After their initial formation in 2008, their debut album "Passive Me, Aggressive You" was released on the "Somewhat Damaged" label during September 2010. The single "Young Blood" debuted at number one on the New Zealand chart - the first New Zealand artist to do so in three years. On 6 December 2010, the BBC announced that The Naked and Famous had been nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll.
Their second album, 2013's In Rolling Waves, reached the top 5 on the New Zealand Albums chart, and top 15 on the Australian Albums and US Billboard Top Alternative Albums charts. Their following album, Simple Forms, was Xayalith and Powers' first release as a two-piece. Their fourth album, Recover, was released in 2020, and peaked at 19 on RMNZ's New Zealand Artist Albums chart.
Spank
The Naked and Famous Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I think I survive
Probably better not to try to recall
'Cause it feeds it, yeah, it keeps it alive
There're specific things
Tthat I have to do
Day to day just to keep it at bay
(Oh no, this isn't real)
(Oh no, this isn't real)
Here's a little secret
Here's the best part
This is gonna take me
Right back to the start
If I can't hear it
If it's out of mind
Wait until it settles
Comes 'round a second time
I don't remember the first time
But I think I survive
Probably better not to try to recall
'Cause it feeds it, yeah, it keeps it alive
(Oh no (no), this isn't real)
(Hmm)
(Oh no, this isn't real)
Here's a little secret
Here's the best part
This is gonna take me
Right back to the start
If I can't hear it
If it's out mind
Wait until it settles
Comes 'round a second time
I can feel it loom
Up into my head
It is in the room
Panicking in bed
I feel it coming on
Taking over view
Oh, please, not tonight
There's nothing I can do
This is bigger than me
This is in my fear
This is pitiful, yeah
I just disappear
Swells up all around me
Swallowed up inside
Sell me senses if it
Would make this subside
I can barely handle
I can pass the time
Staring through the curtains
Up into the sky
Where there is no
Depth perception
Keep preoccupied
Self deception
Nobody recognizes
It doesn't have a name
My brother is infected
He's acting just the same
Screaming like a siren
Up and down the hall
He just wants to stop it
He wants to end it all
I am just a child
I am nothing more
Than the basic functions
I am running from
I curl up and wallow
My distortion
Everything is
Disproportioned
Suddenly I wake
All is back again
Everything is closer
More or less the same
And I can't hear it
It's way out of mind
I will just forget this
'Til the next time
The Naked and Famous's song Spank is a haunting reflection of personal struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the singer's internal battle as they try to keep their fears and anxieties at bay by suppressing and avoiding them. The opening lines "I don't remember the first time, but I think I survive, probably better not to try to recall 'Cause it feeds it, yeah, it keeps it alive" convey the idea that remembering traumatic experiences can lead to their resurgence and retraumatization. Despite this, the singer admits to having specific coping mechanisms that they rely on "day to day just to keep it at bay."
The chorus "This is gonna take me right back to the start, if I can't hear it, if it's out of mind, wait until it settles, comes 'round a second time" highlights the cyclical nature of anxiety, which can often feel like it's never really gone and just waiting to resurface. The bridge, which delves into the overwhelming experience of a panic attack, builds upon the song's theme of internal turmoil. The repetition of "I can feel it loom, up into my head, it is in the room, panicking in bed," creates an atmosphere of intense anxiety and the feeling of something inexplicable taking over. The song ends on a sad but hopeful note, as the singer acknowledges their limitations in dealing with their anxiety but resolves to cope until the next time.
Overall, Spank is a poignant and introspective song that delves into the complex and often misunderstood topic of anxiety and panic attacks.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't remember the first time
The singer does not recall the first instance this fear-inducing thought emerged
But I think I survive
The singer implies that they've managed to survive the recurrent fear-inducing thoughts over time
Probably better not to try to recall
The fear-inducing thought's persistence makes it better for the singer not to recall in detail
'Cause it feeds it, yeah, it keeps it alive
Recalling in detail feeds and possibly intensifies the fear-inducing thought
There're specific things
There are certain things
Tthat I have to do
The singer has to take specific actions
Day to day just to keep it at bay
These actions are done daily to keep the fear-inducing thought at bay
You wouldn't believe if you knew
The actions needed to keep the fear-inducing thought at bay are peculiar and hard to believe if mentioned
(Oh no, this isn't real)
The singer dismisses the fear-inducing thought with the phrase
Here's a little secret
The singer discloses a secret
Here's the best part
The singer sets up listeners for the good part
This is gonna take me
This thought or action is taking over the singer
Right back to the start
The thought or action takes the singer back to square one
If I can't hear it
If the fear-inducing thought is not audible
If it's out of mind
If the fear-inducing thought is not at the singer's conscious thought level
Wait until it settles
Wait for the fear-inducing thought to settle down
Comes 'round a second time
The singer expects a future recurrence of the fear-inducing thought
I can feel it loom
The singer senses the fear-inducing thought coming
Up into my head
The thought is beginning to occupy the singer's headspace
It is in the room
The fear-inducing thought feels like it is all over the room
Panicking in bed
The singer is anxious while lying down in bed
I feel it coming on
The singer senses the thought's escalation
Taking over view
The singer's attention is being hijacked by the fear-inducing thoughts
Oh, please, not tonight
The singer pleads with the thought not to resurface at this moment
There's nothing I can do
The singer feels helpless and unable to control the thought
This is bigger than me
The singer acknowledges that the thought's magnitude is beyond their control
This is in my fear
The singer admits that the fear is internal
This is pitiful, yeah
The singer describes the situation as pitiful and sad
I just disappear
The singer's might retreat psychologically during these thoughts
Swells up all around me
The thought's magnitude feels overwhelming
Swallowed up inside
The thought drowns the singer internally
Sell me senses if it
The singer would sell their senses
Would make this subside
If there was an escape from the thought, the singer could trade their senses
I can barely handle
The singer can only handle the situation with difficulty
I can pass the time
The singer can only manage time till the thought fades away
Staring through the curtains
The singer gazes past the curtains
Up into the sky
The singer looks up to the sky
Where there is no
Where there is no feeling or thought all around
Depth perception
Depth perception is non-existent
Keep preoccupied
The singer keeps themselves preoccupied as a coping mechanism
Self-deception
The singer boasts of self-deceiving tactics
Nobody recognizes
People don't quite understand
It doesn't have a name
The fear-inducing thought is an unnamed issue
My brother is infected
The singer suggests that the fear-inducing thought is present in their brother too
He's acting just the same
The brother's behavior in response to the thought is identical to the singer's
Screaming like a siren
The brother loudly expresses their reaction to the thought
Up and down the hall
The brother wanders up and down screaming in the house
He just wants to stop it
The brother just wants the thought to go away
He wants to end it all
The brother might desire an end to the situation
I am just a child
The singer is young and possibly lacks life experience
I am nothing more
The singer feels insignificant
Than the basic functions
The singer operates on basic levels of interaction
I am running from
The singer is trying to avoid
I curl up and wallow
The singer curls up and passively remains unhappy
My distortion
The singer's internal transform during these moments
Everything is
All around the singer
Disproportioned
The situation feels like too much to bear
Suddenly I wake
The singer wakes suddenly
All is back again
Things start to feel normal to the singer again
Everything is closer
The surroundings feel closer than before
More or less the same
The situation is relatively the same as before
And I can't hear it
The fear-inducing thought is not audible to the singer
It's way out of mind
The fear-inducing thought is not at the singer's conscious thought level
I will just forget this
The singer resolves to forget the situation
'Til the next time
Till the fear-inducing thought hits the singer again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AARON SHORT, ALISA XAYALITH, THOM POWERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind