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/
Mr. November
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In my best clothes
Trying to think of you
This is nothing like it was in my room
In my best clothes
The English are waiting
And I don't know what to do
This is when I need you
The English are waiting
And I don't know what to do
In my best clothes
I'm the new blue blood, I'm the great white hope
I'm the new blue blood
I won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I'm Mr. November, I won't fuck us over
Won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I'm Mr. November, I won't fuck us over
I wish that I believed in fate
I wish I didn't sleep so late
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders
I'm the new blue blood, I'm the great white hope
I'm the new blue blood
I won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I'm Mr. November, I won't fuck us over
Won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I'm Mr. November, I won't fuck us over
I won't fuck us over, I won't fuck us over
I won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I wish that I believed in fate
I wish I didn't sleep so late
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders
I'm the new blue blood, I'm the great white hope
I'm the new blue blood
I won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I'm Mr. November, I won't fuck us over
The National's song "Mr. November" seems to be about the lead singer, Matt Berninger, feeling out of place and overwhelmed. The first verse includes the repetition of "in my best clothes," which implies that he's trying to put on a persona or facade to fit in or impress someone. The lines "The English are waiting, and I don't know what to do" suggest he's under pressure to perform or make a good impression for a foreign audience.
The chorus, which is repeated throughout the song, "I'm the new blue blood, I'm the great white hope," seems to be a sarcastic commentary on the expectations placed on him as a white man in a position of privilege or power. The line "I won't fuck us over" reinforces that he's under pressure to not make any mistakes or fail in his responsibilities.
The bridge, "I wish that I believed in fate, I wish I didn't sleep so late, I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders," seems to be a reflection on his past and the privileges he used to enjoy. The repetition of "I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders" could suggest a loss of that adulation and support.
Overall, the song seems to be about the pressures of living up to expectations, the desire for more authentic experiences, and a sense of nostalgia for a time when things were simpler.
Line by Line Meaning
This is nothing like it was in my room
The current situation is completely different from how I imagined it in my head while in my room.
In my best clothes
I am dressed in the best clothes I have.
Trying to think of you
I am attempting to think about you in this unfamiliar situation.
The English are waiting
The British audience is waiting for me.
And I don't know what to do
I am unsure of how to proceed in this circumstance.
This is when I need you
I realize now more than ever that I need your support.
I'm the new blue blood, I'm the great white hope
I am a newcomer of noble lineage, and the one who promises to be a champion for my people.
I won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I assure my people that my decisions will not harm us, as I am the one in charge.
Won't fuck us over, I'm Mr. November
I reiterate my promise to not harm us, as I am Mr. November.
I wish that I believed in fate
As what is happening to me is unexpected, I wish it was predetermined by destiny.
I wish I didn't sleep so late
I wish I was more productive with my time and didn't sleep excessively.
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders
I used to be celebrated, supported and carried by enthusiastic supporters.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aaron Brooking Dessner, Matthew D. Berninger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind