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 Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine
The Flaming Lips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What does it mean
To dream what you dream
To believe what you've seen?
Why
Why do we feel
To try to find real
What
What does it mean
To dream what you dream
To believe what you've seen?
Why
Why do we feel
To try to find real
Just to meet the machine [Repeat x3]
To meet the machine [Repeat x2]
The Flaming Lips's song The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine is a thought-provoking and philosophical piece that delves into the concepts of perception and reality. The repeated questioning of the meaning and validity of dreams and beliefs suggests a search for deeper truths beyond what is presented by the surrounding mechanized world. The mention of a machine creates a sense of contrast and conflict between human nature and technological advancement. The sparrow, often symbolized as a representation of freedom and transcendence, looking up at the machine implies an attempt to rise above it and access a more authentic reality.
The lyrics could also be interpreted as a commentary on society's dependence on machines and technology. The need to find what is real suggests a detachment from reality caused by the constant bombardment of information and sensory stimulus. The questioning of beliefs and dreams reinforces the idea of a need to break away from the distractions of modern life and connect with something deeper.
Line by Line Meaning
What
Asking for the meaning behind the dreams and beliefs of an individual
What does it mean
Asking for a deeper meaning and understanding of the dreams and beliefs of an individual
To dream what you dream
Questioning the significance of an individual's personal aspirations and desires
To believe what you've seen?
Questioning the validity of an individual's beliefs based on their personal experiences
Why
Questioning the reasoning behind our actions and thoughts
Why do we feel
Questioning the emotional responses to our desires to seek out something beyond the ordinary
To try to find real
Attempting to uncover something authentic and genuine amidst a world of artificiality
Underneath a machine?
Questioning if it is possible to find something real and authentic beneath the surface of technology and modernization
Just to meet the machine [Repeat x3]
Pondering the idea that our search for authenticity may ultimately lead us to conform to and become controlled by the very machines we seek to escape
To meet the machine [Repeat x2]
Reinforcing the idea that our search for authenticity may ultimately lead to our subjugation by technology
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WAYNE COYNE, STEVEN DROZD, MICHAEL IVINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
phillyphil690
Love the song, love the vid. I'm gratified that there is still something this bizarre and weird in contemporary music in this post Bush domestic horror.
lostinthecosmicsea
Wow.... amazing. Love this track!
Sean Pogue
This is my favorite drum beat by Kliph. Amazing. Wayne Coyne has such an awesome mind :)
impopularTV
great video, music does not need to make sense, sometimes its just about how they can play with the sound & I love this band cause it always shows the sound who's the boss!
MidnightDeluxe Gaming
Too bad it failed then because this music makes sense...
Tarsier
Embryonic is such a good album
smilingdeathporn
That was revolutionary. I LOVE it! A breakthrough of cinema and music. The taboo and psychologically endearing nature is breathtaking. Everything that the Flaming Lips do is wonderful.
notreallybandfromottawa
I love this band.
William J Ellingsworth
this sounds so good LOUD! taking it back to 89!!!
dan mcdonald
Good job guys. I love the vaginal orb, the art, and the blood of course.