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" is a song that explores the feeling of being lost and the need for comfort while dealing with the stress of adult life. The lyrics start with the singer praying for a recognition by his boss, hoping that he will hear good feedback. This hope is what fuels the singer's motivation to keep going. The following lines describe a typical morning for the singer where they feel overwhelmed and anxious, taking a forty-five-minute shower and finding temporary respite in the mirror. The chorus repeats like a mantra, feeling both hopeful and desperate, that all they need to do is be brave and kind, a reminder to treat themselves with compassion and not give up.
The next verse finds the singer apologizing for everything, showing a common feeling of shame even though nothing particularly wrong has occurred. The bridge welcomes someone to come over, needing company to distract him from a day of pretending to be content with their life. The singer asks to be laid down and have something nice said to them, anything to make them feel less alone. The second chorus repeats, followed by a sudden intimacy that is interrupted by a messy spill. And despite the clumsy moment, the singer apologizes once more, still unable to shake off the feeling of being a burden.
The song is a reflection on the struggles of being a modern adult, dealing with the pressure to succeed and social expectations while enduring the highs and lows of mental health. Despite the melancholic lyrics, the song remains hopeful, with the repeated message that all we need is to be kind and brave to overcome the challenges we face.
Line by Line Meaning
All night I lay on my pillow and pray
I spend my nights hoping for something good to happen in my life.
For my boss to stop me in the hallway
I wish my boss would acknowledge the hard work I'm doing.
Lay my head on his shoulder and say
I want my boss to comfort me and tell me that everything will be alright.
Son, I've been hearing good things
I want my boss to tell me that I'm doing a good job.
I wake up without warning and go flying around the house
I suddenly burst out of bed and move restlessly at home.
In my sauvignon fierce, freaking out
I feel strong and passionate, but at the same time, I'm extremely anxious.
Take a forty-five minute shower and kiss the mirror
I take a long shower, and in the process, I reflect on myself by kissing the mirror.
And say, look at me
I'm trying to convince myself that I'm good enough.
Baby, we'll be fine
I'm reassuring myself and my loved one(s) that things will work out eventually.
All we gotta do is be brave and be kind
We need to have courage and compassion to make it through tough times.
I put on an argyle sweater and put on a smile
I dress nicely and pretend to be happy even when I'm not feeling that way.
I don't know how to do this
I'm lost and confused about what to do next.
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm constantly apologizing for the mistakes I've made.
Baby, come over, I need entertaining
I want my loved one(s) to keep me company and make me laugh.
I had a stilted, pretending day
My day was artificial and fake, filled with pretenses.
Lay me down and say something pretty
I want someone to comfort me and say sweet things to me.
Lay me back down where I wanted to stay
I wish I could go back to a place where I felt safe and comfortable.
Just say something perfect, something I can steal
I want to hear something so beautiful that I can use it to comfort myself later.
I pull off your jeans, and you spill Jack and Coke in my collar
I'm being intimate with someone, but something goes wrong, and I end up getting messy.
I melt like a witch and scream
I'm so overwhelmed with emotion that I lose control and become irrational.
I'm so sorry for everything
I'm still apologizing for my mistakes.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: AARON B. DESSNER, MATTHEW D. BERNINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind