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/
Blank Slate
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I fell off the chair and cracked open my head
Bees flew out and they flew up their skirts
'Cause they wanted to travel the world
I was home entertaining guests
When I fell off the chair and cracked open my head
Bees flew out and they flew up their skirts
But I keep it upstairs
Keep it upstairs for the grand finale
I keep it upstairs
Gonna be a blank slate
Gonna wear a white cape
But I keep it upstairs
Gonna jump out of a cake
With my heart on a string
Keep it upstairs, keep it upstairs, keep it upstairs
I go out looking in parked cars
For somebody famous to kidnap and love
Beat off the army with a tennis racket
I go out looking in parked cars
For somebody famous to kidnap and love
Beat off the army with a tennis racket
That's my whole plan
But I keep it upstairs
Keep it upstairs for the grand finale
I keep it upstairs
Gonna be a blank slate
Gonna wear a white cape
But I keep it upstairs
Gonna tackle young girls
Off their beautiful bikes
But I keep it upstairs, keep it upstairs, keep it upstairs
Oh no, I thought I'd be by now
My head is a buzzing three-star hotel
Oh no, oh no, no, no, no no, no
But I keep it upstairs
Keep it upstairs for the grand finale
I keep it upstairs
Gonna be a blank slate
Gonna wear a white cape
But I keep it upstairs
Gonna jump out of a cake
With my heart on a string
Keep it upstairs, keep it upstairs, keep it upstairs
Oh no, I thought I'd be by now
My head is a buzzing three-star hotel
Oh no, oh no, no, no, no no, no, no, no
Oh no, I thought I'd be by now
My head is a buzzing three-star hotel
Oh no, oh no, no, no, no no, no, no, no
The National's "Blank Slate" is a perplexing song that is open for interpretation, but on the surface, it feels like the musings of a person who feels stuck in life, unable to move forward. The opening lines, "I was home entertaining guests, when I fell off the chair and cracked open my head, bees flew out and they flew up their skirts 'cause they wanted to travel the world" seems like a bizarre image, but it could reflect the chaos of life, with events happening unexpectedly, and the desire to break free from the norm represented by the bees that want to "travel the world."
The chorus "Gonna be a blank slate, gonna wear a white cape, but I keep it upstairs, gonna jump out of a cake, with my heart on a string, keep it upstairs, keep it upstairs, keep it upstairs" could depict the desire for reinvention or creating a new identity or persona, but the phrase "keep it upstairs" could signify something that is still in the planning stages or is merely an idea in the singer's head. The second verse, "I go out looking in parked cars for somebody famous to kidnap and love, beat off the army with a tennis racket, that's my whole plan" could be a commentary on the individual's fascination with the media and the desire to be part of that world, but the latter part of the sentence could represent the futility of such a desire, if only armed with a tennis racket.
The last lines, "Oh no, I thought I'd be by now, my head is a buzzing three-star hotel" could conclude that the individual hasn't achieved what they set out to do, and there's a sense of frustration at one's inability to make progress. Overall, "Blank Slate" showcases The National's exceptional songwriting craft, evocative yet cryptic lyrics that allow the listener to explore multiple interpretations.
Line by Line Meaning
I was home entertaining guests
The singer was hosting people in their house.
When I fell off the chair and cracked open my head
During the event, the singer had an accident and injured themselves.
Bees flew out and they flew up their skirts
As a result of the fall, bees came out and flew under the guests' skirts.
'Cause they wanted to travel the world
The bees came out to explore and travel, like tourists.
But I keep it upstairs
The artist keeps something important and interesting upstairs.
Keep it upstairs for the grand finale
They are saving the important thing for a big, exciting moment.
Gonna be a blank slate
The singer wants to start fresh and erase their past.
Gonna wear a white cape
They want to appear pure and innocent like a superhero.
Gonna jump out of a cake
The artist plans to do something unexpected and surprising.
With my heart on a string
They will do this with their emotions and passion on display.
Gonna tackle young girls off their beautiful bikes
In another odd plan, the singer wants to hurt and stop young women.
Oh no, I thought I'd be by now
The artist is disappointed in where their life is at the moment.
My head is a buzzing three-star hotel
The singer's mind is a noisy and crowded place, like a hotel.
That's my whole plan
The singer doesn't have a well-thought-out plan, this is all they have.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: AARON B. DESSNER, MATTHEW D. BERNINGER, SCOTT D. DEVENDORF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind