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/
Bloodbuzz Ohio
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I lift my shirt up
Stand up straight at the foot of your love
I lift my shirt up
I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees
I'll never marry but Ohio don't remember me
I'll take it too far
Lay my head on the hood of your car
I'll take it too far
I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
I never thought about love when I thought about home
I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
The floors are falling out from everybody I know
I'm on a bloodbuzz
Yes I am
I'm on a blood, buzz
I'm on a bloodbuzz
God I am
I'm on a blood, buzz
I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees
I never married but Ohio don't remember me
I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
I never thought about love when I thought about home
I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
The floors are falling out from everybody I know
I'm on a bloodbuzz
Yes I am
I'm on a blood, buzz
I'm on a bloodbuzz
God I am
I'm on a blood, buzz
The National's song "Bloodbuzz Ohio" is a melancholic ballad about disillusionment and displacement. The first two lines of the chorus, "I'm on a bloodbuzz, yes I am, I'm on a blood buzz, I'm on a bloodbuzz, God I am," suggest the singer is experiencing a buzzing sensation that can either be caused by a specific drug or a metaphorical rush of emotions. The singer then reflects on his life, seemingly consumed with regret and longing. He finds himself at the foot of his love, lifting his shirt up, as if to prove his worth. He then asks to lay his head on the hood of a car, suggesting the need for affection and tenderness. But he warns he'll take it too far, perhaps suggested that he is prone to self-destructive behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
Stand up straight at the foot of your love
I am submitting to the power and authority of my love interest.
I lift my shirt up
I am exposing myself and becoming vulnerable to this person.
I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees
I was swept away by a chaotic and unexpected force to a place that is not significant to me.
I'll never marry but Ohio don't remember me
I have no intention of settling down and Ohio, despite being the place I was taken to, has no lasting memory of me or impact on my life.
Lay my head on the hood of your car
I am seeking comfort and safety in this person's presence.
I'll take it too far
I have a tendency to push boundaries, to the point where it may become harmful or dangerous.
I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
I am trapped in a cycle of debt and financial insecurity.
I never thought about love when I thought about home
My concept of home does not include love or emotional attachment.
The floors are falling out from everybody I know
My relationships are failing and crumbling around me.
I'm on a bloodbuzz
I am experiencing a powerful and possibly destructive sensation.
Yes I am
This is a definitive statement of my current state.
I'm on a blood, buzz
I am feeling the rush and high of something intense and thrilling.
God I am
This feeling is consuming me and may be something beyond my control or understanding.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Matthew Donald Berninger, Aaron Brooking Dessner, Padma Newsome
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@harveyjones1245
Stand up straight at the foot of your love
I lift my shirt up
Stand up straight at the foot of your love
I lift my shirt up
I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees
I never married but Ohio don't remember me
Lay my head on the hood of your car
I take it too far
Lay my head on the hood of your car
I take it too far
I still owe money to the money, to the money I owe
I never thought about love when I thought about home
I still owe money to the money, to the money I owe
The floors are falling out from everybody I know
I'm on a blood buzz, yes, I am
I'm on a blood buzz
I'm on a blood buzz, God, I am
I'm on a blood buzz
I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees
I never married but Ohio don't remember me
I still owe money to the money, to the money I owe
I never thought about love when I thought about home
I still owe money to the money, to the money I owe
The floors are falling out from everybody I know
I'm on a blood buzz, yes, I am
I'm on a blood buzz
I'm on a blood buzz, God, I am
I'm on a blood buzz
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Aaron Brooking Dessner / Padma Newsome / Matthew D Berninge
@briva
13 years later, still one of my fav songs
@anitradenise
same. it makes me feel glad to be alive.
@jacksmith-ks3pz
its brilliant
@MissKiwikitty
It’s magical
@milojones7053
I take it too far 🎉
@meesterskullbaby
Roadmap of my personal heartache
@violetbowie4567
i discovered this song in early 2020. it was very soon after i met my now-husband. at the time, he was at the end of an abusive relationship, and for some reason, when i listened to this song in all its melancholy, i thought about him. so i listened to it over and over. eventually, after a few months of talking, he recommended more of the national's songs to me (the geese of beverly road, for example). they became one of my favorite bands as quickly as he became one of my favorite people.
now we get to see them together live, and i'm wondering if my life is a dream <3
the magic of music, i swear...
@bukowski20
This song could make someone who's never been to Ohio, miss Ohio.
@CyanoticFuture
I was born and raised in Ohio and still live here, and this song makes me miss Ohio...
@foxopossum
Lol