The band formed in December 2004, after members of the band were introduced to each other by dub and punk DJ Babylon Fox. The band's run was short lived, and after recording The Day Is Not Today they split up on May 15, 2007. Miles Kane, Joe Edwards and Greg Mighall have gone on to form The Rascals, whilst Eva Petersen is pursuing a solo career.
According to The Little Flames' official website, their debut album would have been released in June 2007, the only single released from the album was Isobella.
Uniform
The Little Flames Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It teach you who to be.
You wear the uniform,
You love to be adored.
Your world is you, and you bore me.
Your world is you, and you bore me.
You laugh and scorn, you're a fucking bore.
You bore me.
Measured every look,
A rebel by the book.
Your hair and boots defy
The void behind your style.
Your world is you, and you bore me.
Your world is you, and you bore me.
Your head's deprived, but your clothes are nice too.
You laugh and scorn, you're a fucking bore.
You bore me
The Little Flames' song, "Uniform," is a critique on conformism and the pressure to fit in with societal expectations. The lyrics speak to the idea that people often buy into a particular image or identity that is portrayed in magazines and pop culture. The first two lines, "You buy the magazine, it teach you who to be / You wear the uniform, you love to be adored," suggest that people are influenced by media and fashion, and will go to great lengths to conform and be accepted.
The song goes on to criticize those who are so invested in their own world and image that they become boring to be around. The line, "Your world is you, and you bore me" highlights the self-centered nature of those who are so focused on their own image and reputation that they fail to take an interest in others. The song also touches on the idea that people who are overly focused on their appearance or image can lack substance - "Your head's deprived, but your clothes are nice."
The second verse of the song continues the theme of conformism, with the lyrics "Measured every look, a rebel by the book / Your hair and boots defy the void behind your style." Here, the band is describing someone who is trying to appear rebellious and unique by conforming to a certain style. The suggestion is that there is a hollowness or lack of authenticity behind this kind of image-crafting.
Overall, "Uniform" is a sharply critical take on the conformity and lack of individuality that can come from putting too much stock in one's outer appearance and social identity.
Line by Line Meaning
You buy the magazine,
You purchase a publication that instructs you on how to conform to society's expectations.
It teaches you who to be.
The magazine instructs you on what persona to adopt in order to fit in.
You wear the uniform,
You put on the prescribed attire that signifies you as a conformist.
You love to be adored.
You crave the admiration and attention that comes with conforming to societal norms.
Your world is you, and you bore me.
You only care about yourself and your conformity is tedious to me.
Your head's deprived, but your clothes are nice.
You lack originality and creativity of thought, but your attire is fashionable.
You laugh and scorn, you're a fucking bore.
Your attempts at being rebellious and humorous are tired and unoriginal, rendering you dull.
Measured every look,
You carefully scrutinize every aspect of your appearance to ensure conformity.
A rebel by the book.
Your attempts to appear rebellious are not genuine, but instead are based on following societal expectations of what a rebel is supposed to look like.
Your hair and boots defy
Your hairstyle and footwear appear to reject conformity.
The void behind your style.
Despite your attempts at appearing unique, you lack true individuality and are just another conformist.
Contributed by Skyler R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.