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/
All the Wine
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Big wet bottle in my fist
Big wet rose in my teeth
I'm a perfect piece of ass
Like every Californian
So tall I take over the street
With high beams shining on my back
A wingspan unbelievable
And all the wine is all for me
And all the wine is all for me
And all the wine is all for me
I'm a birthday candle in a circle of black girls
God is on my side
'Cause I'm the child bride
I'm so sorry but the motorcade will have to go around me this time
'Cause God is on my side
And I'm the child bride
And all the wine is all for me
And all the wine is all for me
And all the wine is all for me
I carry the dollhouse, safe on my shoulders
Through the black city, night lights are on in the corners
And everyone's sleeping upstairs
All safe and sound
All safe and sound, I won't the let psychos around
All safe and sound, I won't let the psychos around
I'm in a state, I'm in a state
Nothing can touch us, my love
I'm in a state, I'm in a state
Nothing can touch us, my love
The National's song "All the Wine" is an introspective and self-mythologizing look at fame and its effects. The lyrics describe the singer as feeling invincible and larger than life, exemplified by the opening lines "I'm put together beautifully, big wet bottle in my fist, Big wet rose in my teeth. I'm a perfect piece of a**." The singer's self-importance is tied to their Californian identity, with references to their height and wingspan as making them a "festival" and a "parade." The chorus "And all the wine is all for me" serves as a mantra of self-indulgence, further highlighting the narcissistic qualities of the singer.
The second verse paints a picture of the singer's perceived innocence and purity, describing themselves as a "birthday candle in a circle of black girls" and the "child bride." The line "God is on my side" adds a religious, almost messianic element to the singer's portrayal of themselves, further enhancing their sense of invincibility. The final verse of the song adds a layer of darkness, describing the singer carrying a dollhouse through a city full of sleeping people, keeping them safe from "psychos" that might threaten them.
The song, while seemingly celebratory on the surface, ultimately serves as a commentary on the dangers of fame and the self-absorption that often comes with it. The singer's delusions of grandeur and god-like status are a warning against the corrosive effects of unchecked ego.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm put together beautifully
I am an attractive, well-constructed individual
Big wet bottle in my fist
I am holding a large, moist bottle of alcohol in my hand
Big wet rose in my teeth
I have a rose in my mouth, damp with the alcohol I have been drinking
I'm a perfect piece of ass
I am an ideal, sexually attractive individual
Like every Californian
I embody the ideal of beauty and success associated with California culture
So tall I take over the street
I am physically imposing, and draw attention to myself by my height
With high beams shining on my back
I am in the spotlight, with attention directed towards me
A wingspan unbelievable
I have an impressive stature or presence
I'm a festival, I'm a parade
I am a celebration, an embodiment of joy and excitement
And all the wine is all for me
I am indulging myself in alcohol, with no care for anyone else
I'm a birthday candle in a circle of black girls
I am a bright, shining presence surrounded by darkness, standing out from those around me
God is on my side
Divine forces are backing me up, making me invincible or untouchable
'Cause I'm the child bride
I am youthful and innocent, with a certain vulnerability at the same time as power
I'm so sorry but the motorcade will have to go around me this time
I will not yield to others or let them pass by me, challenging norms and authority
I carry the dollhouse, safe on my shoulders
I am protecting something precious and innocent, shielding it from harm
Through the black city, night lights are on in the corners
I move through darkness, but there are still glimmers of hope
And everyone's sleeping upstairs
While I move through the city, others are unaware or asleep to the dangers around them
All safe and sound
Everyone is protected from the dangers of the outside world
I won't the let psychos around
I will not allow dangerous or unpredictable forces to threaten the safety of myself or others
I'm in a state, I'm in a state
I am in a heightened emotional state, experiencing unusual or extreme feelings
Nothing can touch us, my love
Despite any external threats or challenges, we are protected and invulnerable as a couple
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aaron Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, Bryce Dessner, Matthew D. Berninger, Scott D. Devendorf
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind