The Mommyheads were an American indie pop band who played from around 1987 … Read Full Bio ↴The Mommyheads were an American indie pop band who played from around 1987 through 1998. Starting in New York City as the brainchild of singer Adam Cohen (name later changed to Adam Elk), the band produced a string of quirky and highly inventive releases on various independent labels - most notably Simple Machines. Their music has been compared to XTC. They relocated to San Francisco in 1990. The band signed to Geffen Records in 1997, producing a single album for the label before breaking up in 1998.

This Adam Cohen is not to be confused with Leonard Cohen's son, also named Adam, who has released major label solo albums as well as recordings with the group The Low Millions. The Mommyheads' Cohen performed solo (and released an album) under the name Adam Elk, to avoid confusion with the other Cohen.

The first official Mommyheads record, Magumbo Meatpie, was released in 1987 on the Sit and Spin label, which was run out of an NYU dorm. The 7" vinyl EP featured 4 songs that were recorded by Sonic Youth's engineer Wharton Tiers. 3 of the songs later appeared on the Fang records compilation LP Antipop: New York Underground Mix (1988). Their first full fledged release was Acorn, on Fang Records in 1989, featuring Cohen (vocals, guitar, other instruments), Jan Kotik (drums) and Matt Patrick (vocals, bass), and produced by Chris Rael (of NYC band Church of Betty). The songwriting was split evenly between Cohen and Patrick. Both of these recordings were released while the band members were still in high school. Rael's liner notes to the Acorn CD re-release allude to XTC, James Brown and Pussy Galore as primary musical influences.

Early 4-track and live demos of Mommyheads songs were released in 1991 or 1992 as the Simple Machines cassette Swiss Army Knife. The collection of homemade songs, written and recorded primarily by Adam Cohen, were eccentric but highly original and musically complex. At their core was a whimsical and bittersweet pop sensibility that would underlie most of their subsequent recordings. 4 of the 17 songs would be re-recorded on their "official" releases. Around this time, Simple Machines also released "At the Mall" on a 7-inch compilation EP, Pulley. Two tracks appeared on a live Fang Records compilation.

Their second "real" album, the psychedelic ‘Coming into Beauty’, was released on Simple Machines records in 1992. This was a combination of sessions for two albums which followed Acorn, the first one released informally on a cassette called Papoose. A move to San Francisco and a line-up change occurred during the recording of this CD; Jan Kotik left and was replaced by two members of NYC group the Connotations: Dan Fisherman (drums, backup vocals) and Michael Holt (vocals, keyboards). (Cohen had played percussion on Connotations tracks released on vinyl in 1987, and Holt and Fisherman had also played in a variety of Fang Records bands.) Before the release of the CD, this new lineup released a limited edition live cassette (Mommyheads Live) of a more recent batch of songs, on Fang Records, most of which never made it to their later CD releases.

Matt Patrick left and was replaced by bass player Jeff Palmer (formerly of Sister Double Happiness), around the time of the recording of the next CD, Flying Suit, in 1994 (Dromedary Records). Liner notes to the Tiny Idols compilation credit "the slick, professionally minded Jeff Palmer" with steering the band towards a more "mainstream" sound at roughly this point.[1] Songwriting duties shifted mostly to Cohen, with occasional contributions from Holt. Several singles and compilation songs were released in this period, as well. A fourth record, Bingham's Hole, was released on Dot Dot Dash records in 1995. Produced by Peter Katis[2], this was the band's final independent full length recording, and it showed the band adding more funk and boogie elements into the mix.

On the strength of Bingham's Hole, the band was signed to Geffen Records, which released the Beatle-esque The Mommyheads in 1997. Produced by Don Was, the CD met with mixed reviews. The band was dropped during a label shake-up before the album was even released, and the album was barely promoted. The Mommyheads broke up shortly thereafter. Many fans hold this as a perfect example of a major label "ruining" a band that had established critical success and a solid fan base with the quality of its independent recordings and excellent live shows.

Following the breakup, most members of the band went onto solo and other collaborative projects. Adam Elk released a solo album called Labello, and is now a successful composer for television commercials. Jeff Palmer joined Sub Pop band Sunny Day Real Estate. Michael Holt has gone on to record several solo albums. Dan Fisherman became a computer programmer for a small San Francisco computer company and teaches math, philosophy and recording for the Randolph School in Wappingers Falls, New York.

Jan Kotik, original drummer for the Mommyheads, died December 13, 2007 after a three year battle with cancer.

They band reunited to record a new CD; You’re Not A Dream in 2008. They have been playing rare one-off shows ever since, mostly in the New York area.

In The Way
The Mommyheads Lyrics

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Love and its disciples
Are all aboard the train
There is no need for seatbelts
They'll never feel the pain

I need to get between the words and what they mean to say
I'd like to get to know you but this love keeps getting in the
Way I feel about you

I never could explain

It's like the air around you
It's like a picture's frame
I'd like to get to know you but the words I heard you say
I'd like to get to know you but this love keeps getting in the

Way we talk about it
There is no wrong or right
And if this love gets crowded
I'll leave without a fight

'Cause love and its disciples
Are all aboard the train
There is no need for seat belts
They'll never feel the pain

I need to get between the words and what they mean to say
I'd like to get to know you but

I'd like to get to know you but
I'd like to know you but this love keeps getting in the way

Overall Meaning

The Mommyheads' "In the Way" is a poetic and introspective song about the difficulties of communication and the power of love. The opening lines, "Love and its disciples are all aboard the train, there is no need for seatbelts, they'll never feel the pain," suggest that love can be all-consuming and overpowering, and that its followers are willing to take risks and endure pain for it. The singer admits that they struggle to understand the words of their loved one and wish to get "between the words and what they mean to say." Despite their desire to connect, the singer feels that love is hindering their communication and obstructing their path to a deeper understanding of the other person.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I'd like to get to know you but this love keeps getting in the way," highlighting the conflict between the desire for connection and the obstacles that stand in the way. The singer describes their feelings for the other person as something they "never could explain" and compares it to the atmosphere around them, a presence that is both enveloping and hard to define. They acknowledge that there is no right or wrong way to talk about love, but that it can sometimes become crowded and overwhelming. The final lines of the song reinforce the idea that love can be all-consuming, saying, "I'd like to know you but this love keeps getting in the way."

Line by Line Meaning

Love and its disciples
The concept of love and those who adhere to it

Are all aboard the train
Everyone who believes in love is moving forward together

There is no need for seatbelts
Love doesn't require safety precautions because it's not a physical force

They'll never feel the pain
Love protects us from pain and hurt

I need to get between the words and what they mean to say
I need to understand the true intentions and feelings behind the words spoken

I'd like to get to know you but this love keeps getting in the
I want to build a relationship with you, but the concept of love is making it difficult

Way I feel about you
My emotions towards you

I never could explain
I struggle to put my feelings into words

It's like the air around you
My attraction towards you is subtle yet constant

It's like a picture's frame
My feelings for you encapsulate and enhance everything about you

I'd like to get to know you but the words I heard you say
I'm interested in getting to know you, but something you said is causing a communication barrier

Way we talk about it
Our conversations about love and relationships

There is no wrong or right
There's no universal rulebook for how love should work

And if this love gets crowded
If our relationship becomes overwhelming or complicated

I'll leave without a fight
I'm willing to walk away if it means preserving my own happiness

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ADAM COHEN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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