Wanting to cut themselves off from their pasts, Mosshart and Hince considered their new project to be Year Zero in their careers, so they renamed themselves "VV" and "Hotel" respectively and began writing sparse, minimalist songs together with the aid of a drum machine. In 2001 they showcased their new songs on a well received demo tape. In true punk rock fashion, however, the pair shunned approaches from major record labels. Recording as VV and Hotel, they contributed the song "Restaurant Blouse" to the compilation If the Twenty-First Century Did Not Exist, It Would Be Necessary to Invent It. Shortly after this they recorded their debut release, the Black Rooster EP, which saw release on British indie label Domino Records and was picked up for distribution by Dim Mak Records in the United States.
Following international touring, they entered Toe Rag studios to record their debut album Keep on Your Mean Side, mostly on 8-track, in just 2 weeks.
Popular indie band, the xx, name The Kills as the major influence for having a male/female lead singer combo: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/05/xx.interview/index.html?iref=allsearch
Their second album, No Wow, was released by Domino records on February 21, 2005. Featuring an artier, less guitar rock sound, the record embraced New Wave and post punk influences and sounded even more stripped down than Keep on Your Mean Side. The first single, The Good Ones, was released on February 7, 2005 and reached number 23 in the UK singles charts.
VV sang the song Meds on Placebo's 2006 eponymous album.
Their third album Midnight Boom was released March 10, 2008. It was followed by 5 different singles since its release.
Willow Weep For Me
The Kills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Willow weep for me
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
Listen to my plea
Hear me willow and weep for me
Gone my lovers dream
Lovely summer dream
Sad as I can be
Hear me willow and weep for me
Whisper to the wind and say that love has sinned
Left my heart a-breaking, and making a moan
Murmur to the night to hide its starry light
So none will see me sighing and crying all alone
Weeping willow tree
Weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
When the shadows fall, hear me willow and weep for me
Oh, Weeping willow tree
Weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
When the shadows fall, hear me willow and weep for me
The Kills' cover of "Willow Weep for Me" is a mournful and haunting rendition of a classic jazz standard. The lyrics depict a person who has lost their lover and is now begging for the willow tree to weep for them. The willow tree becomes a symbol of grief and mourning, as the person seeks solace in the natural world. The repetition of the phrase "weep for me" emphasizes the singer's sadness and loneliness, and the personification of the willow tree adds to the emotional weight of the song.
The first verse sets the scene, as the willow tree is asked to bend its branches over a stream that leads to the sea. The singer is asking the tree to hear their plea, to weep for them and show solidarity in their sorrow. The second verse emphasizes the singer's pain and sadness, as they describe their lover's departure and their own tears falling into the stream. The singer's heartache is intensified by the loss of a seemingly perfect summer romance. In the third verse, the singer asks the wind and the night to conceal their suffering, as they are alone in their grief. The final verse returns to the image of the weeping willow tree, as the singer seeks refuge under its branches and asks it to weep in sympathy.
Overall, "Willow Weep for Me" is a powerful exploration of grief and the natural world's ability to provide comfort and solace in times of despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Willow weep for me
The singer addresses a weeping willow tree and asks it to cry for their troubles.
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea
The singer implores the willow to droop its branches towards the river that flows into the sea.
Listen to my plea
The singer begs the willow to hear their request.
Gone my lovers dream
The artist's cherished dream of a beautiful summer with their lover has vanished.
Lovely summer dream
The dream that the artist alluded to was of a delightful summer filled with bliss and happiness.
Gone and left me here to weep my tears into the stream
The lover is gone, leaving the singer alone and in absolute despair where they will have nothing to do but cry beside the stream.
Sad as I can be
The singer expresses their sorrowfulness and grief at their lover leaving.
Whisper to the wind and say that love has sinned
The artist requests the willow to tell the wind that love has wronged them.
Left my heart a-breaking, and making a moan
The artist's heart feels shattered and overwhelmed with melancholy to the point that they are moaning in anguish.
Murmur to the night to hide its starry light
The artist urges the willow to ask the night to darken and conceal the twinkling stars so that nobody can see them in their sorrow.
So none will see me sighing and crying all alone
The singer doesn't want to be visible to anyone, so they ask the willow to hide them in the darkness while they sigh and cry in sorrow.
Weeping willow tree
Once again, the artist appeals to the willow which is known for its draping, dewy, shedding branches as if it's weeping.
Weep in sympathy
The singer asks the willow to cry in empathy with them.
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
The singer wants the willow's branches to hunch low and embrace them so as to completely envelop them in their sorrow.
When the shadows fall, hear me willow and weep for me
The singer hopes that when the darkness falls, the willow will weep with them in unison.
Oh, Weeping willow tree
The artist reaffirms their plea to the willow tree.
Contributed by Elijah P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.