Members of the Lawrence Arms have also played in The Broadways, Slapstick, Tricky Dick and Baxter.
The three musicians came together to form the Lawrence Arms in 1999. Although punk rock bands in their infancy generally start out by releasing EPs and 7" vinyl singles, the band members used their existing relationship with Asian Man Records to immediately begin recording a full-length album, a guided tour of chicago, which was released later that year. A second album, ghost stories, followed in 2000. Both albums focused heavily on the members' own stories of growing up and living in Chicago.
The band's next two releases were split EPs with other bands. The first, a split with Shady View Terrace, was released in 2000 and was their first release to be recorded by Matt Allison, who would continue to record and produce all of their subsequent releases. A second EP, Present Day Memories, was released in 2001 and was a split with The Chinkees.
The band's records and touring schedule had brought them to the attention of Fat Mike of NOFX, who signed them to his label Fat Wreck Chords in late 2001. Their first release on the label was a 7" vinyl single, part of the label's "Fat Club" series of 7" records. This was followed by the full-length album apathy and exhaustion, released in 2002. The album spawned the band's first music video, for the song porno and snuff films and they toured extensively with NOFX and other bands from the label.
Their next album was 2003's the greatest story ever told. Arguably their most ambitious album to date, it demonstrated the band members' continued growth as musicians and songwriters and included extensive footnotes to the lyrics detailing their many references to history, literature and pop culture. It also showed an evolution in the band's vocal style. Kelly had sung most of the vocals on their first album, while on subsequent releases he and McCaughan had split vocal duties almost equally from one song to the next, with Kelly's voice tending to sound more harsh and urgent while McCaughan's sounds more relaxed and melodic. With this release, however, the two began to move towards more of a duet style of singing which would feature prominently on their next album. Extensive touring following the album's release saw the band on the road for much of 2003 and 2004. They also contributed a song to the Fat Wreck Chords Rock Against Bush, Volume 2 compilation, leading up to the 2004 presidential election and became involved with the Punk Voter campaign.
In December of 2004 Kelly and Hennessy joined with fellow Chicago natives Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio (who had played with Kelly in Slapstick) and Todd Mohney, formerly of Rise Against, to form The Falcon, and released an EP on Red Scare. Meanwhile, with interest in the Lawrence Arms increasing and their EPs out of print, Asian Man Records planned a CD release of the band's EP tracks. The resulting compilation album, Cocktails & Dreams, was released on Asian Man in June of 2005 and included their songs from both EPs along with nearly all of their compilation tracks, rare songs and b-sides.
The Lawrence Arms re-entered the studio in October and November of 2005 and recorded the album oh! calcutta!, which was released on Fat Wreck Chords in March of 2006. It had an overall faster and more urgent feel to it than their previous album, and demonstrated another step in the development of their singing as Kelly and McCaughan shared vocals in a duet style on nearly every song. They filmed a music video for the song the devil's takin' names.
The Lawrence Arms spent most of 2006 touring extensively alongside bands such as NOFX, Alkaline Trio, The Draft, Lagwagon, and A Wilhelm Scream. The full-length debut by the Falcon was released that fall on Red Scare. In December, the Lawrence Arms embarked on their first headlining tour of Australia, also playing supporting shows with Frenzal Rhomb.
In March of 2007, guitarist Chris McCaughan released the debut album from his acoustic side project Sundowner, entitled four one five two.
The band toured again in 2007, with their side projects The Falcon and Sundowner as openers along with the recently reunited American Steel.
The 2010s saw minimal studio activity by the band, but for one album. 2014's Metropole was received well, and marked the band's first full-length in eight years. The band took another extended break in between albums again, taking six years before releasing their seventh album Skeleton Coast in 2020.
Overheated
The Lawrence Arms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Highways, I'm hallucinating
I wish I wasn't so mathematic
I wish I hadn't overheated
Heartbeats across a crowed room
April Fool, give me a week or two
These drinks are hitting me so hard
Set up another round
It's raining
Six more drinks before I drown, bottoms up and spirits down
Have my words lost all weight?
This is weighing on me
Have I got nothing left to say?
Now I remember all the words
Through my smoky eyes, a blurred hotel room stirred
I'm waiting to hear you through the static
Three more cigarettes, a time to call off all regrets
This is every selfish song
This is all those moments bleeding
Maybe I made a huge mistake
I always thought that it would come to this
March came without a cost
April falls into the dream again
In May I'll cut myself off, at a loss for words
It doesn't mean I'm really over it
Set up another round
Set up another round
It's raining
Six more drinks before I drown, bottoms up and spirits down
Have my words lost all weight?
