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
Gale Blow
The Fiery Furnaces Lyrics
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Gale, gale blow
My umbrella can't take it you know
Been caught in a hail storm
But nothing, no nothing
Can beat this gale blow
The Fiery Furnaces's song "Gale Blow" is a powerful statement about the uncontrollable forces of nature. The song starts with the repetition of the chorus "Gale, gale blow," which sets the tone for the rest of the song as a warning or plea to the wind to stop its destructive path. The second line of the chorus, "My umbrella can't take it you know," paints a picture of a person trying to shield themselves from the storm, but failing miserably. The use of the personal pronoun "my" brings the listener into the story, making it relatable and evoking empathy.
The first verse uses imagery of various weather conditions, such as hail storms, blizzards, and tornadoes, to emphasize the sheer power of the gale. The repetition of "nothing, no nothing" in the chorus further emphasizes that there is no defense or escape from the gale's wrath. The song's title draws attention to the wind's ferocity, which is described in the lyrics as a "gale blow." The song could be interpreted in a broader sense, as a warning against the destructiveness of any uncontrollable force, whether it be natural or human-made.
Line by Line Meaning
Gale, gale blow
The wind is blowing fiercely
Gale, gale blow
The wind continues to blow fiercely
My umbrella can't take it you know
My umbrella is not strong enough to withstand the force of the wind
Been caught in a hail storm
I have experienced a storm with hail falling from the sky
A blizzard, tornado's nose
I have been through a blizzard and a tornado
But nothing, no nothing
Despite all of these experiences
Can beat this gale blow
This current wind is the strongest I have ever encountered
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER, MATTHEW FRIEDBERGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind