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
The Sound of Failure / It's Dark... Is It Always This Dark??
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the inside out
Sound of failure calls her name
She's decided to hear it out
So go tell Britney
And go tell Gwen
She's not trying to go
Cause she's too scared, and she
She can't pretend
To understand where it begins or ends
Or what it means to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let them go on, let them go on
Standing there in the graveyard
While the moon sprays its fireworks in your hair
The sound of failure calls her name
She's decided to hear it out
So go tell Britney
And go tell Gwen
She's not trying to go
Against all them
Cause she's too scared, and she
She can't pretend
To understand where it begins or ends
Or what it means to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let them go on, let them go on
Where it begins or ends
What it means to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let them go on, let them go on
Where it begins or ends
Or what it means to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let them go on, let them go on
She doesn't know where it will take her
And she's going into the unknown
The lyrics of "The Sound of Failure / It's Dark... Is It Always This Dark??" by The Flaming Lips depict a woman who has decided to start living life on her own terms. She has begun to listen to the "sound of failure" which is calling her name. It's unclear whether this sound is a metaphor for her own self-doubt and fears, or if it's an actual sound that she's hearing. Nonetheless, she has chosen to face it head-on rather than running away from it. She's not trying to go against Britney or Gwen or anyone else; it's just that she's too scared to pretend to understand where things begin and end or what "it means to be dead." These lines suggest that she's grappling with some existential questions and is looking for answers.
The second half of the song takes place in a graveyard at night, with the moon spraying "fireworks" in her hair. The sound of failure continues to call her name, but she has made the decision to embrace it and see where it takes her. The repetition of the line "let them go on, let them go on" implies that she's urging herself to let go of her fears and doubts and allow herself to move forward into the unknown.
Overall, the lyrics of this song seem to be about facing one's fears and doubts and making the choice to live life on one's own terms, even if it means stepping away from what others expect or want.
Line by Line Meaning
She is starting to live her life
She's finally beginning to embrace her existence
From the inside out
Starting with her innermost desires and beliefs
Sound of failure calls her name
The fear of failure looms over her
She's decided to hear it out
Rather than ignore her fear, she's willing to confront it
So go tell Britney
Don't bother trying to explain her actions to others
And go tell Gwen
She isn't interested in competing with anyone else
She's not trying to go
She's not motivated by the desire to prove others wrong
Against all them
Against those who may doubt or criticize her
Cause she's too scared, and she
Her fear holds her back, and she knows it
She can't pretend
She's not capable of faking bravery or confidence
To understand where it begins or ends
She doesn't have a clear sense of what the future holds
Or what it means to be dead
She's uncertain of what comes after our time in this world
It's just a sound going through your head
Fear is a powerful, yet ultimately imaginary force
Let them go on, let them go on
Regarding those who doubt or criticize her, it's best to disregard them
Standing there in the graveyard
A contemplative or unsettling moment in her life
While the moon sprays its fireworks in your hair
A beautiful, yet eerie setting
Where it begins or ends
She is again reflecting on the uncertainty of what lies ahead
What it means to be dead
She is again grappling with the mystery of death
She doesn't know where it will take her
She is uncertain of the path ahead
And she's going into the unknown
Despite this uncertainty, she is facing the future head-on
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WAYNE COYNE, STEVEN DROZD, MICHAEL IVINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bengszy8124
Wayne's Notes from the Album:
"We have some friends whose father was dying of cancer - I say 'was because it (the cancer and his death) dragged on agonizingly for over a year - and they (our friends) were becoming, understandably, weary of being forced to be upbeat... And I remember hearing a comment once about how annoying it was, to them, to have to hear this gratingly jubilant fake enthusiasm (usually hokey hyped-up pop groups like Black Eyed Peas, Destiny's Child, Ashlee Simpson, Hillary Duff, etc.) blasting out of the 'Muzak' systems virtually everywhere they went. To them this cheerleader-type assault was really only effective if you didn't actually have any real psychic stress... And they felt that it was, surprisingly, helpful to them to try to understand their fears and their sadness - as opposed to pretending that it's 'all good.'
And, you see, this is true insight... finally we know it's okay to have a troubled mind, it's okay to fail...
And so this song (which was written in the car on the way up to New York from Oklahoma while I drove and Steven played battery powered keyboard and computer) is about a young girl whose best friend has died, and everywhere she goes (like the friends I mentioned earlier) she must endure the empty optimism of the inexperienced. She wants to know, since it has arrived, what is despair, what is hope, what is failure... And what is in the darkness??
The line in the song, 'so go tell Britney and go tell Gwen' is obviously a reference back to my friends and their Muzak incident... meaning, 'Yeah, go tell Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani that their energy and their Prom Queen smiles only go to prove that they don't empathize with my sadness.' I believe, in the song, that Britney and Gwen could be thought of as this grieving girl's less mature friends... and that she's not trying to go against them, she just doesn't want to pretend that she understands what she doesn't really understand - what death is... what despair is... what existential fear is... She doesn't know, but she's starting to find out..."
@francapra1346
She's starting to live her life
From the inside out
The sound of failure calls her name
She's decided to hear it out
So go tell Britney and go tell Gwen
She's not tryin' to go against all them
'Cause she's too scared and she, she can't pretend
To understand where it begins or ends
Or what it means to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let them go on
Let them go on
Standing there in the graveyard
While the moon sprays its fireworks in your hair
The sound of failure calls her name
She's decided to hear it out
So go tell Britney and go tell Gwen
She's not tryin' to go against all them
'Cause she's too scared and she, she can't pretend
To understand where it begins or ends
Or what it means to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let them go on
Let them go on
Where it begins or ends
Or what it means to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let it go on
Let it go on
Where it begins or ends
Or what it means to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let it go on
Let it go on
She doesn't know where it will take her
And she's going into the unknown
Read more: Flaming Lips - The Sound Of Failure Lyrics | MetroLyrics
@unscrupulous_shrimp3266
She's starting to live her life
From the inside out
The sound of failure calls her name
She's decided to hear it out
So go tell Britney and go tell Gwen
She's not tryin' to go against all them
'Cause she's too scared and she can't pretend
To understand where it begins or ends
Or what it means to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let them go on
Standing there in the graveyard
While the moon sprays its fireworks in your hair
The sound of failure calls her name
She's decided to hear it out
So go tell Britney and go tell Gwen
She's not tryin' to go against all them
'Cause she's too scared and she can't pretend
To understand where it begins or ends
Or what it means to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let them go on
Where it begins or ends
Or what it's like to be dead
It's just a sound going through your head
Let it go on
@sydIRISH
This is my favorite Lips song, I agree it has a retro feel. Love it. Long live the Lips.
@grimdimly
I played this song to death when the album first came out and it still knocks me out.
@alecaventura
So do i my friend :)
@PinkFloydrulez
if you don't like the flaming lips i don't want to be your friend
@gojohnnyog
this music is so touching, that it takes you to a different world all together
@bathtubgeorge
This band is magic
@bengszy8124
Wayne's Notes from the Album:
"We have some friends whose father was dying of cancer - I say 'was because it (the cancer and his death) dragged on agonizingly for over a year - and they (our friends) were becoming, understandably, weary of being forced to be upbeat... And I remember hearing a comment once about how annoying it was, to them, to have to hear this gratingly jubilant fake enthusiasm (usually hokey hyped-up pop groups like Black Eyed Peas, Destiny's Child, Ashlee Simpson, Hillary Duff, etc.) blasting out of the 'Muzak' systems virtually everywhere they went. To them this cheerleader-type assault was really only effective if you didn't actually have any real psychic stress... And they felt that it was, surprisingly, helpful to them to try to understand their fears and their sadness - as opposed to pretending that it's 'all good.'
And, you see, this is true insight... finally we know it's okay to have a troubled mind, it's okay to fail...
And so this song (which was written in the car on the way up to New York from Oklahoma while I drove and Steven played battery powered keyboard and computer) is about a young girl whose best friend has died, and everywhere she goes (like the friends I mentioned earlier) she must endure the empty optimism of the inexperienced. She wants to know, since it has arrived, what is despair, what is hope, what is failure... And what is in the darkness??
The line in the song, 'so go tell Britney and go tell Gwen' is obviously a reference back to my friends and their Muzak incident... meaning, 'Yeah, go tell Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani that their energy and their Prom Queen smiles only go to prove that they don't empathize with my sadness.' I believe, in the song, that Britney and Gwen could be thought of as this grieving girl's less mature friends... and that she's not trying to go against them, she just doesn't want to pretend that she understands what she doesn't really understand - what death is... what despair is... what existential fear is... She doesn't know, but she's starting to find out..."
@MoeSlislack
interesting, I can't stand Britney and gwen. I mean they are pretty but that's all I really like about them.
@johnnymckracken2237
Funny that they performed live with Miley Cyrus after releasing this song. I guess Miley is nothing like gwen or Brittany. Why? "Cause it's a party in the USA!"
@chriserrickson1624
@@johnnymckracken2237 i thionk you missed the point.
their music or themselves are not bad, what is badis the picture of a beautiful world where everyone is happy and the love (SENSUAL LOVE) is the moving forcé and shit like that. i don't even like Miley but playing with her or any other musician just proves that the flaming lips don't take things personally, and why would they? Miley is just making music, and if her music is shit what better way of helping her get beter thatn playing some jams with her.