This is weighing on me
Have I got nothing left to say?
Have I got nothing left to say?
Have I got nothing left?
Have I got nothing left to say?
And on the 13th of September, I swear I'll remember
Even if it doesn't make any sense
March 30th we'll be desperate, a happy birthday to me
What a spineless overstatement
The Lawrence Arms's song "Overheated" is a reflective and emotive piece that delves into the complexities of relationships and the overpowering influence of alcohol. The opening lyrics paint a picture of an individual who is struggling with addiction and their own feelings. The first line of the song, "Three days, no happy endings," suggests that the singer has been in some sort of emotional turmoil for a while now, and their situation hasn't been resolved. The line "Highways, I'm hallucinating" points to the disorienting effects of excessive drinking, which can make it hard to tell reality from illusion.
As the song progresses, we see the singer grappling with their emotions, their relationships, and their sense of self. The lines "I wish I wasn't so mathematic/I wish I hadn't overheated" suggest that the singer is aware of their own tendency to analyze and overthink things, and they regret some of the choices they've made. The lyrics "Have my words lost all weight?/This is weighing on me/Have I got nothing left to say?" show that the singer is struggling to express themselves and is questioning the value of their own words.
Line by Line Meaning
Three days, no happy endings
The singer is disappointed that the past three days did not end on a positive note.
Highways, I'm hallucinating
The singer is seeing things while travelling on the highway.
I wish I wasn't so mathematic
The singer regrets being too logical.
I wish I hadn't overheated
The artist regrets getting too emotional.
Heartbeats across a crowded room
The artist notices someone they like in a crowded area.
April Fool, give me a week or two
The singer wants time to pursue the person they like.
These drinks are hitting me so hard
The singer is feeling the effects of drinking heavily.
I wish I had an angel watching over me
The artist wishes they had someone to guide them through their tough times.
Set up another round
The artist wants more alcohol.
It's raining
The weather outside is not good.
Six more drinks before I drown, bottoms up and spirits down
The singer wants to drink more and get drunk quickly.
Have my words lost all weight?
The artist is unsure if their words have any meaning.
This is weighing on me
The singer is feeling the burden of their problems and emotions.
Have I got nothing left to say?
The singer questions if they have anything left to express or share.
Now I remember all the words
The singer recalls everything that was said.
Through my smoky eyes, a blurred hotel room stirred
The artist describes their hazy vision inside a hotel room.
I'm waiting to hear you through the static
The artist is waiting to hear someone despite poor reception or interference.
Three more cigarettes, a time to call off all regrets
The singer is smoking and wants to forget about their regrets.
This is every selfish song
The singer acknowledges that their song is selfish and focused on their own emotions.
This is all those moments bleeding
The artist is expressing their emotions and experiences.
Maybe I made a huge mistake
The artist believes they may have done something wrong.
I always thought that it would come to this
The artist expected this outcome all along.
March came without a cost
The month of March passed without any issues or problems.
April falls into the dream again
The artist is daydreaming again in April.
In May I'll cut myself off, at a loss for words
The singer won't speak much in May because they don't know what to say.
It doesn't mean I'm really over it
Even though the singer is cutting themselves off, it doesn't mean they're over their emotions or experiences.
And on the 13th of September, I swear I'll remember
The singer promises to remember something on September 13th.
Even if it doesn't make any sense
The artist promises to remember something even if it doesn't seem important or logical.
March 30th we'll be desperate, a happy birthday to me
The artist's birthday is on March 30th, and they feel like they'll be desperate on that day.
What a spineless overstatement
The singer is criticizing themselves for making a weak statement or decision.
Contributed by Elliot P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Caroline Carpenter
How are they such amazing lyricists? Seriously.
William Abraham
This band may be more cynical than I am.
I support that.
Matt Wood
Yeah this song kicks ass
kourtknee09
6 more drinks before I drown, bottoms up, spirits down <3 <3 <3
OhThisCloak
Fuck this shit is so good.
Mike Szymendera
maybe i made a huge mistake i always knew thought that it would come to this
BR225 BaWwWwWwww
Mike Szymendera march came without a cost
Andrew Nosek
...April falls into the dream again...
michael anzono
Cant wait until RIOT FEST!!!!
Zion Rodman
where the hell is some new stuff i love all of these songs especially this one. but it has been like 3 and a half years since any new stuff. haha ill just have to be patient i guess.