In 1981, a fan of the Clean founded the Flying Nun label to release their first single, "Tally Ho." A follow-up track off one of their early EPs, "Beatnik", also achieved success, as did the second single, "Getting Older". The Flying Nun label went on to be New Zealand's biggest independent record company, championing the Dunedin Sound, a loosely-connected style of music largely produced by bands from this southern city. Others on the label included The Chills, The Verlaines, The Bats, and Sneaky Feelings.
During much of the 1980s, The Clean disbanded, and during this time the Kilgour brothers worked together on an experimental album and EP using the deliberately punning titles "The Great Unwashed" and "Clean Out of Our Minds". Reforming in the late 1980s, the band explored a slightly poppier vein of music while still retaining their experimental edge.
In June 2008 a live album recorded during the 2007 New Zealand tour was released in New Zealand on Arch Hill Records, entitled "Mashed". A new studio album, titled Mister Pop was released on September 7, 2009 on Arch Hill, and on September 8 in the United States on the Merge label.
In December 2009, The Clean announced their first European dates in more than 20 years, supporting the cult U.S band Pavement at Brixton Academy on the 10th of May. They also played at the Pavement curated ATP at Butlins Minehead on the 14th of May. Other dates on the tour included Amsterdam (May 22), Hamburg (May 23), Berlin (May 25) and Barcelona's Primavera Sound festival May 29).
Getting Older
The Clean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're getting older
And you don't know why
And you don't know what to do
Well you're getting older
You're getting older
And you tell yourself
So don't go out in the kitchen
Or any other place
Yeh don't go out in the open
Or ever show your face
So why don't you do yourself in?
Yeh why don't you do yourself in?
Oh you're getting older
You're getting older
And you don't know why
And you don't know what to do
Well you're getting older
You're getting older
And you tell yourself
And you tell yourself it too
So don't go out in the kitchen
Or any other place
So don't go out in the open
Or ever show your face
So why don't you do yourself in?
Yeh why don't you do yourself in?
Oh la la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la la
So la la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la la
The Clean's song "Getting Older" is a classic indie rock track that explores the universal theme of aging and the fears associated with it. The song repeatedly emphasizes the idea of getting older and not knowing why, which suggests a sense of confusion and anxiety about the natural process of aging. The chorus adds to this unease by asking the listener why they don't "do themselves in," implying that perhaps the singer cannot find any reason to keep on living as they grow older.
Moreover, the lyrics suggest a desire to retreat and withdraw from the outside world, as the singer recommends not going out in the kitchen, any other place, or showing one's face. This could represent a reluctance or fear of engaging with the world as it changes around them. As the song continues, the repetition of "la la la" serves as a refrain that further emphasizes the sense of confusion and frustration surrounding the experience of getting older.
In summary, "Getting Older" is a song that dives into the universal fears of aging and the existential anxieties that come with it. The lyrics suggest a desire to withdraw from the world and to question the purpose of continued existence as one grows older.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh you're getting older
Realization that one is getting older and cannot stop the process
You're getting older
Reinforcement of the reality that aging is happening
And you don't know why
Uncertainty about the cause of aging
And you don't know what to do
Feeling helpless about aging and its effects
Well you're getting older
Acceptance of the aging process
You're getting older
Continued reinforcement of the reality
And you tell yourself
Trying to maintain positivity by convincing oneself it's okay
And you tell yourself it too
Repeating the positive reinforcement to oneself
So don't go out in the kitchen
Avoiding the kitchen, and by extension, life's challenges and responsibilities
Or any other place
Trying to further avoid the unavoidable
Yeh don't go out in the open
Afraid of exposing oneself to others and judgement
Or ever show your face
Feeling unworthy and ashamed of one's aging appearance
So why don't you do yourself in?
Thoughts of suicide as a perceived solution to the fear and discomfort of aging
Oh la la la la
A musical interlude
La la la la
A continuation of the interlude
La la la la
Another continuation of the interlude
La la la la la
An extended continuation of the interlude
So la la la la
A repeat of the interlude
La la la la
Continuing the previous repetition of the interlude
La la la la
Further continuation of the interlude
La la la la la
A final extension of the interlude
Contributed by Hailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rosshamilton2555
Even though I wasn't born when these early songs were released I grew up listening to Pavement and through them discovered The Clean. Now 20 years on for me there's something very special about re-listening to this band..for the mainstream they may be an 'oddity' but there's no doubt about their raw quality! ☺️
@noisepollution6761
The world is a sorry place mate. Because of my age. Hamish tries to be perfect and you can't fix it. ✊🤙
@reneedavies9231
Pavement the next generation and iconic fans! I'd love to know how flying nun adjusted to the 90s
@catcat1517
I just discovered them, yet it feels like I've known them for years.
@p.r.7379
I still love this band with all my heart!!!
@dgbradman1
absolutely an amazing song. Inspirational, tough, surf, dreamy, poetic, shy, and defiant.
@michaelbuhl4250
Hamish - R.I.P.
@catcat1517
Damn, this is brilliant!
@brianfearynz
Here's something Hamish Kilgour wrote about it on his facebook page (sorry Hamish, don't mean to be creepy, but I think its worth copy and pasting here...):
TVNZ would not show this clip in 1982 b coz they said the audio was faulty-but we wanted the 4 track Teac recording to sound like that-we recorded in the same place we did Boodle-and we bought a second hand trumpet from a junk shop the day of recording in Auckland becoz bob said he could play the trumpet-Rob Whute reviewd the single in the CHCH evening star saying the trumpet sounded like a dying elephant and people generally disliked itRonnie van Hout and art school bud Mervyn made this clip with me assisting in CHCH central with Bob starring-based on Buster Keaton's last existential film called FILM-how kool was that-it was all Ron's brillant idea shot on Ilam 16 mm equipment and edited on the Ilam steinbeck which Alister Parker later edited Bailter Space's NEWMan which was shot by him and his photographic studio partner Chris who is in the video-Halcion daze in the Flat city b4 it got later flattened-all thos ebrick alleyways gone gone 4 eva
@reneedavies9231
He was quite bolstery on Facebook are you a getaway child?