College took Fountenberry away from his Belmont, CA, home and everyone he knew. He seized the golden opportunity to make himself over. When he tried the guitar, he was so taken with the possibilities represented by the instrument that he asked his mother for one as his Christmas gift. He bucked up his confidence by spending time in a couple of local grunge bands. All the while he wrote songs on the side, telling no one. By the late '90s, he recorded Bedroom Love Songs, his self-released debut, and interest in the once-shy Fountenberry quickly picked up.
Ultimatum Music offered him a contract the following year. Fountenberry began working on his next release, Electric Pocket Radio, in Chicago at Keith Cleversley's Playground Studios. Cleversley previously produced recordings for alternative pop/rock acts like Spiritualized and Flaming Lips. Work on the album also progressed in Los Angeles, with Fountenberry utilizing the talents of mixer and engineer Wally Gagel and drummer Joey Waronker. Gagel previously worked on recordings for alternative pop/rock bands such as Eels and Folk Implosion, and Waronker had played drums for Beck.
Leroy's band includes Morgan Young and Rick Sybrandy. He followed his self-released debut with the 16-track Electric Pocket Radio from Ultimatum Music. The album is a mix of quirky and at times eccentric original songs and his version of "Beep Beep Love," which was originally sung by Gruppo Sportivo in the '70s.
1983
The Incredible Moses Leroy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On chocolate grass,
That was so green
We pointed at the sky
We wrote out our names
We gave a trace to a cloud
And every cloud to a name.
You wrote me in 1985
Three years too late
But always right on time
With my brown sugar caramel
For the apple of his eyes
A hundred tiny little words
But no place to abide by, bye bye bye (bye bye)
And i watched him wait for a band
So fabulous and glam
They played our favorite songs
And we danced on and on and on
He swore me before he went away
To keep him close to my heart
And never let me change
Make a great lovely noise
No matter where it came
Have no fear of love
And love will always love will reign
And we're calling all the people
And we're calling all the people
And we're calling all the people
That were here (x2)
We lay down in 1983
Broken hero toys
And two boys that were kids
The Incredible Moses Leroy's song "1983" is a poetic ode to memories of a simpler time when the world seemed to contain limitless possibilities. The song's opening lines "We lay down in 1983 on chocolate grass, that was so green" paint a picture of youthful innocence and carefree spirit. The setting creates a beautiful imagery of a place where time stood still, and everything was fresh and pure. The singer then talks about how they pointed at the sky and wrote their names, a gesture that shows their desire to leave something permanent, to leave their mark in the world.
The song then takes a melancholic turn as the singer mentions how they received a letter from a loved one in 1985, but it was too late. The lines "Three years too late, but always right on time, with my brown sugar caramel, for the apple of his eyes," suggest a delayed response, but a response that still meant the world to the singer. Despite the brevity of the letter, the singer cherishes it and the memory of their loved one, as evidenced by the line "A hundred tiny little words, but no place to abide by, bye bye bye."
The singer then recalls dancing to their favorite band and their absolute certainty that love would always reign. This sentiment is echoed in the final lines where the singer calls out to all the people who were there in 1983, harkening back to a time when the world was simple and love was all that mattered.
Line by Line Meaning
We lay down in 1983
In 1983, we relaxed and enjoyed each other's company.
On chocolate grass,
We laid down on the ground covered in chocolate-colored grass.
That was so green
The grass was lush green in color and was soothing to the eyes.
We pointed at the sky
We looked up at the sky and pointed out its marvels to each other.
We wrote out our names
We inscribed our names on an object in a creative way.
We gave a trace to a cloud
We made a mark in the sky so that it resembled a cloud.
And every cloud to a name.
We assigned a name to each illusion of the cloud that we saw.
You wrote me in 1985
You wrote a letter to me two years after we met in 1983.
Three years too late
The letter was not timely but came late after three years.
But always right on time
However, the contents of the letter were appropriate and valuable to me at the time I received it.
With my brown sugar caramel
Your letter had a personal touch of affection and sweetness that reminded me of caramel.
For the apple of his eyes
It was meant for somebody you held dearly and for whom you had high regard and admiration.
A hundred tiny little words
The letter was brief and contained just a few words.
But no place to abide by, bye bye bye (bye bye)
The letter was not a commitment to a place or time and suggested a temporary stay.
And I watched him wait for a band
I saw him eagerly waiting for a music band to arrive.
So fabulous and glam
The band was very glamorous and entertaining.
They played our favorite songs
The band played songs that were special and beloved to us.
And we danced on and on and on
We danced without any concern for time and kept on enjoying the moment.
He swore me before he went away
Before leaving, he pledged to me that his love would remain strong.
To keep him close to my heart
He sought my commitment to hold him dear and never forget him in my heart.
And never let me change
He wished that I remain my true self and not be unfaithful to our bond.
Make a great lovely noise
He desired that I make a beautiful sound, an expression of happiness and gratitude.
No matter where it came
It could be made anywhere, in any situation or circumstance.
Have no fear of love
He wanted me to be fearless and open to love and affection.
And love will always love will reign
If I keep my heart open, love will always find a way to conquer and rule over me.
And we're calling all the people
We're inviting and summoning all the people to join us.
That were here (x2)
We're requesting people who were present, to come and connect with us once again.
We lay down in 1983
We rested and bonded together in the year 1983.
Broken hero toys
We had toys that embodied broken heroes, their strength still remaining despite their brokenness.
And two boys that were kids
We were two young men who were still in touch with our childhood selves.
Contributed by Gabriella V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@seanohlinger7662
how is it possible this is not on spotify?? and no fuzzy either??criminal - this guy has talent!!
@camizzleyo
When I left middle school, my 8th grade English teacher dumped all his music into my iPod as a parting gift. This album was in and I am incredibly grateful because I likely would have never been exposed to this this awesomeness otherwise.
@Ciridan
did you guys fuck ?
@davidlloren
this song still holds up today, as this is the sound many indie bands have been chasing for 5 years now,
@donnaann8943
He was a substitute teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District and came up with this persona. Best substitute ever!
@yellowpinkgreengreen
I think the lead single from Guided By Voices was also a substitute teacher.
@donnaann8943
It's a town full of talent, that's for sure. Thanks for the info!
@katekennedy2320
Makes me reminisce đđ
@Justin-Hill-1987
This song makes an excellent use of a drum sample from Devo's "Whip It."
@neptunianblue
Oh, God! I remember my college days. I ripped this song off AudioGalaxy and burnt it on a CD. I remember driving my Honda Civic through the roads of Ateneo de Manila. I left the window open, the wind blowing my hair. This song made me realise I had different musical sensibilities from my batch mates. They were all into rap-metal. I lost myself indie songs such as this one.