The National is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band formed in 1999, by friends… Read Full Bio ↴The National is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band formed in 1999, by friends from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The band's lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger in a distinctive, deep baritone. The rest of the band is composed of two pairs of brothers: Aaron Dessner (guitar, bass, keyboards), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums).

Their self-titled debut album"The National" (Brassland 2001) was recorded and released before they had played even a single show. They cut the album with engineer Nick Lloyd and formed a label with writer Alec Bemis, so those recordings could be released. Kerrang! magazine gave it four Ks, calling it "the stuff underground legends are made of."

The National made a second album, "Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers" (Brassland/Talitres 2003). The staff was the same, though Peter Katis, who produced "Turn on The Bright Lights" and "Antics" by Interpol, helped produce and mix, and Australian composer Padma Newsome from Clogs collaborated on arrangements and strings.

Following the first session of several for Bernard Lenoir on France's Radio Inter, an in-between EP was released, Cherry Tree, containing what would become the blueprint for the sound on their next record and the session of Sad Song's standout Murder Me Rachael. After these accolades and being impressed by their live show, Roger Trust signed them to Beggars Banquet.

A show at their favorite bar became a van ride to neighboring cities, became a plane ride to Europe, became two summers overseas. Their ties to those good jobs slackened. And they continue on their own path, moving out even further out in Brooklyn to Ditmas Park, where there is space and familiar suburban streets and even Geese on Beverly Road. Their album, "Alligator", much of which was recorded at their homes in Ditmas Park, was engineered by Paul Mahajan, who has worked with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio. Padma Newsome camped out for a month with the band, and Peter Katis added more production and mixed the record at his house in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Berninger's potent baritone still intones about matters fraught and funny and sad; about record collections, missing persons and medium-sized American hearts. But the record's not simply gothic or miserablist -- more like the plays of Tennessee Williams, it's full of peculiar intimacies and awkward grace. Alligator's heroes are reckless and possessed seducers, but they are apologetic ones. In The National's imaginings, in songs alternately lush and spare, there is something twighlit and dreamy worked out in the basement of our brains.

"Abel," "Secret Meeting," and "Lit Up" were released as singles.

On May 22, 2007, The National released their follow-up to Alligator, Boxer, on Beggars Banquet. Taking advantage of the fact that nobody had heard their first album and earliest demos, Matt proceeded to steal lyrics and melodies from them and give them the attention they deserved while keeping the intimacy that made them special. They even managed to convince new friend Sufjan Stevens to lay down some piano tracks for them, and recorded the album in a scant 6 months after coming off the long post-Alligator road.

"Mistaken for Strangers", "Fake Empire" and "Apartment Story" have been released as singles. The band have just finished touring North America and are on a large European autumn/winter tour after playing high slots at several large festivals. In their Dec. 07/Jan. 08 issue, Paste magazine named Boxer best record of 2007.

The band's fifth album, High Violet, was released on May 10, 2010 by 4AD Records. "Bloodbuzz Ohio", "Anyone's Ghost" and "Terrible Love" were released as singles.

In 2013 their sixth studio record Trouble Will Find Me was released and named "Best New Music" by Pitchfork. The album contained the single "I Need My Girl". In 2015, the album outtake "Sunshine On My Back" was released.

Four years after Trouble Will Find Me, marking the longest timespan between albums in their career so far, they released their seventh album Sleep Well Beast on September 8th, 2017 and were yet again met with great critical success.

The National homepage: http://www.americanmary.com/
The National blog http://tntl.tumblr.com
The National on Twitter http://twitter.com/TheNational
The National on Instagram http://instagram.com/TheNational
Brassland homepage: http://brassland.org/
Beggars Banquet homepage: http://www.beggars.com/

03- Slow Show
The National Lyrics

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Standing at the punch table, swallowing punch
Can't pay attention to the sound of anyone
A little more stupid, a little more scared
Every minute, more unprepared

I made a mistake in my life today
Everything I love gets lost in the drawers
I want to start over, I want to be winning

Way out of sync from the beginning

I wanna hurry home to you
Put on a slow, dumb show for you and crack you up
So you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
God, I'm very, very frightened, I?ll overdo it

Looking for somewhere to stand and stay
I leaned on the wall and the wall leaned away
Can I get a minute of not being nervous
And not thinking of my dick?

My leg is sparkles, my leg is pins
I better get my shit together, better gather my shit in
You could drive a car through my head in five minutes
From one side of it to the other

I wanna hurry home to you
Put on a slow, dumb show for you and crack you up
So you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
God, I'm very, very frightened, I?ll overdo it

You know I dreamed about you
For twenty-nine years before I saw you
You know I dreamed about you
I missed you for, for twenty-nine years

You know I dreamed about you
For twenty-nine years before I saw you

You know I dreamed about you
I missed you for, for twenty-nine years

Overall Meaning

The National’s song “Slow Show” describes one man’s anxious and awkward experience at a party. The singer stands at the punch table, feeling increasingly stupid, scared, and unprepared. He reflects on the mistakes he’s made in life and his tendency to lose the things he loves. He longs to start over and be more successful, but feels out of sync from the beginning.

The chorus reveals his desire to escape this situation and hurry home to his loved one. He wants to put on a “slow, dumb show” for her and crack her up. He is nervous, however, that he’ll overdo it and disappoint her. The second verse finds him looking for a place to stand and trying to manage his nerves. He is aware of his physical discomfort, with “sparkles” and “pins” in his leg, and he knows he needs to pull himself together.

Throughout the song, there is a sense of yearning and a desire for things to be different. Whether it’s the singer’s failed relationships, his social awkwardness, or his general feeling of being unprepared for life, there is a pervasive sense of longing for something more. The repeated refrain about dreaming and missing someone for 29 years adds to this feeling of nostalgia and regret.

Overall, “Slow Show” is a poignant reflection on the struggles of navigating adult life, relationships, and social situations. The singer is acutely aware of his shortcomings and limitations, but he is also hopeful that he can overcome them and connect with the person he loves.

Line by Line Meaning

Standing at the punch table, swallowing punch
I'm at a social gathering, but my mind is elsewhere. I'm drinking punch, but not really paying attention to anything else.

Can't pay attention to the sound of anyone
I'm so lost in my own thoughts that I'm not even trying to listen to anyone else.

A little more stupid, a little more scared
My anxiety is making me feel less intelligent and more afraid.

Every minute, more unprepared
As time goes on, I feel more and more like I'm not ready for whatever is going on around me.

I made a mistake in my life today
I did something wrong that I'm now regretting.

Everything I love gets lost in the drawers
Things that are important to me are forgotten or overlooked.

I want to start over, I want to be winning
I wish I could reset everything and do things right this time.

Way out of sync from the beginning
I feel like I've been out of step with everyone else from the very beginning.

I wanna hurry home to you
I want to be with someone I trust and feel comfortable around.

Put on a slow, dumb show for you and crack you up
I'm willing to act foolish and silly just to make you laugh and feel better.

So you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
I want you to recognize and praise me for the effort I'm putting in.

God, I'm very, very frightened, I'll overdo it
I'm scared of messing up or being rejected, so I might try too hard to impress you.

Looking for somewhere to stand and stay
I'm searching for a place where I can feel secure and grounded.

I leaned on the wall and the wall leaned away
Even physical support is evading me at this point.

Can I get a minute of not being nervous
I'm desperate for a break from feeling anxious all the time.

And not thinking of my dick?
I don't want to be distracted by sexual thoughts or impulses.

My leg is sparkles, my leg is pins
I'm experiencing physical sensations that are hard to describe, almost like my leg is on fire.

I better get my shit together, better gather my shit in
I need to pull myself together and focus on what's important.

You could drive a car through my head in five minutes
My thoughts are so scattered that it feels like there's enough room in my brain for a car to drive through.

From one side of it to the other
My thoughts are all over the place and I can't seem to rein them in.

You know I dreamed about you
I've been longing for someone like you, even before I met you.

For twenty-nine years before I saw you
This desire has been with me for a very long time.

I missed you for, for twenty-nine years
I've been feeling incomplete for almost three decades, and I think you might be the missing piece.

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: AARON B. DESSNER, BRYCE D. DESSNER, MATTHEW D. BERNINGER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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