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/
Murder Me Rachael
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw my love with pretty boy
Murder me Rachael I made a mistake
I loved her to ribbons
I loved her to ribbons
Murder me Rachael I made a mistake
Murder me Rachael
I saw my love with pretty boy
I saw my love with pretty boy
So say goodbye to pretty boy
Just say goodbye to pretty boy
Her pretty little ribbons
Her pretty little name
Sew it in my skin
Never go away
Her pretty little ribbons
Her pretty little name
I sew it in my skin
Never go away
I saw my love with pretty boy
I saw my love with pretty boy
So say goodbye to pretty boy
Just say goodbye to pretty boy
Tomorrow won't be pretty
Tomorrow won't be pretty
Love her to ribbons
Love her to ribbons
Love her to ribbons
Love her to ribbons
Love her to ribbons
Love her to ribbons
Love her to ribbons
Love her to ribbons
The lyrics to Murder Me Rachael by The National describe the intense jealousy and regret felt by the singer as they witness their love with another man, referred to as "pretty boy" throughout the song. The repetition of "I saw my love with pretty boy" emphasizes the pain and desperation felt by the singer as they try to come to terms with their lover's infidelity. The song takes a dark turn as the singer begs for their own murder by Rachael, admitting that they "loved her to ribbons" and can't bear the thought of losing her.
The lyrics' obsession with pretty boy and Rachael suggest a deeper level of vulnerability and insecurity in the singer. They see themselves as unworthy of their lover's affection, willing to self-destruct rather than confront the reality of their relationship. The imagery of sewing ribbons and Rachael's name into the singer's skin adds a disturbing layer to the song's already intense emotions.
Overall, Murder Me Rachael is a haunting portrayal of a troubled romance, exploring themes of jealousy, obsession, and self-destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw my love with pretty boy
The singer witnessed their significant other with somebody else.
Murder me Rachael I made a mistake
The singer feels regretful and is asking Rachael to end their life.
I loved her to ribbons
The singer loved their significant other deeply.
Murder me Rachael
The artist continues to ask Rachael to kill them.
So say goodbye to pretty boy
The artist is telling their significant other to end things with the other person.
Her pretty little ribbons
The singer is reminiscing on the beauty of their significant other's personal belongings.
Her pretty little name
The singer recalls their significant other's name, which they hold dear.
Sew it in my skin
The artist desires to keep their significant other close to them forever.
Never go away
The artist never wants to lose their beloved.
Tomorrow won't be pretty
The future looks bleak and hopeless for the artist.
Love her to ribbons
The singer repeats their intense love for their significant other.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aaron Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, Bryce Dessner, Matthew D. Berninger, Scott D. Devendorf
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind