The Flaming Lips is an American neo-psychedelic band, formed in Oklahoma Ci… Read Full Bio ↴The Flaming Lips is an American neo-psychedelic band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States in 1983. Throughout their career, band members have come and gone, but currently The Flaming Lips consist of original members Wayne Coyne (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Michael Ivins (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), along with members Steven Drozd (drums, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), and Derek Brown (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals). Former members include Mark Coyne (lead vocals), Richard English (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), Nathan Roberts (drums), Jonathan Donahue (guitar, backing vocals), who went on to form Mercury Rev, Ronald Jones (guitar, backing vocals), and Kliph Scurlock (drums).

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

Summertime Blues
The Flaming Lips Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm gonna raise a fuss
I'm gonna raise a holler
About workin' all summer
Just-a trying to earn a dollar
Every time I call my baby
And ask her to date
My boss says "Uh duh son you gotta work late"
Sometimes I wonder

What I'ma gonna do
But there ain't no cure
For the summertime blues

Well my mama papa told me
"Son, you gotta make some money"
If you want to use the car
To go ridin' next Sunday
Well, I didn't go to work
So my pa said I was sick
"You can't use the car
Cause you didn't work a lick"
Sometimes I wonder what I'ma gonna do
But there ain't no cure for the summertime blues

I'm going to take your wish
Gonna have a fine vacation
I'm gonna take my problem
Through the United Nations
Well I called my congressman
And he said to woe
"I'd like to help you son
But you're too young to vote"
Sometimes I wonder what I'ma gonna do

But there ain't no cure
For the summertime blues

Overall Meaning

The Flaming Lips's song Summertime Blues is a cover of Eddie Cochran's classic hit from 1958. It's a song about a young man who is frustrated with spending his summer working instead of enjoying leisure time with his loved ones. The lyrics depict his struggles with his boss, his parents, and even his government in trying to gain some freedom from the demands of his work. The singer of the song feels trapped and helpless, with no solution in sight, and is resigned to suffer through the summer without any relief.

The first verse sets the tone for the song, with the singer expressing his anger and frustration about having to work all summer. He wants to spend time with his girlfriend but is always turned down because of work. The second verse introduces the element of parental pressure, with the singer being told that he needs to earn money to pay for the car if he wants to use it. The third verse is more political in nature, with the singer seeking help from his congressman only to be denied because of his age.

Overall, Summertime Blues is a classic song that resonates with people who have experienced the frustration of working all summer instead of enjoying the season. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, but they capture the emotions of the singer perfectly, and the catchy melody and the upbeat tempo of the song make it a timeless classic.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm gonna raise a fuss
I am going to make a lot of noise

I'm gonna raise a holler
I am going to make a lot of noise

About workin' all summer
I am going to complain about working all summer

Just-a trying to earn a dollar
I am trying to earn money

Every time I call my baby
Whenever I call my girlfriend

And ask her to date
And ask her out

My boss says "Uh duh son you gotta work late"
My boss tells me that I have to work late

Sometimes I wonder
Sometimes I think

What I'ma gonna do
What I am going to do

But there ain't no cure
But there is no solution

For the summertime blues
For feeling tired and overworked in the summer