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
Staring at Sound / With You
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Oh, it's a beautiful day."
Let's just not talk about the gloom.
Let's all go die in my living-room.
I want to be a movie-star,
And play the part of a man from outer-space.
When we meet, I'll fall in love with you.
And we have sex, but I don't know what to do (what to do).
A song that sounds just like you look.
And when they play, I'll follow them around,
Cause all I'd do is stare at the sound.
I'd just stare at the sound.
I'd just stare at the sound.
I'd just go.
Come on.
Hey.
What?
All that I know
is my mind is blown.
When I'm with you.
When I'm with you.
When I'm with you.
When I'm with you.
When I'm with you.
When I'm with you.
When I'm
with you.
The lyrics to The Flaming Lips's song Staring at Sound / With You are a mix of surrealism, romanticism, and nihilism. The first verse is a sarcastic comment on people who focus only on the positives in life and ignore the darker aspects. The singer then goes on to express his desire to be a movie star and play a character from outer space. This can be interpreted as a reflection of the singer's desire to escape reality and live in a world of fantasy.
The second part of the song is about the power of music to evoke emotions and how the singer is so captivated by a song that sounds like the person he is with that he wants to follow the band around and just "stare at the sound". This can be seen as a metaphor for the intensity of the singer's feelings towards the person he is with, and his desire to just immerse himself in that feeling.
The repeated phrase "When I'm with you" reinforces the importance of this person in the singer's life and the strong emotions they elicit. The ending of the song with the words "All that I know is my mind is blown" further emphasizes the overwhelming effect this person has on the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
I just don't want them to say,
I want to avoid clichés, and focus on what's real.
"Oh, it's a beautiful day."
I don't want to hear empty compliments about the weather.
Let's just not talk about the gloom.
Let's acknowledge the bad things, but not dwell on them.
Let's all go die in my living-room.
Let's forget about society's expectations and responsibilities, and just be together.
I want to be a movie-star,
I want to escape reality and be someone else for a change.
And play the part of a man from outer-space.
I want to embody the otherworldly, the unknown, and the fantastical.
When we meet, I'll fall in love with you.
I am open to the possibility of love with you.
And we have sex, but I don't know what to do (what to do).
I am inexperienced and uncertain about how to navigate intimacy.
I want to hear some band play,
I want to experience music that resonates with me on a personal level.
A song that sounds just like you look.
I want the music to reflect the essence of your presence.
And when they play, I'll follow them around,
I will pursue the source of the music that moves me.
Cause all I'd do is stare at the sound.
I am so captured by the music that I become entranced and unable to move.
I'd just stare at the sound.
The music is so powerful that it becomes a physical presence to me.
I'd just go.
I am not tied down by societal norms or obligations, and am free to pursue my passions.
Come on.
I am urging others to join me on this journey of exploration and self-discovery.
Hey.
I am exuberant and alive, seizing the moment and enjoying the ride.
What?
I am questioning, challenging the status quo and daring to be different.
All that I know
Despite all the uncertainty and confusion, there is one constant in my life.
is my mind is blown.
The power of music and love overwhelms my senses and leaves me in a state of awe.
When I'm with you.
When I am in your presence, everything else fades away and I am consumed by the moment.
When I'm with you.
Our connection is so strong that it becomes a defining part of my existence.
When I'm with you.
In your company, I feel a sense of belonging and meaning that I cannot find elsewhere.
When I'm with you.
You are my anchor, my source of comfort and strength in a world of chaos.
When I'm with you.
You are my inspiration, my driving force, my reason for living.
When I'm with you.
You are the music, the magic, the essence of my being.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FLAMING LIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Damon Cook
thank you so much for posting this! what a great song!
Race Baker
If you want some pre-Lips Oklafreako music, check out Debris'
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/static-disposal/id291333620