The Flaming Lips is an American neo-psychedelic band, formed in Oklahoma Ci… Read Full Bio ↴The Flaming Lips is an American neo-psychedelic band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States in 1983. Throughout their career, band members have come and gone, but currently The Flaming Lips consist of original members Wayne Coyne (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Michael Ivins (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), along with members Steven Drozd (drums, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), and Derek Brown (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals). Former members include Mark Coyne (lead vocals), Richard English (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), Nathan Roberts (drums), Jonathan Donahue (guitar, backing vocals), who went on to form Mercury Rev, Ronald Jones (guitar, backing vocals), and Kliph Scurlock (drums).

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.

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Assasination of the Sun
The Flaming Lips Lyrics

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As you walked away
A strand of hair came undone
And was reflected in the sun
And everything was orange

As you disappeared
The shadow of death came undone
And was reflected in the sun

And everything was orange

They have begun to celebrate
The tidal wave they think is great
The ever-beating heart that it wasn't

They have begun
They have begun
They have begun
To assassinate the sun

As you died in the night
A million stars formed into one
And became another sun
And everything was orange

And now this horrible machine
Churns out pain instead of love
And looks just like the sun
And everything was orange

They have begun
They have begun

They have begun
To assassinate the sun

Overall Meaning

The Flaming Lips's song "Assassination of the Sun" is a poignant and insightful reflection on the dark forces in our society that seek to destroy the things that give us life and light. The song starts with the image of the sun being reflected in a strand of hair, a symbol of the beauty and complexity of life. But as the song progresses, the shadow of death comes undone and is reflected in the sun, symbolizing the destructive forces that seek to unravel the fabric of life itself.

The lyrics continue with a powerful message about the need to resist these forces, as the chorus repeats the phrase "they have begun to assassinate the sun". The image of a tidal wave being celebrated as something great, even though it threatens to destroy everything in its path, is a clear commentary on the ways that our society often celebrates destruction and violence, rather than love and compassion. The "horrible machine" that churns out pain instead of love is a powerful metaphor for the modern world, and the ways that we have become disconnected from the natural rhythms of life.

The final verse of the song offers a glimmer of hope, as a million stars form into one and become another sun. This image suggests that no matter how much destruction and darkness we face in our lives, there is always the potential for transformation and renewal. Overall, the lyrics to "Assassination of the Sun" are a powerful commentary on the state of the world today, and the need to find ways to resist the forces that seek to destroy us.

Line by Line Meaning

As you walked away
As you left my sight

A strand of hair came undone
A piece of your hair fell out of place

And was reflected in the sun
The sun caught on your hair, making it brighter

And everything was orange
The world was brighter, more alive

As you disappeared
As you vanished completely

The shadow of death came undone
The fear of death left with you

And was reflected in the sun
The sun caught on your absence, making it brighter

And everything was orange
The world was brighter, more alive

They have begun to celebrate
They are excited, full of anticipation

The tidal wave they think is great
They see the impending disaster as something good

The ever-beating heart that it wasn't
They mistake the destructive force for something vital