The Karelia formed from the ashes of rock/jazz band The Blisters, with Huntley, Alan Wylie, and Glen Thomson of the earlier band joined by Greek drummer Tassos Bobos. Their sound has been described as "prog/techno rock with Iggy-voxed overtones", and "jazzy film-noir lo-fi."
The band's only album, Divorce At High Noon, was released in 1997 on Roadrunner Records to little acclaim. Produced by Bid of The Monochrome Set,[1] it was an off the wall mix of rock and jazz trumpet with unusual lyrics. The final song, "Garavurghty Butes", was completely freestyle with improvised lyrics and musical arrangement. The band did not tour and were unknown outside Glasgow. Very few copies of the album sold (literally hundreds) and the band split in 1998 after contributing to an EP for the Guided Missile label.
Upon the huge success of Franz Ferdinand fans began to exchange originals of Divorce at High Noon for £50-£100. Because of this, the album was re-released in February 2005. It featured all of the previous album and two bonus tracks.
The band's name derives from the same named Greek tobacco industry "Karelia". It is also an area in Northern Europe divided between Russia and Finland.
Divorce at High Noon
The Karelia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know it may hurt, my dear
Oh, but I must, my dear
Divorce this dead love, my dear
I feel quite cold
Now that I know
All your features, all your charms
I feel quite bored
Now that we've shared
Every secret, every thought,
Every fear and every fault
I'm divorcing my dear
Only for you, my dear
So you can become my dear
Just like my old dear, dear
I feel quite cold
Now that I know
All your features, all your charms
Just as if they were my own
I feel quite bored
Now that we've shared
Every secret, every thought,
Every fear and every fault
The lyrics to The Karelia's song "Divorce at High Noon" speaks of a heartbreaking decision of ending a relationship that is no longer alive. The singer is apologizing to their significant other for the hurt that this decision may bring but insists that it has to be done. They express that they feel cold and bored with the relationship, having shared all their secrets, thoughts, fears, and faults. They are divorcing, but only to allow their current partner to become their "old dear, dear," which could imply a desire to maintain a close, albeit different relationship.
The song title itself symbolizes the intensity of the separation. "High Noon" refers to a moment of confrontation, the climax of the story or movie. By using this phrase, The Karelia could be signifying that the divorce is the most significant confrontation between the singer and their partner. The song speaks of a decision that is not based on an external factor like infidelity, but rather on the internal factors of feeling bored and cold towards each other, which is a grim reality of many relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sorry, my dear
I apologize, my love
I know it may hurt, my dear
I understand this may be painful for you, my love
Oh, but I must, my dear
However, it is necessary, my love
Divorce this dead love, my dear
End this lifeless relationship, my love
I feel quite cold
I am emotionally distant
Now that I know
Now that I have become aware
All your features, all your charms
Every attribute and endearing quality you possess
Just as if they were my own
As if they belonged to me
I feel quite bored
I am disinterested
Now that we've shared
Now that we have exchanged
Every secret, every thought,
Every confidential piece of information and idea
Every fear and every fault
Every anxiety and every imperfection
I'm divorcing my dear
I am ending our relationship, my love
Only for you, my dear
Solely for your benefit, my love
So you can become my dear
So that you can become my beloved
Just like my old dear, dear
Like my former love, my love
Contributed by David B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Neverhooder
Now I know where "Jeremy Fraiser" came from! I was so confused why FF had made such a slow, dark song, but I guess it was their old influences popping up. I'm so impressed by how Alex handles this style of FF; it's very different from FF, but he works with it so well. And the instrumentals are so fantastic~! Alas, this band only has one album...
goodwood1052221
This song has a Jim Morrison/doors vibe to it to my ears
Heleno
well show me the way....to the next whisky bar.....
Abdullah
this is SO good
im so lucky to find this :)
Bryan McCabe
13th note ...memories
Eve1210
Por dios alex te amo
NouvelleKid
man alex is so dreamy...l
Daniel Gordon
Fuuuuunky!
Petrică Mogoș
@callinator92 yeah
punschpralinen
I'm sorry, my dear, I know it may hurt, my dear, oh but I must say, my dear Alex, that this song doesn't appeal to me at all..