Named both in reference to the Russian Decembrist Revolt (they use the national anthem of the Soviet Union as an introduction at many concerts) and to the atmosphere associated with the month of December, the Decemberists write songs that range from upbeat pop to instrumentally lush ballads. They often employ instruments like the accordion, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer organ, and upright bass. In their lyrics, they eschew the angst and introspection common to modern rock, instead favoring a storytelling approach, as evidenced in songs such as "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist" from the 5 Songs EP and "The Mariner's Revenge Song" on Picaresque. Their songs convey tales ranging from whimsical ("Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect") to epic ("The Tain") to truly dark ("Odalisque"). They often invoke historical events and themes from around the world. Early in their career, The Decemberists' musical and lyrical aesthetics frequently prompted critics to compare them to Neutral Milk Hotel. Since their debut, their sound has undergone a consistent evolution, most notably in the direction of progressive rock with a strong folk influence, though they have also been described as indie rock and, by Stephen Colbert, as "hyper-literate prog rock." For example, one song, "When the War Came", uses a little-known story from the Siege of Leningrad to describe the heroism of civilian scientists during warfare. The lyrics state: "We made our oath to Vavilov / We'd not betray the solanum / The acres of asteraceae / To our own pangs of starvation". Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov was a Russian botanist whose laboratory, a seedbank containing 200,000 types of plant seeds, many of them edible, was preserved throughout the siege, during which hundreds of thousands of people died.
In March 2005, the Decemberists were reportedly the first band to distribute a music video via BitTorrent -- the self-produced "16 Military Wives" (from Picaresque). That same month, the band's equipment trailer was stolen; fans contributed to a replacement fund, and another fund-raiser was organized via an eBay auction, with buyers bidding for copies of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey and original art work by Carson Ellis. They also received help from Lee Kruger, The Shins, The Dandy Warhols and other musicians. The Martin Guitar Company offered six- and twelve-string guitars on permanent loan. In early April, police discovered the trailer in Clackamas, Oregon, and a fair amount of the band's merchandise, but the instruments and equipment were not recovered.
On 12 December 2005, Meloy revealed to Pitchfork Media that they had signed to Capitol Records, and planned to begin recording their major label debut with producers Tucker Martine and Chris Walla, of Death Cab for Cutie fame, in April 2006. The Decemberists' first album on Capitol, and their first major label debut, The Crane Wife, was released on 3 October 2006. The release was accompanied by an appearance the same day on the world-wide syndicated TV talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien when the track "O Valencia!" was performed. The Decemberists began their tour in support of The Crane Wife, with The Rout of the Patagons Tour, on 17 October 2006, at Portland, Oregon's Crystal Ballroom. Their opening act was Lavender Diamond. Later on in the tour, Alasdair Roberts opened for the band.
In July 2007 the Decemberists set out on a five-date tour with a full orchestral accompaniment. On 7 July, the tour put the group on the stage of the historic Hollywood Bowl for the first time in their career, and they were joined by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. On 15 July the group performed with The Mann Festival Orchestra at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They then played a free concert in Chicago, Ilinois, at the recently developed Millennium Park with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. In September 2007 they also played at Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
In October 2007, they began The Long and Short of It Tour. However, having completed the European portion of the tour and immediately after playing the Chicago dates, the rest of the tour was canceled due to illness.
On 24 March 2009, the band released The Hazards of Love, their fifth album. The album's first single, "The Rake's Song", was made available for free on the band's website. The album featured guest appearances from My Brightest Diamond, Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond, Robyn Hitchcock and Jim James. The album peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200.
On 11 January 2011, the band released their sixth album The King is Dead. The band released the first single "Down by the Water" for free on their website. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States and is the highest charting album in the band's career. The second single, "This Is Why We Fight" was released on January 25, 2011.
There is another band with the same name:
(2). The Decemberists formed in Liverpool in 1984 when Andy Ford and Tom Gent from Swim Naked hooked up with Colin Pennington, who had just left The Tunnel Users. They played their first show at The Cavern in 1985 and then played extensively in their home city. After recording demo tapes which attracted attention from BBC Radio 1's John Peel and Rough Trade Records, they secured a residency at University Of London Union (ULU). Their first release was James Is (Still The Same) on the Discreet Campaigns compilation cassette tape alongside New Order and Cocteau Twins. After the appearance of Gift Horse on the Ways To Wear Coats compilation LP in 1987, the band changed their name to Hellfire Sermons.
James Is (Still The Same) was included on The Sound Of Leamington Spa Volume 6 in 2009. They are listed as ‘The Decemberists Of Liverpool 1985-87’ on this album to make a distinction from the famous 21st century group of the same name.
The Sporting Life
The Decemberists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The work of an errant heel
The din of the crowd and the loud commotion
Went deafening silence and stopped emotion
The season was almost done
We managed it 12 to 1
So far I had known no humiliation
In front of my friends and close relations
There's my father looking on
And there's my girlfriend arm in arm
With the captain of the other team
And all of this is clear to me
They condescend and fix on me a frown
How they love the sporting life
And father had had such hopes
For a son who would take the ropes
And fulfill all his old athletic aspirations
But apparently now there's some complications
But while I am lying here
Trying to fight the tears
I'll prove to the crowd that I come out stronger
Though I think I might lie here a little longer
There's my coach he's looking down
The disappointment in his knitted brow
I should've known
He thinks again
I never should have put him in
He turns and loads the lemonade away
And breathes in deep
The sporting life
The sporting life
The sporting life
How he loves
There's my father looking on
And there's my girlfriend arm in arm
With the captain of the other team
And all of this is clear to me
They condescend and fix on me a frown
How they love the sporting life
"The Sporting Life" by The Decemberists is a poetic and melancholic reflection on the pressure and expectations involved in playing sports. The lyrics narrate the experience of a young athlete who falls during a game, to the disappointment of his coach, father, and even girlfriend who appears to be more interested in the captain of the opposing team. The song captures both the elation and humiliation of sports as well as the toxic masculinity and social hierarchies often present in athletic communities.
The first two stanzas describe the fall of the singer that brings the game to a halt, turning the excited clamor of the spectators into an oppressive and judgemental atmosphere. The athlete's sense of shame is intensified by the presence of his father and girlfriend, who seem to look down on him with disapproval. The third stanza shows the depth of the father's investment in his son's athletic success and the crippling disappointment he feels in his son's perceived failure. Finally, the last stanza portrays the coach's regret at putting the athlete in the game and his retreat into the manly comfort of refreshing his disappointment with lemonade.
Line by Line Meaning
I fell on the playing field
I stumbled and fell on the ground of the sports arena
The work of an errant heel
My downfall was caused by my own shoe that failed to keep me steady
The din of the crowd and the loud commotion
The noise of the spectators and the uproar of the game drowned everything else out
Went deafening silence and stopped emotion
Suddenly there was complete silence, and all my feelings were numbed, unable to process what was happening
The season was almost done
The sports season was almost over
We managed it 12 to 1
Our team was winning by a huge margin of twelve points to one
So far I had known no humiliation
Until this moment, I had never experienced embarrassment before
In front of my friends and close relations
All my loved ones who mattered to me were present to witness my fall
There's my father looking on
My dad is present at the field watching the game
And there's my girlfriend arm in arm
My girlfriend is holding hands with the captain of the opposing team
With the captain of the other team
My girlfriend is with the opposing team captain, probably congratulating him on his victory
And all of this is clear to me
I understand all the sneering and condescending looks I'm receiving
They condescend and fix on me a frown
My loved ones are upset with me and giving me disapproving glares
How they love the sporting life
They enjoy the excitement of sports and are probably disappointed in my lack of prowess
And father had had such hopes
My dad had high expectations for my performance in sports
For a son who would take the ropes
My dad hoped I would follow in his footsteps and excel in sports
And fulfill all his old athletic aspirations
My dad's unfulfilled desires regarding his own sports career rested on my shoulders
But apparently now there's some complications
I haven't been meeting my dad's expectations, causing complications within our relationship
But while I am lying here
As I am lying on the field
Trying to fight the tears
I'm trying hard to hold back my tears
I'll prove to the crowd that I come out stronger
I will demonstrate my resilience and come back even stronger from this setback
Though I think I might lie here a little longer
Even though I'm hurt, I feel like staying here for a while
There's my coach he's looking down
My coach is above me, looking down at me with disappointment
The disappointment in his knitted brow
My coach furrows his brow in disappointment at my performance
I should've known
I should have been aware of my shortcomings and not let my team down
He thinks again
My coach reconsiders his decision and realizes that putting me in the game was a mistake
I never should have put him in
He regrets putting me in the game
He turns and loads the lemonade away
My coach is getting ready to leave the field and puts away the lemonade container
And breathes in deep
He takes a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions
The sporting life
The intensity and thrill of sports
The sporting life
The exhilaration and excitement that comes with playing sports
The sporting life
The thrill and passion of being a part of the sports community
How he loves
My coach loves the sporting life and all that comes with it, including the ups and downs of athletic competition
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: COLIN MELOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kevinriel8631
I fell on the playing field
The work of an errant heel
The din of the crowd and the loud commotion
Went deafening silence and stopped emotion
The season was almost done
We managed it 12 to 1
So far I had known no humiliation
In front of my friends and close relations
There's my father looking on
And there's my girlfriend arm in arm
With the captain of the other team
And all of this is clear to me
They condescend and fix on me a frown
How they love the sporting life
And father had had such hopes
For a son who would take the ropes
And fulfill all his old athletic aspirations
But apparently now there's some complications
But while I am lying here
Trying to fight the tears
I'll prove to the crowd that I come out stronger
Though I think I might lie here a little longer
There's my coach he's looking down
The disappointment in his knitted brow
"I should've known"
He thinks again
"I never should have put him in"
He turns and loads the lemonade away
And breathes in deep
The sporting life
The sporting life
The sporting life
How he loves...
There's my father looking on
And there's my girlfriend arm in arm
With the captain of the other team
And all of this is clear to me
They condescend and fix on me a frown
How they love the sporting life
The sporting life
The sporting life
The sporting life
How they love
@jamiemasters7401
Sports Songs For People Who Don't Play Sports
@Arbiter099
It's this and Adam Sandler's song "The Lonesome Kicker"
@dubyah7308
"Worthless Comments By Idiots Who Capitalize Everything"
@Flagz69
@@dubyah7308 lol, you must be fun at parties, poor baby
@dubyah7308
@@Flagz69 damn bro you go me so good
did you think of that urself
ps man nice username 666 so cool man wow
@rcr257
@@dubyah7308 calm down
@hungrybois5954
Drums are addicting. Reminds me Lust for Life.
@Modusiticate
this song is so melancholy. in the sense that it's sad, but in a warm way.
@netforce0
Yeah I think the lead singer says he likes finding happiness in sadness
@davetye
That big major 7th chord when the keys come in is glorious.