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
Michael Time to Wake Up
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sleepy Head
It's time to wake up
You have slept too long
In the darkness of night,
And now it is time to awake
And see your girlfriend
What a fright
The song "Michael, Time to Wake Up" by The Flaming Lips is a gentle nudge towards someone they care about who is asleep, both literally and figuratively. The first line of the song, "Michael, it is time to wake up," seems to suggest that the person being addressed is named Michael who needs to wake up. However, the use of "Sleepy Head" in the same line suggests that it might be an endearing term for someone who is just sleepy and needs to be awakened, as opposed to someone who is literally sleeping.
The second line, "It's time to wake up," reinforces the idea that the person being addressed has been asleep for too long and now needs to wake up. The following line, "You have slept too long," further emphasizes the idea of someone being dormant for an extended period. The line "in the darkness of night, and now it is time to awake" implies that the person has been in some kind of trouble, difficulty or dilemma and now the time has come to get up and face it.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics take a bit of a playful turn with "And see your girlfriend, what a fright." It's unclear what exactly the line means, but it sounds like it could be a teasing jab at Michael's girlfriend, who might be annoyed that he's been asleep for so long. Overall, the song seems to be a message of support and encouragement directed towards someone who needs to wake up, both literally and figuratively, and face whatever challenges they need to face.
Line by Line Meaning
Michael, it is time to wake up
Attention Michael, it is now the appropriate time for you to awaken
Sleepy Head
You are still seemingly in a drowsy state
It's time to wake up
The present moment necessitates you rouse from slumber
You have slept too long
You have exceeded a reasonable duration of rest
In the darkness of night,
During the nighttime, when the sun has set and it's dimly lit
And now it is time to awake
At this very moment, you must awaken and be active
And see your girlfriend
Also, you should meet with your female companion...
What a fright
... though unfortunately, there may be something alarming about the situation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL IVINS, RICHARD ENGLISH, WAYNE COYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind