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
Name Game
The Fiery Furnaces Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Red-white striped, I opened it - gag:
Mummy day Pizarro dressed in a Inca rag
Call on in to work quick
Tell 'em that I'm sea sick.
Uncle Ricky's schooner's docked at Pampano Beach:
Weigh anchor and me and him each
Need some extra sunblock, do it for 'em he can't reach.
Mummy, mummy, mummy.
Walking through the market, stop buy some rum and coke:
Plantains please, my mummy man spoke,
But you have to pay 'cos you know dude, I'm broke.
Sitting outside the sunset, are we in Cadiz yet?
Over to Majorca for few audience fit
Juan Carlos, his throne he go sit,
Throw the Mummy in the dungeon bottomless pit.
Appealing in The Hague say,
Mummy, mummy, mummy.
I was listening to Classic VH when I pulled an H. Singh
Drank myself to a stupor, ears started to ring
And I'll go to Finally Al's and type my brains away
Let's play Bacci and Horseshoes and Croquet
But no, not cricket 'cause I can't say their names
And I'll go to Finally Al's and type my brains away
Penguin, Moe, Sal, Chris
Penguin, Moe, Sal, Chrisssss
The lyrics to The Fiery Furnaces' Name Game are a surreal collection of seemingly disconnected images and events. It is unclear what exactly is happening or what the story is, but it seems to involve a person who is traveling and experiencing various strange and unusual situations. From finding a mummy dressed in Inca clothing in a bag to drinking rum and Coke in a market, the song's narrative is fragmented and disjointed.
Through its meandering verses, Name Game appears to be commenting on the randomness and unpredictability of life. The lyrics suggest that we can find unexpected treasures in unlikely places, but we can also encounter challenges and obstacles that we are not prepared for. There is a sense of disorientation and confusion in the song, as if the singer is adrift in a world that doesn't make sense. Despite this, there is also a sense of wonder and curiosity, as the singer is open to experiencing whatever comes their way.
Overall, the lyrics to Name Game are rich in imagery and metaphor, but they also resist easy interpretation. The song seems to be inviting listeners to embrace the randomness of life and to remain open to new experiences, even if they don't always make sense.
Line by Line Meaning
In the cracker barrel dumpster I found a bag:
I discovered a bag in the dumpster outside the restaurant Cracker Barrel
Red-white striped, I opened it - gag:
The bag was striped red and white, but opening it made me recoil in disgust
Mummy day Pizarro dressed in a Inca rag
Inside the bag, I found a mummified body dressed in Incan clothing that reminded me of the explorer Francisco Pizarro
Call on in to work quick
I need to call my workplace right away
Tell 'em that I'm sea sick.
I'll tell them that I'm feeling ill due to motion sickness
Uncle Ricky's schooner's docked at Pampano Beach:
My uncle's boat is currently anchored at Pampano Beach
Weigh anchor and me and him each
Let's hoist the anchor and set sail together
Need some extra sunblock, do it for 'em he can't reach.
My uncle needs some sunblock for hard-to-reach areas, so I'll help him apply it
San Juan by next Sunday
Our goal is to reach San Juan by the following Sunday
Mummy, mummy, mummy.
I can't stop thinking about the mummified body I found earlier
Walking through the market, stop buy some rum and coke:
As I walk through the market, I decide to pick up some rum and coke
Plantains please, my mummy man spoke,
My friend who is an expert in the culture of mummified bodies requests some plantains
But you have to pay 'cos you know dude, I'm broke.
Unfortunately, I can't afford to pay for the plantains since I'm currently low on funds
Sitting outside the sunset, are we in Cadiz yet?
As we sit outside watching the sunset, I wonder if we've already reached Cadiz
Over to Majorca for few audience fit
We head over to Majorca to perform for a few select spectators
Juan Carlos, his throne he go sit,
Juan Carlos takes his seat on his throne to watch our performance
Throw the Mummy in the dungeon bottomless pit.
As a part of our performance, we throw the mummified body into a dungeon pit
Appealing in The Hague say,
I imagine that the legality of our actions will be questioned in The Hague
Mummy, mummy, mummy.
The mummified body is still on my mind
I was listening to Classic VH when I pulled an H. Singh
While listening to Classic VH, I pulled a muscle or suffered from some sort of physical strain
Drank myself to a stupor, ears started to ring
I drank to excess and became disoriented, causing a high-pitched ringing in my ears
And I'll go to Finally Al's and type my brains away
I'll go to Finally Al's, a typing center, to work on some projects
Let's play Bacci and Horseshoes and Croquet
Let's play a combination of outdoor games like Bocce, Horseshoes, and Croquet
But no, not cricket 'cause I can't say their names
I decide not to play cricket because I'm unfamiliar with the names of the players
Penguin, Moe, Sal, Chris
I'm listing off the names of my friends, including Penguin, Moe, Sal, and Chris
Penguin, Moe, Sal, Chrisssss
I continue to list off my friends' names, adding an extra 's' to Chris's name for emphasis
Contributed by Aria R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
BUZZUBUZZU
used to listen this album all day...
William Walton
Yes. Love these 2, and South, but the whole is magic
roydagger
love it when the dirty guitar comes in
Hayden Courtney
When I listen to this song I sometimes feel like my whole life was a prelude to when the guitar kicks in
BUZZUBUZZU
please upload "rub-alchool blues"..
dramzv
This is so G 00:00 D