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/
Around The Bend
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you're a serious lady
Living off a teacup full of cherries
Nobody knows where you are living
Nobody knows where you are
Take a bath and get high through an apple
Wanted to cry but you can't when your laughing
Nobody knows where you are
You're so far around the bend
You're so far around the bend
I'll run through a thousand parties
I'll run through a million bars
Nobody knows where you are living
Nobody knows where you are
You've been humming and I think it's forever
Praying for pavement to get back together
Nobody knows where you are living
Nobody knows where you are
You're so far around the bend
You're so far around the bend
There is no leaving New York
There is no leaving New York
There is no leaving New York
There is no leaving New York
There is no leaving New York
There is no leaving New York
The National's song "So Far Around the Bend" presents a melancholic, narrative tale that speaks of the struggle of loneliness and isolation. The opening lines of "Anything we should know of your change?" poses an intriguing question that sets the mood for the rest of the song. The second line, "I know you're a serious lady," reveals that the singer in the song is likely dealing with someone who is going through a significant event or transition. The image of "Living off a teacup full of cherries" adds to this sense of something unusual or perhapss even detached from reality.
The line "Nobody knows where you are living" emphasizes the theme of isolation and loneliness. It seems that the singer is struggling to connect with others and perhaps has intentionally isolated themselves from others. The song hints at possible ways to cope, such as taking a bath or getting high through an apple, but the underlying feeling is still one of disconnection from the world. The repeated lines of "You're so far around the bend" further reinforce the idea that the singer is struggling with their mental state and feeling untethered from others.
The final lines of the song, "There is no leaving New York," speak to both the literal sense that New York is a place where it can be challenging to escape from and to the idea that one's personal struggles and emotional baggage can follow them wherever they go. The song is ultimately about the difficulty of overcoming feelings of loneliness and isolation, and the realization that there is no easy way to escape these feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Anything we should know about your change?
Is there anything we should be aware of regarding the changes you've made?
I know you're a serious lady
I understand you are a serious person
Living off a teacup full of cherries
You are making a meager living off of very little
Nobody knows where you are living
No one knows your current location
Nobody knows where you are
No one knows your whereabouts
Take a bath and get high through an apple
Relax and enjoy the moment in an unusual way
Wanted to cry but you can't when your laughing
Feeling conflicted and unable to express true emotions
You're so far around the bend
You are very different from others
I'll run through a thousand parties
I will attend many social gatherings
I'll run through a million bars
I will visit countless bars
You've been humming and I think it's forever
You've been doing something for a long time and show no signs of stopping
Praying for pavement to get back together
Hoping for things to return to the way they were
There is no leaving New York
Once you're in New York, it's hard to leave
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Matthew Donald Berninger, Aaron Brooking Dessner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SirYacob
Seeing the National live really was one of the best moments of my life.
@THATNIALL
This song is the best use of a flute since that summer I spent at Band Camp
@ThePigeon5734
*raised eyebrow*
wut
@rebeccabosworth-clemens8226
Flute AND clarinet!! 😁🤓 hooray we’ve made it
@kevinfinnegan1
This is the best song national has ever made in my opinion
@kihmsanders9205
Ethereal and quirky, a carefree four minute lark. "Praying for Pavement to get back together" - ah, aren't we all?
@hasefuchs
100% they are the best life act i have ever seen. I love that they wast themselfs performing, they give all they have. its the most honest show and worth it and more.
@000colourful000
"Take a bath and get high through an apple Wanted to cry but you cant when you're laughin" I think this is my favourite line of all time. This song makes me want to get drunk on the beach at night and dance under the stars...
@yangamahlati467
i heard this song for the 1st time on the trailer of the movie "charlie st cloud" ... Iv been so hooked on this band music ever since
@erreugeto
That trailer had killer music