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
Big Ol
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
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The lyrics of The Flaming Lips's song The Big Ol' Bug Is the New Baby Now are open to interpretation, but in general, they can be seen as a commentary on the fragility of life and the cyclical nature of existence. The idea that a bug, typically seen as something unimportant and disposable, can become the new "baby" suggests a sense of rebirth or renewal. It could also imply a more sinister message about the devaluation of human life in society.
Additionally, the repetition of the phrase "the big ol' bug is the new baby now" emphasizes its importance and makes it almost mantra-like. This creates a sense of unease that is typical of many of The Flaming Lips's songs. The use of an insect as a symbol is also consistent with their interest in surreal imagery and subverting commonly accepted ideas.
Overall, the lyrics of The Big Ol' Bug Is the New Baby Now are enigmatic and leave much up to interpretation. However, they effectively create a sense of unease and suggest deeper meanings about the nature of life and the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
The big ol' bug is the new baby now
A metaphorical comparison between the transformation of a bug to a butterfly and the process of birth of a baby, indicating the change in status and significance of the bug.
Little wings and legs that flail about
Describing the physical characteristics of the newly transformed butterfly, with its small wings and legs that move rapidly and randomly.
It used to crawl now it flies about
Highlighting the drastic change in the bug's mobility and freedom of movement, now that it has wings and can fly instead of crawling on the ground.
The big ol' bug is the new baby now
Repeating the main metaphor to reinforce its meaning and significance.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL IVINS, STEVEN DROZD, WAYNE COYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind