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
Chrome Plated Suicide
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And every day was Christmas
We could spend our lives in the drip
At the edge of the world
Cause love does things that you can't see
It's like telepathic surgery
And cuts and scrapes just like Iggy Pop thrown in a hole
If you take away my nerves
And leave just my words
Love would be the best thing in the world
You and me in a chrome reflection
We were born to suffer some
Please don't chase me from this jail
You know it looks so nice
If all my dreams were a microwave
And every day was summer
When I feel this way, you know
We should start our own religion
If you take away my nerves
And leave just my words
Love would be the best thing in the world
And if you take away my pain
Please don't leave my brain
Cause when I think it hurts just the same
The lyrics of Chrome Plated Suicide by The Flaming Lips paint a vivid picture of the singer's state of mind - a place where he sees the world as a surreal, dream-like place where love is the only thing that makes sense. The song begins with the singer contemplating a world where all his dreams come true - where every day is Christmas and he can spend his life at the edge of the world, basking in the glow of love. He uses vivid imagery to describe this world, likening his dreams to a tidal wave and a microwave.
As the song progresses, the singer begins to reflect on the power of love. He sees it as a force that can't be seen but can still cut and scrape like Iggy Pop thrown in a hole. He likens love to telepathic surgery, suggesting that it has a transformative power that defies explanation. The singer concludes that if his nerves were taken away and only his words remained, love would be the best thing in the world.
Throughout the song, the singer is accompanied by a melancholic melody that reinforces the dreamy, surreal tone of the lyrics. The song is a testament to the Flaming Lips' skill at crafting songs that evoke strong emotional responses in their listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
If all my dreams were a tidal wave
If everything I hope for comes at once
And every day was Christmas
If every day was filled with wonder and excitement
We could spend our lives in the drip
We could enjoy the moment, even at the very edge of the world
At the edge of the world
In a place where few dare to venture
Cause love does things that you can't see
Love is a mysterious force that can change people in subtle ways
It's like telepathic surgery
Love can affect us deeply, like a psychic operation
And cuts and scrapes just like Iggy Pop thrown in a hole
Love can be painful, like being thrown into a pit
If you take away my nerves
If you remove my anxiety
And leave just my words
If you just listen to what I have to say
Love would be the best thing in the world
Love is amazing, if only we could experience it without fear
You and me in a chrome reflection
Together, we only see each other in a distorted way
We were born to suffer some
Life is filled with hardships and unfairness
Please don't chase me from this jail
Please don't push me away from this love, even if it feels like a trap
You know it looks so nice
Even though it might not be perfect, it still feels good
If all my dreams were a microwave
If all my hopes were easily fulfilled
And every day was summer
If every day was filled with warmth and brightness
When I feel this way, you know
When I feel happy and content
We should start our own religion
Life can be beautiful enough to worship, if only we believe
If you take away my nerves
If you remove my anxiety
And leave just my words
If you just listen to what I have to say
Love would be the best thing in the world
Love is amazing, if only we could experience it without fear
And if you take away my pain
If you remove my suffering
Please don't leave my brain
Please don't abandon me, even if the pain is gone
Cause when I think it hurts just the same
Thinking too much can be painful, even if the physical suffering is gone
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MICHAEL IVINS, RICHARD ENGLISH, WAYNE COYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind