The Fiery Furnaces signed with the Rough Trade Records music label in 2002, and recorded their debut album in the same year.
Gallowsbird's Bark, released in the autumn of 2003, garnered critical praise for its clever wordplay and original songwriting.
Anybody who thought they had the band pinned at that point was quickly proven wrong with the 2004 release Blueberry Boat, a rock-operatic album whose track lengths were often six minutes long or longer.
While some critics adored the album for its vast complexity, others found it all a little too overwhelming.
After releasing EP in 2005 (considered a full-length album because of its 41 minute play time, but is "officially" an EP) the band then released two further albums - Rehearsing My Choir (2005), a radio-dramaesque concept album about the Friedbergers' Greek grandmother; and Bitter Tea (2006), which is a comparably more conventional album built on still-bent song structures, but with more pop-oriented stylings.
In October 2007 the band released their fifth full-length album, Widow City.
Trivia
- Their name is both a reference to the film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)" and to the book of Daniel in the Bible.
- Matthew Friedberger has also released two solo albums simultaneously.
- Eleanor Friedberger is rumoured to be in a relationship with Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, because the song "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" from their second album is about her.
- Due to the garage blues elements of the band’s sound and the fact that the band members are siblings, The Fiery Furnaces was often compared by the press to The White Stripes (The White Stripes sometimes promote themselves as siblings, though they are not).
Official Website: www.thefieryfurnaces.com
Bow Wow
The Fiery Furnaces Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me and the seagulls we were looking for lumps
They all get scared when off of one of the bumps: jumps
I have to clutch
I have to tell him his commands all in Dutch
He likes to treat but he don't like to touch much
I forget to fix his card
Running through the yard, keenly.
High on the hills
They laid the sod thought they were full of the fills
Now when we're searching I swear all of the kills stills
Wrinkling his brow
He takes a sniff and drags me over there now
He looks all worried when he tells me a bow wow.
I forget to fix card
Down on Richmond Boulevard
Running through, keenly.
Shade by the sheds
I drink a coke he digs a hole and he heads,
Back where they came, where the trucks leave their treads, speds
Over the sift,
He goes all round it past the end of his shift;
I make him leave he lets me know he feels miffed, stiffed.
I forget to fix my card
Down on Richmond Boulevard
Stumbling through the yard, sleepy.
The Fiery Furnaces's song Bow Wow follows a loose narrative about a person who is out with their dog walking in a desolate area. The singer seems to be very distracted and their mind is all over the place. They are down in the dumps and quite disoriented while their dog is chasing seagulls. The singer tries to communicate with their dog but it's hard because the dog doesn't like being touched. They forget to fix their card and start running through the yard. The scene seems to change as they now find themselves high up on the hills where they can see the sod laid on the ground. As they continue their search, the singer's dog finally finds something and communicates to them with a bow wow. Eventually, the singer and their dog end up at a construction site.
The song's lyrics could be interpreted in numerous ways as the band is known for creating abstract and surreal lyrics. Some have speculated that the song could be a commentary about a person's deteriorating mental health, feeling lost and disoriented while trying to navigate through the world with their loyal companion. Others have suggested that it is about the art of communication and how language can be a barrier between humans and animals. Alternatively, the song could be seen as a reflection on the monotony of life and the comfort of routines, as the singer seems to have a routine of walking with their dog every day.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in the dumps
Feeling down and blue
Me and the seagulls we were looking for lumps
Searching for treasures with seagulls
They all get scared when off of one of the bumps: jumps
Seagulls get scared when something jumps out of a bump
I have to clutch
I have to hold on tight
I have to tell him his commands all in Dutch
I have to give him commands in Dutch
He likes to treat but he don't like to touch much
He likes treats but doesn't like physical contact
I forget to fix his card
Forgetting to fix his ID card
Down on Richmond Boulevard
On a particular street called Richmond Boulevard
Running through the yard, keenly.
Running through the yard with focus and intensity
High on the hills
On top of the hills, mountainous area
They laid the sod thought they were full of the fills
Laying grass and thinking they have everything they need
Now when we're searching I swear all of the kills stills
When searching, everything seems to be too quiet
Wrinkling his brow
Frowning with worry
He takes a sniff and drags me over there now
Taking a sniff and pulling me towards something
He looks all worried when he tells me a bow wow.
He looks worried when he barks
Shade by the sheds
In the shade of the sheds
I drink a coke he digs a hole and he heads,
I drink a coke and he digs a hole and leaves
Back where they came, where the trucks leave their treads, speds
Going back where they came from, where the trucks leave their tracks
Over the sift,
Over the silt
He goes all round it past the end of his shift;
He goes around it, even after his shift is over
I make him leave he lets me know he feels miffed, stiffed.
Making him leave and he expresses his frustration
Stumbling through the yard, sleepy.
Stumbling through the yard in a sleepy state
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Eleanor Friedberger, Matthew Friedberger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind