Throughout the band's existence, the duo toured and recorded with a revolving door of musicians, and as of 2007, the band consisted of guitarists Mike Schey and Mark Buzard, bassist Don Raymond, drummer Adam Boyd, and its principal members, singer Nate Ruess and multi-instrumentalist Sam Means. The band chose their name to make fun of the music industry's inclination towards a cookie-cutter "format" for a hit. Despite this critique of the music industry, the band's aptly-titled first single--"The First Single" (from their five-song debut EP on Western Tread)--became popular in the Southwest music scene. This success led to The Format's signing with Elektra Records in 2002. Their first major label release and full-length album Interventions and Lullabies was released in October 2003. However, Elektra began to fold into a merger just as the album was rolling out its promotion, leaving the band as merely an afterthought as label restructuring began. The band toured North America for about two years while making plans for a new album and waiting out industry red tape.
The Format released a second EP on Atlantic (which had absorbed much of Elektra's roster after the label folded) titled Snails in April 2005. Although the EP was not a conventional mass release, it could be purchased at any of the band's performances, from their online merch store, and on iTunes. Not long after the release of the Snails EP, The Format was dropped from Atlantic. Due to their frustrating experiences with major labels, the band chose to record and release their second full-length album Dog Problems independently on The Vanity Label. The July 11, 2006 release of Dog Problems came two months after the band released the album for download on their website, in a move to combat an early leak.
On February 4, 2008, The Format announced that they will putting the band on hiatus because of creative differences. Nate Ruess already has plans to release a solo album which is scheduled to come out later this year.
Nate Ruess, the band's singer and lyricist, left the following message on the band's website:
"We have just put out word that we will not be making a new Format album. Please understand this was a tough decision and we're both upset about it. While we accept there will be false speculation as to why, understand that Sam and I remain extremely close and in fact are still passing the twin peaks box set back and forth in an attempt to figure out who REALLY killed Laura Palmer. We also want to thank everyone with and within the Format, particularly Mike, Don, and Marko, whom without, none of this would have ever even been fully realized. We both suggest you support their musical talents and whatever they decide to do. And lastly we want to thank the fans who made this the best 5 years of our lives."
Ruess announced August 11, 2008 that he is starting a new project called fun. with Andrew Dost formerly of Anathallo and Jack Antonof of Steel Train.
The Vanity Label, an imprint of major label Nettwerk, is managed by the band.
Since the end of The Format, Sam has continued designing merchandise. He converted theformatmerch.com into hellomerch.com where he features his newest work.
On February 4, 2020, the band announced a return from their hiatus for a tour of special shows.
Janet
The Format Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a cab back in the city
It's somewhere off of Lexington
Just something that the east coast does to me
Makes me forget who I am
Well so c'mon and hold me
Don't put out the lights
I know that lately
I've been out of your sight
Being here has never felt so right
I'm falling in love with you
Balloons or no balloons
So it's time I forget the past
And just learn to love what I have
And I love waking up to your laugh, oh
Something about the midwest sun and oh
It makes me miss you more than life
Could be the trees that stand alone in the fields
They remind me every couple of miles
I'd love to stop our lives, stop everything
Just so we could move far away
We'll live alone together with the sweat of the summer
With the chill of the cold winter air, oh yeah
I'm falling in love with you
For more reasons than 22
So it's time I forget the past
And just learn to love what I have
'Cause I love waking up to your laugh, yeah, whoa, oh whoa
Won't you put it in drive
C'mon and get me back home
I'll spend the rest of my life
With only you by my side
Won't you put it in drive
C'mon and get me back home
I'll spend the rest of my life
With only you by my side
Alright
I'm falling in love with you
Balloons or no balloons
It's time I forget the past
And just learn to love what I have
'Cause I love waking up to your laugh, yeah, whoa, oh whoa
Won't you put it in drive
C'mon and get me back home
I'll spend the rest of my life
With only you by my side
The Format's song "Janet" begins with a confession of losing memory while in a cab in the city, suggesting the singer is feeling the effects of the East Coast's fast-paced lifestyle. The song's first verse, with the loss of memory as a metaphor for seeing things afresh, reflects the singer's desire to forget the past and embrace the present with the person he loves. As the song progresses, it emphasizes the strong feelings of love and devotion that the singer has for his partner. It is evident from the lyrics that the singer is ready and willing to commit himself to the relationship and spend the rest of his life with his beloved partner.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's love for his partner despite whatever obstacles may come their way. He says that he's "falling in love with you" and loves waking up to the sound of her laugh. He talks about various things that make him miss her more than life, including the Midwest sun and the trees standing alone in the fields. The bridge of the song reveals the singer's desire to live far away from the world, where they can be alone and build a life together with the sweat in the summer and the chill of the winter air.
Overall, "Janet" is a song about falling deeply in love and a desire to be with that person for the rest of one's life. It's about forgetting the past, letting go of the baggage, and embracing the present with the person you love. The chorus is a declaration of the singer's love, which comes across as genuine and heartfelt.
Line by Line Meaning
I lost my memory
I cannot remember things due to some incident that happened to me.
In a cab back in the city
It happened while I was on my way back home in a taxi on the streets of the city.
It's somewhere off of Lexington
The incident happened somewhere around Lexington, but I cannot pin-point the exact location.
Just something that the east coast does to me
It's a feeling that I only get while on the east coast.
Makes me forget who I am
This feeling is so strong that it makes me forget my true self.
Well so c'mon and hold me
Now I need someone to hold me during this difficult time.
Don't put out the lights
Don't turn off the lights, please keep them on.
I wanna see that look in your eyes
I want to see the love and affection in your eyes.
I know that lately
I understand that recently,
I've been out of your sight
I have not been around and available to you.
Being here has never felt so right
But now that I'm here with you, it feels like the right place to be.
I'm falling in love with you
My feelings for you are growing deeper every day.
Balloons or no balloons
Whether there are balloons around or not, my feelings for you remain the same.
So it's time I forget the past
It's time for me to move on from my past and focus on our future together.
And just learn to love what I have
I need to appreciate what I have with you right now.
And I love waking up to your laugh, oh
I love hearing you laugh when we wake up together in the morning.
Something about the midwest sun and oh
There's something about the sun in the midwest that makes me miss you.
It makes me miss you more than life
It's so strong that I miss you more than anything in this world.
Could be the trees that stand alone in the fields
Maybe it's the trees standing in the fields that make me feel this way.
They remind me every couple of miles
As I travel, these trees remind me of you every few miles.
I'd love to stop our lives, stop everything
I wish I could stop time and be with you forever.
Just so we could move far away
I want us to move away from everything and everyone else.
We'll live alone together with the sweat of the summer
We'll live in seclusion, only with each other and the hotness of the summer season.
With the chill of the cold winter air, oh yeah
And we'll also face the cold winter air together.
Won't you put it in drive
Can you please start driving the car?
C'mon and get me back home
I want to go back to where we belong, our sweet home.
I'll spend the rest of my life
If I can be with you, I'll spend the rest of my entire life with you.
With only you by my side
I want to spend my entire life with you beside me, no one else.
Alright
I am ready for whatever comes next.
For more reasons than 22
I am falling in love with you for a lot of reasons, more than I can count.
Won't you put it in drive
Can you please start driving the car?
C'mon and get me back home
I want to go back to where we belong, our sweet home.
I'll spend the rest of my life
If I can be with you, I'll spend the rest of my entire life with you.
With only you by my side
I want to spend my entire life with you beside me, no one else.
Contributed by Miles H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nicolefalk5958
One of my very favorite Format songs! Reminds me of freshman year at UW - Madison.