In 2004, the Briefs went on European tour without Lance Romance, who had stayed behind to get his GED. They took in his place bassist Steve Kicks of Vancouver's New Town Animals. Lance rejoined the line-up for the 2004 release party of Sex Objects, however retired from the band in 2005. Kicks has since become a permanent addition and was a full member for the follow up Steal Yer Heart.
Lyrically the Briefs have carried on many themes prevalent in `77 era punk rock. The Sex Objects single "Orange Alert" gained notoriety as a seething criticism of the Bush administration and the of the culture of fear in post-9/11 America. It is one of a number of songs critical of the U.S. Government, including "No More Presidents" and "Destroy The USA" from Sex Objects, and "We Americans" from Off the Charts. The band has written a number of love songs a consciously off kilter style similar to the Buzzcocks' "Orgasm Addict." Through songs like "Dolly Parton" the band has also shown a penchant for light-hearted absurdity.
The Briefs are currently on hiatus while Chris is in Germany and Daniel continues his quest towards becoming the world's littlest astronaut, training at a secret location underground, possibly in California. Nix and Kicks are both in a new band called Steve E. Nix and The Cute Lepers. They play a very similar style of music as The Briefs with some added power pop drive. They have released a 7" single for the songs "Terminal Boredom" backed with "Prove It" on 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. Two more singles are due on the europeon labels NFT and Drunk'n'Roll records.
Heart Attack
The Briefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You broke my heart just for a kick.
You'd never leave is what you said,
But your love left me in the hospital bed.
Just like a heart attack,
You make a good heart crack.
Nothing that they can't prescribe.
All the doctors know your name,
My EKG looks like a video game.
Just like a heart attack,
You make a good heart crack.
Oh no the victim has been shown,
I can't believe I should have known.
It's way too late I can't go back,
The ___ it's coming back, it's back, it's back.
I think your love is just a stance,
You left me pulling up my pants.
I heard your name I skipped a beat,
I didn't think that it would stop completely.
Heart attack, you make a good heart crack.
Oh no the victim has been shown,
I can't believe I should have known.
It's way too late I can't go back,
The __ it's coming back, it's back, it's back.
Another doctor diagnosed,
Another lover's case is closed.
I never wanted a tug of war,
Another heart let fall apart.
Just like a heart attack,
You make a good heart crack.
Just like a heart attack.
I'll be waiting here when you come back.
The Briefs' "Heart Attack" is a song about a destructive love relationship, in which the singer's lover broke their heart for the thrill of it. The singer believes that their lover's declarations of eternal love were just a ruse to manipulate them into staying in the relationship, and they were eventually left in a hospital bed because of the heartbreak. The metaphor of a heart attack is used throughout the lyrics to illustrate how painful and sudden the end of the relationship was, and how it left the singer feeling physically and emotionally wounded.
The lyrics capture the singer's frustration and disappointment with their now-ex lover, who they feel was playing games with them. They are left with very little meaning in their life, and even medical professionals know about the heartbreak they experienced. The repeated "heart attack, you make a good heart crack" line drives home the point that this relationship was damaging and hurtful. The singer feels like a victim of the relationship and yearns for the return of their lover, despite the harm they have caused.
In summary, "Heart Attack" is a song about a toxic relationship that causes physical and emotional damage to the person who is genuinely in love. The metaphorical heart attack is used as a way of showing how sudden and intense the pain of heartbreak can be, and how it can leave someone feeling lost and broken.
Line by Line Meaning
I think your love is just a trick,
I suspect that your love is not sincere and that you're intentionally hurting me for your own amusement.
You broke my heart just for a kick.
You caused me emotional pain simply because it amused you or gave you some sort of thrill.
You'd never leave is what you said,
You promised that you would always be here for me and that you'd never leave me.
But your love left me in the hospital bed.
Despite your promise, your love ended up causing me such intense emotional pain that it caused me physical harm and landed me in the hospital.
Just like a heart attack,
Your actions towards me caused emotional damage on par with a sudden, unexpected physical attack on my heart.
You make a good heart crack.
Your words and actions make it easy for my heart to break or become damaged.
No more meaning left inside,
The things you said and did have stripped away any positive emotions or feelings I might have had towards you.
Nothing that they can't prescribe.
The doctors have given me medication to try and help me cope with the emotional and physical pain you've caused, but it's only a temporary solution.
All the doctors know your name,
The medical professionals who have been treating me are familiar with you because of the way your actions have affected me.
My EKG looks like a video game.
The readings of my heart's activity are so erratic and extreme that they look like a computer game display rather than a medical chart.
Oh no the victim has been shown,
I now realize that I have been victimized or taken advantage of by you and your actions.
I can't believe I should have known.
I'm finding it difficult to accept that I didn't see the signs of your cruelty earlier and protect myself from it.
It's way too late I can't go back,
I've come to the realization too late that your actions were hurting me, and it's not possible to undo the damage that has been done.
The ___ it's coming back, it's back, it's back.
This line is incomplete and difficult to interpret without further context. It's possible that it's meant to express the idea that the fear or pain caused by you will continue to linger and return.
I think your love is just a stance,
I now realize that your expressions of love and affection were insincere and more like a performance than genuine emotion.
You left me pulling up my pants.
You abandoned me in a vulnerable state, leaving me to pick up the pieces of my life by myself.
I heard your name I skipped a beat,
Even hearing your name can trigger negative emotions and physical responses in me because of the way you've hurt me.
I didn't think that it would stop completely.
I held out hope that things might improve or that I could find a way to cope with the damage you've caused, but now I realize that it's not possible.
Another doctor diagnosed,
I've sought out more medical help to try and deal with the emotional and physical damage caused by your actions.
Another lover's case is closed.
It's clear that we can no longer be together or have any sort of meaningful relationship because of the way you've hurt me.
I never wanted a tug of war,
I didn't want to have to struggle and fight to keep our relationship healthy and positive, but your actions forced me into that position.
Another heart let fall apart.
Your actions have caused another person to feel broken and emotionally ruined.
I'll be waiting here when you come back.
It's unclear if this line is meant to be taken literally or sarcastically. It could either express a willingness to reconcile with the person who caused so much pain, or it could be interpreted as a sarcastic comment expressing the idea that the person will never return.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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