialed,
And Demographically assured,
He's here, but it's unclear,
What he's here for.
It's clear, it's the fear,
That keeps us under control
They're all singing,
"Follow The Leader,"
Singing
"Skip To My Lou"
They're all playing Follow The Leader
Again
Margarita there's a lot of blodd leaking
What a thing to waste
Smash, smash, five megatons of smash
You gotta see it, it's a riot
It's here, but it's unclear
What it's here for
It's clear it's the fear
Keeps us under control
They're all singing
Follow The Leader
Singing
Skip to My Lou
They're all playing
Follow The Leader
Again.
The Brakes's song "Margarita" is an interesting commentary on the state of society, using the titular drink as a metaphor for the love that is constantly being wasted. The lyrics discuss the idea of being liberated from this place, where love is everywhere but unclear in its purpose. The use of the devil as a metaphor for society adds to the complexity of the song, as it suggests that the fear that keeps us under control is not only self-imposed, but also perpetuated by external forces.
The chorus of "Follow The Leader" and "Skip to My Lou" suggest that society is often caught up in blindly following the whims of a select few, rather than thinking for themselves. The explosive imagery of "five megatons of smash" implies that this societal pressure can be destructive, but also thrilling and exciting to witness. The repetition of "It's here, but it's unclear/What it's here for/But it's clear/It's the fear that keeps us under control" adds to the haunting quality of the song, as it suggests that we are trapped in this cycle of fear and control.
Overall, "Margarita" is a powerful commentary on society and the way that we allow ourselves to be controlled by fear and societal norms. It encourages listeners to break free from these constraints and find their own way, rather than blindly following the crowd.
Line by Line Meaning
Margarita there's a lot of love leaking,
There is so much love to give, yet it's going to waste.
What a thing to waste.
Such a sad thing to see something as beautiful as love being wasted.
Margarita would you come and liberate me,
Can you rescue me from this mundane life I'm living?
Take me away from this place?
Can you take me to a better place where I can live free?
It's here, but it's unclear,
There is something present, but we're not exactly sure of its purpose.
What it's here for
We don't know what its intended goal is or what it's meant to do.
But it's clear,
The one thing we do know is that
It's the fear that keeps us under control
Our fear and uncertainty is what keeps us in a state of control and confines us to our current way of life.
Margarita,
Oh, Margarita,
If the devil's in the detail,
If the evil is in the finer details,
He's been homogonized,
It's been made uniform,
Redesigned and pre-trialed,
Modified and tested before officially being implemented,
And demographically assured,
Ensured to appeal to a specific group of people,
He's here, but it's unclear,
The evil presence is present, but it's not entirely obvious why.
What he's here for.
What is his ultimate goal, and why is he present?
It's clear, it's the fear,
But it is evident that the fear of these unknown elements is what's keeping us from discovering the truth.
Keeps us under control
Preventing us from moving forward and breaking free.
They're all singing,
Everybody around us is singing/chanting,
Follow the leader,
Encouraging us to follow and fit in rather than lead.
Singing Skip to My Lou
Singing about carefree activities and not being weighed down by expectations/responsibilities.
They're all playing Follow The Leader again.
People are once again promoting the idea of following others and not standing out.
Margarita there's a lot of blood leaking
There is so much violence and suffering happening around us.
What a thing to waste
It's such a tragedy to see so much pain and violence happening.
Smash, smash, five megatons of smash
There is so much destruction happening on a massive scale.
You gotta see it, it's a riot
It's alarming and disturbing to witness this level of chaos and destruction.
It's here, but it's unclear
All this chaos is happening, but we're not sure of its purpose.
What it's here for
What is the reason for all this destruction and violence?
It's clear it's the fear
The one thing we know is that our fear is the root of this problem.
Keeps us under control
Our fear is keeping us from taking the necessary steps to create a better world.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind