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/
Friend of Mine
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't call me back, John
Won't you come here and stay with me
Why don't you come here and stay with me
Hey, where the hell are you
You don't call me back, John
Won't you come here and stay with me
Show up here loaded with bells on your toes
I don't care what you're into
I'll put velvet ropes around you, if that's what you need
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
Oh, you gotta get out and get back to me
John, you gotta get out and get back to me
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
Oh, you gotta get out and get back to me
Take his limousine, you gotta get back to me
I'm getting nervous
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
No sign of a friend of mine
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Red hair and blue eyes
I'm getting nervous
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
No sign of a friend of mine
I was in a train under a river when I remembered what
What I wanted to tell you, man
What I wanted to tell you, man
I got two sets of headphones, I miss you like hell
Won't you come here and stay with me
Why don't you come here and stay with me
I'm getting nervous
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
No sign of a friend of mine
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Red hair and blue eyes
I'm getting nervous
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
No sign of a friend of mine
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
Oh, you gotta get out and get back to me
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
John, you gotta get out and get back to me
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
Fake a heart attack, you gotta get back to me
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
John, you gotta get out and get back to me
The National’s song “Friend of Mine” is a melancholic fragment of a conversation between two friends, in which the singer is pleading for his friend, John, to come back to him. The opening lines “Hey, where the hell are you? You don't call me back, John. Won't you come here and stay with me? Why don't you come here and stay with me?” suggests that John may have disappeared, or perhaps, he is avoiding his friend for some unknown reason. The chorus “no sign of a friend of mine” and repeated “na, na, na, na, na, na, na” emphasizes the loneliness and uncertainty that the singer feels, adding to the sense of anxiety and tension.
The second verse contains a sense of confusion, telling John to ignore the outside world's temptations and return to his friend. There is a line that says “I'll put velvet ropes around you if that's what you need,” which seems to allude to the notion of protection, something that John may need. The song continues with the singer expressing how nervous he is about John, and how he misses him a lot. There is a mention of “two sets of headphones” which could be a reference to the time they spent together, emphasizing the friendship and the need to maintain contact.
In summary, “Friend of Mine” is a sombre and emotional song that captures the feeling of losing a close friend. The lyrics hint at the idea of one friend going through a tough time and the other friend feeling helpless and worried about what is happening. It is a poignant reminder of the importance of friendship and how crucial it is to maintain those valuable connections.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, where the hell are you
Asking where the person is
You don't call me back, John
Complaining that they didn't respond
Won't you come here and stay with me
Inviting them to stay as a guest
Why don't you come here and stay with me
Repeating the invitation
Show up here loaded with bells on your toes
Suggesting the person come prepared to have fun
I don't care what you're into
Expressing acceptance of the person's interests
I'll put velvet ropes around you, if that's what you need
Willing to accommodate any needs for comfort
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
Questioning the person's judgment and calling the other person untrustworthy
Oh, you gotta get out and get back to me
Urging the person to leave the other person's influence and return
Take his limousine, you gotta get back to me
Offering transportation to return
I'm getting nervous
Expressing anxiety
No sign of a friend of mine
Worrying that the person hasn't arrived yet
Red hair and blue eyes
Providing a descriptive detail to identify the person
I was in a train under a river when I remembered what
Recalling a moment when he thought of something important to tell the person
What I wanted to tell you, man
Confirming that he has something important to say
I got two sets of headphones, I miss you like hell
Expressing strong longing and desire for the person's company
Why did you listen to that man, that man's a balloon
Repeating the questioning of judgment and calling the other person untrustworthy again
Fake a heart attack, you gotta get back to me
Offering an extreme suggestion to get the person's attention and return
John, you gotta get out and get back to me
Urging the person to leave the other person's influence and return again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: AARON B. DESSNER, MATTHEW D. BERNINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind