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/
Bitters & Absolut
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your bottom lip is bleeding
I cut it on your collarbone
Go on, go back to sleep
Sugar, who were you thinking of?
You woke me with your breathing
Honey, how am I supposed to tell?
If I were a spy in the world inside your head
Would I be your wife in a better life you led?
Thought I saw you on the stairs
Of this american century
I went up through all the years
You were years ahead of me
Remember when you dipped your hand?
I never saw it coming
You took the wind out of me
If I were a spy in the world inside your head
Would I be your wife in the better life you led?
I'd do you better than you do
I'd do you better than you ever will
When I am on bitters and absolut
If I were a spy in the world inside your head
Would I be your wife in a better life you led?
I'd do you better than you do
I'd do you better than you ever will
When I am on bitters and absolut
The National's Bitters & Absolut is a hauntingly beautiful song that speaks about the subtle nuances of a relationship gone bad. The lyrics depict a conversation between two lovers who are on the verge of separating. The opening lines talk about the girl's bleeding bottom lip that was cut on his collarbone, indicating that there was some sort of physical altercation between the two. The next few lines speak about the boy waking up to her heavy breathing and her asking him who was on his mind. The lyrics here indicate that the girl has been sensing his emotional distance from her.
As the song progresses, the girl talks about how she once thought that she saw the boy on the stairs of the American Century and how he was years ahead of her. This line could be a reference to the emotional distance between the two or how the girl always felt like she was lagging behind him. The lyrics also talk about how the boy took the wind out of her when he dipped his hand, which could be a metaphor for him breaking her heart. The chorus talks about how the girl would have been the boy's ideal wife if she were a spy in his head and knew exactly what he wanted.
The last few lines of the song talk about how the girl could do the boy better than he could ever do himself when she is on "bitters and absolut." This reference to alcohol could indicate that the girl only feels empowered when she is drunk, and the boy cannot keep up with her when she is in that state. The song ends with a feeling of resignation and acceptance that the relationship is over.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweetie, you don't look so good
You appear to be in poor physical health, my love.
Your bottom lip is bleeding
You have a cut on your lower lip that is bleeding.
I cut it on your collarbone
I accidentally cut your lip while kissing your collarbone.
Go on, go back to sleep
You should go back to sleep and rest despite your injury.
Sugar, who were you thinking of?
Darling, who was on your mind when you woke up breathing heavily?
You woke me with your breathing
Your heavy breathing was what alerted me to the fact that you were awake.
Honey, how am I supposed to tell?
My love, how am I supposed to know the answer to your question?
If I were a spy in the world inside your head
Suppose I were a secret agent with access to the thoughts in your mind.
Would I be your wife in a better life you led?
Would I be your spouse if you had made different choices in your life?
Thought I saw you on the stairs
I had a vision of you walking up the stairs.
Of this american century
In this era of American history.
I went up through all the years
I traveled through all the past years in my mind.
You were years ahead of me
You were further along in your life journey than I was.
Remember when you dipped your hand?
Do you recall the time when you lowered your hand down to touch something?
I never saw it coming
I was unaware of what you were going to do until you did it.
You took the wind out of me
You surprised me so much that it left me feeling breathless.
I'd do you better than you do
I would take better care of you than you do of yourself.
I'd do you better than you ever will
I would give you greater care and attention than you could give yourself.
When I am on bitters and absolut
I become more confident and able to take care of you when I have consumed bitters and Absolut vodka.
If I were a spy in the world inside your head
Imagine if I could read your thoughts.
Would I be your wife in a better life you led?
Would I be your partner if you had made different choices in life?
I'd do you better than you do
I would care for you more than you do yourself.
I'd do you better than you ever will
I would care for you better than you are capable of caring for yourself.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aaron Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, Matthew D. Berninger, Scott D. Devendorf
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind