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/
Baby We’ll Be Fine
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For my boss to stop me in the hallway
Lay my head on his shoulder and say
Son, I've been hearing good things
I wake up without warning and go flying around the house
In my sauvignon fierce, freaking out
Take a forty-five minute shower and kiss the mirror
Baby, we'll be fine
All we gotta do is be brave and be kind
I put on an argyle sweater and put on a smile
I don't know how to do this
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm so sorry for everything
Baby, come over, I need entertaining
I had a stilted, pretending day
Lay me down and say something pretty
Lay me back down where I wanted to stay
Just say something perfect, something I can steal
Say, look at me
Baby, we'll be fine
All we've gotta do is be brave and be kind
I pull off your jeans, and you spill Jack and Coke in my collar
I melt like a witch and scream
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm so sorry for everything
The National's Baby We'll Be Fine, from their album Alligator, is a moody and introspective song that focuses on the singer's anxiety and insecurities. The lyrics explore the singer's internal struggle to find stability and meaning in his life. The song's opening lines demonstrate the singer's desperation for validation from his boss. The act of praying and hoping for recognition from his superior suggests that the singer is struggling in his job and likely feels like he is not doing a good enough job.
As the song progresses, the singer moves to other ways to find reassurance and validation. The chorus's refrain "Baby, we'll be fine / All we gotta do is be brave and be kind" highlights the sense of hope that the singer is searching for. The singer knows that the world can be a difficult place, but still believes that kindness and bravery can help overcome obstacles. The song's second verse focuses on the singer's struggles to feel confident in his appearance. The singer takes a forty-five-minute shower and kisses the mirror, hoping to find some sense of pride in his appearance.
The final part of the song shifts to a pleading love song, with the singer asking his lover for comfort and reassurance. The line "Lay me down and say something pretty / Lay me back down where I wanted to stay" speaks to the singer's desire to find peace and comfort. The final lines of the song express regret and apology, suggesting that the singer has hurt someone close to him by his insecurities and anxieties.
Line by Line Meaning
All night I lay on my pillow and pray
I spend the entire night praying for a sign from my boss to stop me and compliment me.
For my boss to stop me in the hallway
I wish my boss would stop me while passing through the hallway and talk good things about me.
Lay my head on his shoulder and say
I want to feel his comfort and hear him say good things about me.
Son, I've been hearing good things
Imagining my boss stopping me and saying that he has been hearing good things about me is my ultimate wish.
I wake up without warning and go flying around the house
I wake up suddenly and start wandering around the house nervously.
In my sauvignon fierce, freaking out
I am freaking out with anger and drinking sauvingnon to calm myself.
Take a forty-five minute shower and kiss the mirror
I spend forty-five minutes taking a shower and looking in the mirror while imagining myself in better situations.
And say, look at me
I try to lift myself up by praising myself and reminding myself how strong and capable I am.
Baby, we'll be fine
Despite everything, I try to reassure myself and my loved ones that we will come out of this situation okay.
All we gotta do is be brave and be kind
I believe that to overcome this situation, we must be courageous and compassionate in our actions.
I put on an argyle sweater and put on a smile
I try to present myself in a better manner by wearing a nice sweater and a smile despite how I feel inside.
I don't know how to do this
I feel at a loss and do not know how to handle my current situation.
I'm so sorry for everything
I feel guilty and responsible for everything that has happened and wish I could make it right.
Baby, come over, I need entertaining
I crave the presence of my loved ones and need them to help divert my attention from my problems.
I had a stilted, pretending day
I had a tough day trying to pretend that everything was okay when it really wasn't.
Lay me down and say something pretty
I want to be comforted and hear words of love and encouragement from my partner to feel better.
Lay me back down where I wanted to stay
I want to go back to the time where I was happy and carefree with my loved ones.
Just say something perfect, something I can steal
I want to hear the perfect words that can comfort me and give me strength to overcome my problems.
I pull off your jeans, and you spill jack and coke in my collar
While undressing my partner, he accidentally spills a drink on my shirt and we laugh it off.
I melt like a witch and scream
The intimacy between us is overwhelming, and I let out a scream of pleasure.
I'm so sorry for everything
Despite the moment of pleasure, I still feel guilty and responsible for everything that has happened in my life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: AARON B. DESSNER, MATTHEW D. BERNINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind