The Flaming Lips are known for their lush, multi-layered arrangements, spacey lyrics and bizarre song titles. They are also acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which typically feature animal suits, puppets, streamers, video projections and complex stage light configurations.
In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die". In 2006, Oklahoma City named a street Flaming Lips Alley in their honor.
The group recorded several albums and EPs for Restless Records in the 1980s and early 1990s. After signing to Warner Brothers, they scored a #9 hit on the Billboard Alternative charts (and #55 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart) in 1994 with "She Don't Use Jelly". Although it would be their only hit single, the band has maintained critical respect and, to a lesser extent, commercial viability with sonically majestic albums such as 1995's Clouds Taste Metallic, 1999's The Soft Bulletin, 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and 2006's At War with the Mystics. The Flaming Lips' 12th studio album, Embryonic, was released in October of 2009. A complete cover of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon was released in May 2010. The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends, their collaborative album which features artists like Ke$ha, Bon Iver, Nick Cave and Erykah Badu, was released on Record Store Day, April 2012.
Their next studio album, tentatively titled The Terror, will be released in January 2013.
Their song "Do You Realize??" is the official State Rock Song of Oklahoma.
www.flaminglips.com
A Change at Christmas
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, it's strange how time marches on
Maybe there'll be some time in the future
Oh, tell me I'm not wrong
Oh, if I could stop time
It would be a frozen moment just around Christmas
When all of mankind reveals its truest potential
Yes, there is sympathy for those who are suffering
And the world embraces peace and love and mercy
Instead of power and fear
And as sure as I'm standing here
I swear it really does appear that a change comes over us
Yes, some kind of change comes over us
And it's glimpsed for one shining moment
And this change feels like a change that's real
But then it passes along with the season
And then we just go back to the way we were
Yes, we just go back to the way we were
Say it isn't so
Tell me I'm not just a dreamer
I'm talking with a friend and he knows how it ends
He says it's easier, that's just the way we are
That's human nature and that's just the way we are
Oh, say it isn't so!
The Flaming Lips's song A Change at Christmas is a song that prompts us to reflect on the possibility of a world that embraces peace, love, and mercy instead of power and fear. The song is reflective, poignant and hopeful, as it urges us to embrace the season of Christmas where mankind usually reveals its truest potential to practice sympathy for the suffering. The lyrics suggest that it's possible for humankind to change for good but unfortunately, it's fleeting and passes along with the season.
The lyrics are particularly meaningful because they articulate the paradox of the holiday season, where people treat each other with kindness and respect, and then as soon as the season ends, it's back to business as usual. The song conveys a sense of melancholy that this doesn't last longer and that this change doesn't carry over into the rest of the year.
In the end, the song confronts the listener's fear that maybe, there is no point in trying to change the world or imagining a more perfect future. It challenges us to reject that perspective by asking us to say it isn't so and to resist the temptation to accept the status quo. The song becomes a beacon of hope by reminding us that we can strive to be the best versions of ourselves, however difficult that may be.
Line by Line Meaning
I know everything changes
I am aware that life is constantly changing and evolving
Yeah, it's strange how time marches on
The passing of time can seem strange and difficult to comprehend
Maybe there'll be some time in the future
There may be a time in the future where things will be different
Oh, tell me I'm not wrong
I hope that my desire for change is not misguided
Oh, if I could stop time
If only I could freeze the moment and make it last forever
It would be a frozen moment just around Christmas
The ideal moment to freeze in time would be the Christmas season
When all of mankind reveals its truest potential
During this time, people are at their best and show their capacity for empathy and kindness
And there is sympathy for the suffering
People feel compassion for those who are struggling
Yes, there is sympathy for those who are suffering
This compassion is real and tangible
And the world embraces peace and love and mercy
During this time, the world is united in a spirit of peace, love, and compassion
Instead of power and fear
These positive emotions replace the negative ones of fear and aggression
And as sure as I'm standing here
I believe this change is possible and real
I swear it really does appear that a change comes over us
During this time, people seem to be transformed by the holiday spirit
Yes, some kind of change comes over us
This transformation is real and felt by many
And it's glimpsed for one shining moment
This change is fleeting and temporary
And this change feels like a change that's real
Despite its temporary nature, the change feels genuine
But then it passes along with the season
Unfortunately, this transformation fades away as the holiday season ends
And then we just go back to the way we were
People return to their old ways and habits
Yes, we just go back to the way we were
This change is not permanent and people revert to their previous behaviors
Say it isn't so
I hope that this description of the holiday spirit is not just wishful thinking
Tell me I'm not just a dreamer
I hope that my desire for this kind of change is not unrealistic
I'm talking with a friend and he knows how it ends
My friend is skeptical and thinks that this kind of change is unlikely or impossible
He says it's easier, that's just the way we are
It is easier to maintain our old habits and patterns than to try to change
That's human nature and that's just the way we are
Our tendency to return to old habits is a part of our human nature
Oh, say it isn't so!
Despite my friend's skepticism, I hope that change is still possible
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WAYNE COYNE, STEVEN DROZD, MICHAEL IVINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sam Moyers
Oh man, it's so refreshing to hear Wayne's lower register. This is great.
ROBOTWORKMAN
I love how Wayne has to keep pulling the confetti out of his mouth to sing! Merry Christmas!
Blue
I ended up here so randomly and yet I'm so glad I did, this song is amazing.
R C
A special thank you to The Flaming Lips for this song and every song before this.
I hope you and yours have a safe and Happy/Merry Christmas, Yule, Saturnalia, Boxing day, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Hogmanay, Lunar New Year, and Holiday.
“Business!” cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!” ~ A Christmas Carol
Javier Eduardo Castro Pineda
This and the original tune are pure magic
Qmanklozmo
original is prolly my fav christmas song of all time..yes its true...
Topix Schmopix
V soothing
Marco __
Fortunately child resembles his father just in the tip of the nose 😀☺☺
Thanks FL, peace to you all and your beloved ones. Peace to everybody, now and next month as well. ❤
Xavier Ocelotentlapalli
Me alegra el corazón, al escuchar esta melodía. Después de este año tan inusual; resulta reconfortante escuchar a los flaming lips y su espíritu navideño.
Infinitas gracias por este grandioso material. 👌🏽
Visisyd and the Void
I absolutely love this song and am happy there's a video for it now