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
Fight Test
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I thought I was smart, I thought I was right
I thought it better not to fight, I thought there was a
Virtue in always being cool, so when it came time to
Fight I thought I'll just step aside and that the time would
Prove you wrong and that you would be the fool
I don't know where the sun beams end and the star
Oh to fight is to defend if it's not
Now than tell me when would be the time that you would stand up
And be a man, for to lose I could accept but to surrender
I just wept and regretted this moment, oh that I, I
Was the fool
I don't know where the sun beams end and the star
Lights begins it's all a mystery
And I don't know how a man decides what right for his
Own life, it's all a mystery
Cause I'm a man not a boy and there are things
You can't avoid you have to face them when you're not prepared
To face them,
If I could I would but you're with him now it'd do no good
I should have fought him but instead I let him, I let
Him take it
I don't know where the sun beams end and the star
Lights begins it's all a mystery
And I don't know how a man decides what right for his
Own life, it's all a mystery
The test is over, now
The Flaming Lips's "Fight Test" is a contemplative song that touches on themes of masculinity, vulnerability, and regret. It starts with a spoken word sample from the 1985 film "The Breakfast Club," where one of the characters says, "The test begins now." This sets up the song's introspective tone, as the lyrics go on to express the singer's doubts and insecurities about his decision not to fight.
The opening line, "I thought I was smart, I thought I was right," sets the stage for the singer's internal struggle. He believed that avoiding conflict was the better choice, but in hindsight, he regrets not standing up for himself. This is reflected in the lines, "For to lose I could accept but to surrender I just wept and regretted this moment."
The chorus adds to the song's sense of mystery and uncertainty: "I don't know where the sun beams end and the star/Lights begins it's all a mystery." This imagery creates a sense of disorientation and confusion, reinforcing the singer's feelings of doubt and anxiety.
Overall, "Fight Test" is a poignant exploration of the complexities of masculinity and the consequences of not standing up for oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
The test begins, now
The singer emphasizes the start of a significant trial.
I thought I was smart, I thought I was right
The singer reflects on their overconfidence in their intelligence and rightness.
I thought it better not to fight, I thought there was a Virtue in always being cool
The singer thought it was more virtuous to avoid fighting and remain calm.
so when it came time to Fight I thought I'll just step aside and that the time would Prove you wrong and that you would be the fool
The artist chose not to fight and believed that time would reveal the other person's foolishness.
I don't know where the sun beams end and the star Lights begins it's all a mystery
The artist reflects on the vastness of the universe and the uncertainty of their place in it.
Oh to fight is to defend if it's not Now than tell me when would be the time that you would stand up And be a man, for to lose I could accept but to surrender I just wept and regretted this moment, oh that I, I Was the fool
The singer realizes that fighting is sometimes necessary and laments that they chose not to defend themselves, feeling regret and foolishness.
Cause I'm a man not a boy and there are things You can't avoid you have to face them when you're not prepared To face them, If I could I would but you're with him now it'd do no good I should have fought him but instead I let him, I let Him take it
The singer acknowledges that as an adult, they cannot always avoid difficult situations and should have fought for what they wanted in the past but failed to do so.
The test is over, now
The artist declares the end of the trial and reflects on what they have learned.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WAYNE COYNE, STEVEN DROZD, DAVE FRIDMANN, YUSUF ISLAM, MICHAEL IVINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@julien3949
The test begins now
I thought I was smart
I thought I was right
I thought it better not to fight
I thought there was a virtue
In always being cool
So it came time to fight
I thought I'll just step aside
And that the time would prove you wrong
And that you would be the fool
I don't know where the sunbeams end
And that the starlights begin
It's all a mystery
Oh, to fight is to defend
If it's not now then tell me when would be the time
That you would stand up and be a man
For to lose I could accept
But to surrender I just wept
And regretted this moment
Oh that I
I was the fool
I don't know where the sunbeams end
And that the starlights begin
It's all a mystery
And I don't know how a man decides
What's right for his own life
It's all a mystery
Cause I'm a man, not a boy
And there are things you can't avoid
You have to face them
When you're not prepared to face them
If I could, I would
But you're with him, I'd do no good
I should have fought him
But instead I let him
I let him take you
I don't know where the sunbeams end
And that the starlights begin
It's all a mystery
And I don't know how a man decides
What's right for his own life
It's all a mystery
I don't know where the sunbeams end
And that the starlights begin
It's all a mystery
'Cause I don't know how a man decides
What's right for his own life
It's all a mystery
And I don't know where the sunbeams end
And that the starlights begin
It's all a mystery
Mystery
The test is over now
@DesignerDeveloper
Fight Test
Lyrics
Main Results
The test begins now
I thought I was smart
I thought I was right
I thought it better not to fight
I thought there was a virtue in always being cool
So it came time to fight
I thought I'll just step aside
And that the time would prove you wrong
And that you would be the fool
I don't know where the sunbeams end
And the starlights begin
It's all a mystery
Oh, to fight is to defend
If it's not now, then tell me when would be the time
That you would stand up and be a man
For to lose, I could accept
But to surrender I just wept and regretted this moment
Oh that I, I was the fool
I don't know where the sunbeams end
And the starlights begin
It's all a mystery
And I don't know how a man decides
What's right for his own life
It's all a mystery
'Cause I'm a man, not a boy
And there are things you can't avoid, you have to face them
When you're not prepared to face them
If I could, I would
But you're with him now, I'd do no good
I should have fought him, but instead I let him
I let him take you
I don't know where the sunbeams end
And the starlights begin
It's all a mystery
And I don't know how a man decides
What's right for his own life
It's all a mystery
I don't know where the sunbeams end
And the starlights begin
It's all a mystery
'Cause I don't know how a man decides
What's right for his own life
It's all a mystery
And I don't know where the sunbeams end
And the starlights begin
It's all a mystery (but instead I wanna take it)
Mystery
The test is over now
@pukeyourguts
Lyrics:
It's not time to make a change
Just relax, take it easy
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to know
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy
I was once like you are now, and I know that it's not easy,
To be calm when you've found something going on
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything you've got
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not
How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again
It's always been the same, same old story
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go
It's not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to go through
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it
If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them you know not me
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go
@sidneymoraiscastro4130
"Yoshimi..." é um dos discos mais importantes da minha vida. Marcou demais minha adolescência e início da minha jornada adulta; e tudo começou com essa música.
@tYNS
This entire concept of this album still rings loud to this day. Timeless music. I always thought this song was a tribute to Cat Stevens. It always seemed like a response to Father and Son, as though it were the Son singing back to the father. I thought it was purposely done like this.. I could be wrong. Great music. Great Band.
@dariushsaghafi1570
Actually, your ears are picking up the same similarities which a battle of plagiarism against EMI records (representing FLAMING LIPS) was levied by SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING (representing Cat Stevens). Apparently, there was a quick and relatively uncontested settlement that occurred where CAT STEVENS now gets 75% of royalties for this song because of its distinct thematic parallels to FATHER AND SON. Here is Wayne Coyne's (front man for Flaming Lips) response/apology for the lawsuit:
"I want to go on record for the first time and say that I really apologize for the whole thing. I really love Cat Stevens. I truly respect him as a great singer-songwriter. And now he wants his money. There was a time during the recording when we said, this has a similarity to 'Father and Son'. Then we purposefully changed those bits. But I do regret not contacting his record company and asking their opinion. Maybe we could have gone 50–50. As it is, Cat Stevens is now getting 75 per cent of royalties from 'Fight Test', We could easily have changed the melody but we didn't. I am really sorry that Cat Stevens thinks I'm purposefully plagiarising his work. I am ashamed. There is obviously a fine line between being inspired and stealing. But if anyone wanted to borrow part of a Flaming Lips song, I don't think I'd bother pursuing it. I've got better things to do. Anyway, Cat Stevens is never going to make much money out of us." Reported by the Guardian April 26, 2011.
@stephenwalker850
Melodically it’s similar , lyrically this song is superior by ah fckn country mile , no fckn contest
@MD-ge4dt
legit thought the same thing bro, like the son getting his song out following his fathers melody
@GeorgeS1958
You are a genius. thank you!
@jameshodgkins559
This is its own song , powerful as fcuk 😍
@birsay123
Those bass synths are juicier than a piece of bubblicious. ❤️
@gawdspeed
some of the sexiest base lines ive ever heard. especially when they throw a bunch of reverb on that one single note haha!
@joeluns74
The lips are juiciful