Composed from a place of deep turmoil, lead singer Lucas Silveira began work on the Cliks' second album following the highly successful tours behind sophomore release Snakehouse. The band's incendiary live shows became the calling card by which they were known, and in short order, musical heroes Ian Astbury of the Cult and Cyndi Lauper hand-picked the band for their respective tours. Late-night bookers were listening too, and soon the Cliks found themselves on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, not to mention a very special performance Lucas did with Cyndi Lauper on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The band picked up momentum and fans when Logo awarded them the NewNowNext Artist On the Brink Award which ultimately led to an appearance on teenybopper mecca TRL to discuss their plans for the future.
Though critically lauded and publicly adored, Silveira returned road weary and emotionally shattered. Having spent 400 days on the road touring behind Snakehouse, Silveira was eager to return home, but home wasn't the reprieve he'd hoped it would be. "The album is based around defeat, lies, deception, loss of trust in others and yourself," explains Silveira. "I wrote the album coming from a really lonely place." Indeed, the album plumbs difficult depths in the form of relationships and identity politics, as did the band's Warner Music debut, Snakehouse, but here, there is a redemptive quality absent from the band's previous output. The price of that, however, is eternal vigilance. "Dirty King is more about having risen out of the ashes, being on your feet, but constantly having to dodge people trying to knock you down," says Silveira.
With their rise out of the ashes comes new sonic territory for the band. Their most adventurous album to date finds the band teamed with producer-engineer Sylvia Massy (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool) at her Weed, California based Radio Star Studios. "She's my kind of producer," says drummer Morgan Doctor. "She doesn't come from a singer-songwriter background, but an engineering background, so she's more about creating sound and texture in the studio." Massy's studio -- filled with enough amps, effects and instruments to make it a veritable playground for musicians – served as the band's bedrock to create the full range of the album's sounds and correlating emotions, from the jagged rock of its denials to the soulful balladry of its admissions.
The album's namesake, and perhaps the clearest distillation of Silveira's emotional state during the writing of the album, is "Dirty King." Based on the gulf between how Silveira felt and how he was perceived, the song slides in on a surf guitar riff as Silveira alternates between a vamp and growl, teasing out the chorus in a voice that manages to sound menacing and seductive at once. Elsewhere, the band changes gears on the mournful "Not Your Boy" and "Emily," the catchiest evidence of the band's expanding sound. "'Emily' is definitely a big leap for the Cliks as a band, but for myself as a songwriter, I have lots of songs like this under my belt. I just never introduced them to the band because I didn't feel like it was ‘Cliks' material," says Silveira of the waltzing, string-laden track that's more dulcet than biting. The song's inclusion is a testament to the direction of Massy, who encouraged Silveira to continue writing after he'd played her an early version. The song also demonstrates Massy's analog approach, and the adventurousness of the band. Where most producers would have downloaded the sound of glass breaking to use on the track, the band and producer headed out onto the streets of Weed to procure their own found noise. "We were out late at night on the main street of Weed, breaking a huge piece of glass and recording it live," says Doctor.
Dirty King also sees the band writing together, as well as playing. After bassist Jen Benton wrote the bassline for "Career Suicide" while on tour, she began playing it at soundcheck. Doctor suggested she continue developing it, and ultimately all three would collaborate to write it. "On tour Lucas and I came up with the pre-chorus together, [and] we put together the chorus and the bridge, which was written to a very rhythmically defined beat Morgan came up with," says Benton. "It was a great experience for [us]."
Despite themselves, the Cliks couldn't help but make a record that made order out of tumult and sense out of turbulence. With pop hooks lacing the rock spines The Cliks are known for, the songs inhabit the specificity of the circumstances under which they were written, all the while appealing to broader audience ."
Red and Blue
The Cliks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you let go
You changed your mind
It's hard enough to see this through
Why can't you look me in the eye?
And what did you think I'd turn into?
And what did you think I'd do for you?
To hide the truth
And make me the liar inside you
I know we have to burn this down
I see we're flying way too high
And now I see, so dangerous
You're always trying to take what's mine
And what did you think that I would do?
And while you paint it red, I paint it blue
I'll cut off my hands to bare the truth
Forever the liar inside you
I'm not changing for anybody else
Cuz' every time I do
It seems I lose myself
I'd hoped to turn your world around
But you let go
You changed your mind
But now I cannot see this through
Already wasted too much time
And now there is nothing I could do
You still paint it red
And I'll still feel blue
I'm keeping my hands
That's what I'll do
And show you the liar
I'll show you the liar
Inside you
The song "Red and Blue" by The Cliks is a powerful and emotional breakup tune that speaks to the pain and frustration of a relationship that has gone wrong. The first verse talks about how the singer had hoped to change things for her partner but was ultimately let down when they changed their mind. It's hard for the singer to see the relationship continue when her partner won't even look her in the eye. The second verse takes a more accusatory tone, with the singer questioning what her partner thought she would do for them and accusing them of trying to make her the liar inside them. The chorus is a stark and haunting declaration that the singer knows the relationship is over and that she's not going to change for anyone else, because every time she does, she loses herself. The final verse is a resignation to the fact that there's nothing left to do but move on, with the singer firmly deciding to keep her hands and show her partner that she's not the liar they want her to be.
At its core, "Red and Blue" is a song about the pain and frustration of a relationship that has ended badly. The lyrics are raw and honest, full of the emotions that come with heartbreak, anger, and regret. The melody is powerful and haunting, with a slow, steady beat that underscores the intensity of the emotions being explored. Overall, "Red and Blue" is a powerful and moving song that speaks to the universal experience of love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd hoped to turn your world around
I expected to make a significant impact on your life.
But you let go
But you gave up on me and our relationship.
You changed your mind
You altered your outlook on life and our relationship.
It's hard enough to see this through
It's already tough to persist in our relationship.
Why can't you look me in the eye?
Why aren't you honest with me?
And what did you think I'd turn into?
What were your expectations from me?
And what did you think I'd do for you?
What did you expect me to do for our relationship?
You'd cut off my hands
You'd go to any extent to suppress the truth.
To hide the truth
To keep the truth concealed.
And make me the liar inside you
And make me the culprit you hide inside yourself.
I know we have to burn this down
I understand that we have to end our relationship.
I see we're flying way too high
I realize that our expectations are too unrealistic.
And now I see, so dangerous
It's evident now that we're in a hazardous situation.
You're always trying to take what's mine
You're always trying to take advantage of me or my possessions.
And while you paint it red, I paint it blue
While you sensationalize the situation, I'm trying to be practical.
I'll cut off my hands to bare the truth
I'm always ready to reveal the truth regardless of the repercussions.
Forever the liar inside you
You'll always have the tendency to hide the truth.
I'm not changing for anybody else
I'm not changing myself or my principles for anyone else, including you.
Cuz' every time I do
Because every time I change, I lose myself.
It seems I lose myself
I feel like I'm losing my identity by changing.
Already wasted too much time
I feel like we've already spent too much time on this relationship.
And now there is nothing I could do
And now I can't control anything anymore.
You still paint it red
You're still sensationalizing the situation.
And I'll still feel blue
But I'll still be practical and grounded.
I'm keeping my hands
I'm not ready to suppress the truth.
That's what I'll do
That's how I'll carry myself.
And show you the liar
And I'll prove that you're lying.
I'll show you the liar
I'll prove that you're lying.
Inside you
That you're hiding the lie within yourself.
Contributed by Xavier O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jchase3755
HIS VOICE MAKES ME CRY. THE PASSION/ THE TALENT
@tikka25
They must come to Brazil for a show. lots of fans here.
@120519691
I'm from Brazil. TY for posting...Amazing band.
@YouMakeItObvious
i love this song sooo much <3
@jchase3755
MEEEEE TOOOOOOO
@ozarkarts
I LOVE The Cliks and play them constantly. Eagerly waiting for their next album - and for them to play live in Dallas, TX!
@katerina3312
They are my confort musc when I'm stressed
@NanaOsaki-og5om
me encantan tus videos sigue asi
@chilloutya3
aaah, thats awesome!
@cherb914
this goes out to the ex's