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
In the Morning of the Magicians
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I couldn't remember
What is love and what is hate
The calculations error
Oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate
And why does it matter
Is to love just a waste?
How can it matter?
As the dawn began to break
I had to surrender
The universe will have it's way
Too powerful to master
Oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate
And why does it matter
Is to love just a waste?
How can it matter?
The Flaming Lips's song "In the Morning of the Magicians" is a contemplative tune that questions the nature of love and hate, and their purpose in the universe. The first verse begins with the singer waking up, but not being able to distinguish between love and hate. The line "calculations error" suggests that the singer is trying to logically sort out their emotions, but is unable to find a clear answer. This confusion is followed by a repetition of the question "what is love and what is hate," indicating that this is a central theme of the song. The second verse adds to this by questioning the importance of love, and whether it is worth pursuing at all.
The chorus of the song suggests that the singer has come to accept that love and hate are not easily defined, and that both are a part of the universe's natural order. The line "the universe will have its way" implies a sense of surrender to fate or destiny, and the realization that some things are too powerful to control. The repetition of the question "why does it matter" highlights the idea that, in the grand scheme of things, love and hate may not be as significant as we often believe them to be.
Overall, "In the Morning of the Magicians" is a philosophical reflection on the nature of love and human emotion, and their place in the universe. It suggests that while we may struggle to define or understand these concepts, they are an integral part of the natural world and must be accepted as such.
Some interesting facts about the song include:
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
In the morning I'd awake
As I rise from slumber
And I couldn't remember
I forget everything
What is love and what is hate
What distinguishes affection and animosity
The calculations error
The estimations are flawed
Oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate
What distinguishes warmth and anger
And why does it matter
And why should it be important
Is to love just a waste?
Is affection futile?
How can it matter?
How can it be significant?
As the dawn began to break
During sunrise
I had to surrender
I had to give up
The universe will have it's way
The cosmos will decide
Too powerful to master
Too dominating to control
Oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate
What distinguishes fondness and spite
And why does it matter
And why is it important
Is to love just a waste?
Is affection a squander?
How can it matter?
How can it be relevant?
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEVEN DROZD, WAYNE COYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Isabel
In the morning I'd awake
And I couldn't remember
What is love and what is hate
The calculations error
Oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate
And why does it matter
Is to love just a waste?
How can it matter?
As the dawn began to break
I had to surrender
The universe will have it's way
Too powerful to master
Oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate
And why does it matter
Is to love just a waste?
How can it matter?
Here you guys go. Love you all.
Alfonso Cabrera
In the morning I'd awake
And I couldn't remember
What is love and what is hate
The calculations error
Oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate
And why does it matter
Is to love just a waste?
How can it matter?
As the dawn began to break
I had to surrender
The universe will have it's way
Too powerful to master
Oh-oh-oh-what is love and what is hate
And why does it matter
Is to love just a waste?
How can it matter?
17Helton
Very, very, underrated song on one of the greatest albums ever!
Ian Woods
Always felt the same
Imo, really, it's their only album😥
17Helton
@Ian Woods I was managing a music store in 2003 and I let the employees select the CD to put in while we worked. I was in the office where it was quiet and I heard Yoshimi for the first time and I came flying out of the back and said "What the hell is this?"
Brian said "You don't like it huh?"
I said "I think it is incredible."
Brian went to a concert over the weekend to see another band that the "Lips" opened for. He liked them more and said they are odd but intriguing.
I like odd. I bought the CD/DVD Limited version at the end of the day and I was surprised that a band could still put out an album so good top to bottom. This is my favorite song by them.
Harold E Whitmore
Without a doubt!
Harold E Whitmore
This was back when you bought the cd the day it came out and hung out with your buddies listening in amazement!
Harold E Whitmore
@Ian Woods
Soft Bulletin, Clouds Taste Metallic, Transmissions... Many great albums.
Ollie1565
My father used to play this all the time when i was a kid, we both loved it. Now im 21 and i still play it once in a while. Everytime i listen to this song i feel like a kid again
Samg381
Similar story here.. first CD I ever listened to, introduced to my by my father.
plnb
@Samg381 Mhm my parents would always play it to us in the car
Ricardo Cosson
sounds like a cool dad