Over its decade-long history, the band has undergone a large number of personnel changes. Multi-instrumentalist and main songwriter Anton Newcombe is the only member who has stayed with the Brian Jonestown Massacre since its beginning, when it was founded by Newcombe, tambourine player Joel Gion (who stayed with him the longest), and guitarist/bassist/vocalist Matt Hollywood. There are at least two dozen musicians who have been in the BJM at one point or another.
Ex-members include: guitarist Jeff Davies; Matt Hollywood, a founding member of Portland band The Out Crowd; Peter Hayes, founding member of San Francisco rock trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club; Joel Gion, a founding member of San Francisco band, The Dilettantes; Rob Campanella, a Los Angeles producer and engineer who has worked with The Tyde, Beachwood Sparks, Dead Meadow, Mia Doi Todd, Frausdots, Scarling., and his band The Quarter After; Bobby Hecksher, founding member of Los Angeles band The Warlocks; solo recording artist Miranda Lee Richards; Matt Tow, founding member of the Australian band The Lovetones.
Current long-term members include Collin Hegna (bass), Frankie Teardrop (guitar,noise,etc), and Dan Allaire (percussion). Long-time guitarist Ricky Rene Maymi was recently replaced by Irina Yaikowsky for a short tour, who was in turn, replaced by Ricky Rene Maymi.
Much has been made of the fact that Newcombe is head strong and has just one vision in mind: his own. However, many of the musicians who quit his band have stayed in his orbit and continue working with him in some capacity. Newcombe was, at one point, a drummer in Hecksher's Warlocks. Campanella produces or engineers many of the records on Newcombe's record label, the Committee to Keep Music Evil and has also been on the last 2 highly successful European tours, playing keyboards and on occasion, guitar. Gion is forever showing back up shaking the tambourine at BJM shows. Even the Dandy Warhols appear to have buried the hatchet with Newcombe, as he joined them onstage at Lollapalooza in July of 2005.
In 2005 the band released the EP We Are the Radio, on Newcombe's record label The Committee to Keep Music Evil.
The band announced the release of a new studio album, tentatively titled My Bloody Underground, which was released in 2008. On September 3, 2007, the band released rough recordings from the album for download from their website. Music videos of the songs on the album have also been released, including a music video compilation DVD entitled 'Book of Days'. Songs from Brian Jonestown Massacre were specially adapted for use in the score to the critically acclaimed independent film, "Four Eyed Monsters."
Food For Clouds
The Brian Jonestown Massacre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who put that thought in your head?
So take your thoughts and melt them together
Don’t care what anybody says
Sometimes you’re trying to love
Sometimes you wait till your dead
You can’t find the wrongs in each other
Close my eyes and feel
Gonna take it to heart
Gonna close up and hide in yourself
Now come on make it a start
You close your eyes to love
You gotta take it to heart
You gotta hold it inside real close
Before they tear you apart
And sometimes I feel
You’re gonna make it to the end
You gotta live and you do what you feel
Don’t care what anybody says
Gonna see it to the end
Gonna see it to the end
You gotta know what you are
The lyrics to The Brian Jonestown Massacre's song "Food For Clouds" can be interpreted as a reflection on the struggles of individual identity and authenticity in society. The opening lines, “Who do you think that you are? Who put that thought in your head?” suggest that the singer is challenging the listener’s sense of self, questioning where their self-image comes from. The following lines, “So take your thoughts and melt them together, Don’t care what anybody says,” could be interpreted as the singer urging the listener to create a unified sense of self that is not influenced by the opinions of others.
The chorus of the song seems to emphasize the importance of self-love and self-acceptance. The lines “sometimes you’re trying to love, sometimes you wait till you’re dead” suggest a struggle with self-love, but the following line “you can’t find the wrongs in each other” could be interpreted as the singer urging the listener to not be too hard on themselves or others. The chorus ends with the lines “gotta take it to heart, gotta hold it inside real close, before they tear you apart,” which could be interpreted as a warning to protect oneself from the negative influence of others and to hold onto one’s sense of self.
Overall, “Food For Clouds” seems to be a call for authenticity and self-love in the face of societal pressures to conform and self-doubt.
Line by Line Meaning
Who do you think that you are?
Who gave you the audacity to believe in yourself?
Who put that thought in your head?
Who gave you the idea that you could be something?
So take your thoughts and melt them together
Blend your thoughts and ideas into one cohesive plan
Don’t care what anybody says
Ignore the naysayers and doubters
Sometimes you’re trying to love
At times, you attempt to feel affection
Sometimes you wait till your dead
Other times, you may hold off until it's too late
You can’t find the wrongs in each other
It's impossible to find fault in one another
Don’t care what anybody says
Still, don't pay attention to the critics
Close my eyes and feel
Shut your eyes to experience the moment with your senses
Gonna take it to heart
Hold the experience close to your emotions
Gonna close up and hide in yourself
Retreat away from others into your innermost thoughts
Now come on make it a start
Begin now with determination
You close your eyes to love
Similarly, love is best experienced without preconceptions
You gotta take it to heart
Hold love and emotions tightly
You gotta hold it inside real close
Keep love and emotions secure within yourself
Before they tear you apart
As others may try to damage your emotions
And sometimes I feel
At moments, it seems
You’re gonna make it to the end
You have the strength to overcome obstacles
You gotta live and you do what you feel
Live authentically by following your intuition
Don’t care what anybody says
Stay true to yourself through criticism
Gonna see it to the end
Stay dedicated to fulfilling goals
Gonna see it to the end
Repeat the conviction to follow through
You gotta know what you are
It's important to understand your identity
Contributed by Elena T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Владимир Зорин
Who do you think that you are?
Who put that thought in your head?
So take your thoughts and melt them together
Don’t care what anybody says
Sometimes you’re trying to love
Sometimes you wait till your dead
You can’t find the wrongs in each other
Don’t care what anybody says
Close my eyes and feel
Gonna take it to heart
Gonna close up and hide in yourself
Now come on make it a start
You close your eyes to love
You gotta take it to heart
You gotta hold it inside real close
Before they tear you apart
And sometimes I feel
You’re gonna make it to the end
You gotta live and you do what you feel
Don’t care what anybody says
Gonna see it to the end
Gonna see it to the end
You gotta know what you are
Gustav
this song makes me feel like I'm a tiny part of something bigger. not that fucking stupid 'cog in a machine' bullshit, more like a billion emotionally connected beings. each found their own little niche in the world, to observe and sometimes sympathise. this song feels like the love of the mind.
Владимир Зорин
Who do you think that you are?
Who put that thought in your head?
So take your thoughts and melt them together
Don’t care what anybody says
Sometimes you’re trying to love
Sometimes you wait till your dead
You can’t find the wrongs in each other
Don’t care what anybody says
Close my eyes and feel
Gonna take it to heart
Gonna close up and hide in yourself
Now come on make it a start
You close your eyes to love
You gotta take it to heart
You gotta hold it inside real close
Before they tear you apart
And sometimes I feel
You’re gonna make it to the end
You gotta live and you do what you feel
Don’t care what anybody says
Gonna see it to the end
Gonna see it to the end
You gotta know what you are
Pablo Bikeman
Cool
Francois Etoile
This is great! I'm not a musician but my daughters just started playing instruments. Will use this video to help explain counter- melodies to them.
Franco Cooper
I was wondering why this had so few views and now I see that it's just pretty new. Anyway, you're a fucking genius and I hope you get a lot in this world.
Cemo
Timeless song !!
vincente55
Como sempre, muito bom!!
name not available
Entities, alien to each other in innumerable ways, marching peacefully together toward a common goal. Wow. This is so much different from the world we live in today.
Sunday Kids
Love this song
Murrray Scott
Classics people will listen to songs and watch this video until the end of the digital age. Fantastic.