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/
Slow Show
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't pay attention to the sound of anyone
A little more stupid, a little more scared
Every minute, more unprepared
I made a mistake in my life today
Everything I love gets lost in the drawers
I want to start over, I want to be winning
I wanna hurry home to you
Put on a slow, dumb show for you and crack you up
So you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
God, I'm very, very frightened, I'll overdo it
Looking for somewhere to stand and stay
I leaned on the wall and the wall leaned away
Can I get a minute of not being nervous
And not thinking of my dick?
My leg is sparkles, my leg is pins
I better get my shit together, better gather my shit in
You could drive a car through my head in five minutes
From one side of it to the other
I wanna hurry home to you
Put on a slow, dumb show for you and crack you up
So you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
God, I'm very, very frightened, I'll overdo it
You know I dreamed about you
For twenty-nine years before I saw you
You know I dreamed about you
I missed you for, for twenty-nine years
You know I dreamed about you
For twenty-nine years before I saw you
You know I dreamed about you
I missed you for, for twenty-nine years
The lyrics to The National's song Slow Show touch upon themes of insecurity, anxiety, and the desire to connect with others. The opening lines depict a person standing at a punch table, unable to pay attention to the sound of anyone around them. They feel increasingly unprepared and overwhelmed by their own thoughts and actions. The singer admits to making a mistake in their life and feeling as though everything they love is lost in the drawers. The desire to start over and be perceived as a winner seems to consume them.
However, the chorus reveals that the singer's ultimate desire is to hurry home to their loved one and "put on a slow, dumb show" to make them laugh. They want to be able to connect on a deep emotional level and put on a performance that will allow them to be vulnerable with their partner. The repeated phrase "you know I dreamed about you" emphasizes the longing and desire for connection that permeates the song. The lyrics are introspective and emotional, with a sense of confessional honesty that is typical of The National's style.
Overall, Slow Show is a song that deals with personal insecurities and the search for connection with others. The singer struggles with feelings of inadequacy and anxiety, but ultimately finds solace in the idea of being able to connect with their partner on an emotional level. The repetition of certain phrases throughout the song emphasizes the cyclical nature of these feelings and the persistence of the desire for connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing at the punch table, swallowing punch
Feeling lost and disconnected at a party, trying to blend in by aimlessly drinking.
Can't pay attention to the sound of anyone
Too overwhelmed by inner anxieties to focus on the present conversations and noises around.
A little more stupid, a little more scared
Feeling increasingly inadequate and frightened as time goes by.
Every minute, more unprepared
Feeling increasingly unready and unsuited to face the challenges that the future holds.
I made a mistake in my life today
Regretting a recent decision that might have had long term consequences.
Everything I love gets lost in the drawers
A reflection on the inevitability of loss, how the things we cherish tend to disappear over time.
I want to start over, I want to be winning
Feeling the need for a fresh new start, with a sense of direction and a clear purpose.
Way out of sync from the beginning
Feeling that one has been out of pace and rhythm with the rest of the world since early on.
I wanna hurry home to you
Desperately wanting to leave the party and be with someone who understands and comforts.
Put on a slow, dumb show for you and crack you up
Fancying being entertaining, even if in a silly and slow way, to distract and amuse the person one cares for.
So you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
Desiring recognition and praise from one's loved one, for being able to make them happy.
God, I'm very, very frightened, I'll overdo it
Feeling the anxiety of not being good enough, and the fear of not being able to meet your partner's expectations.
Looking for somewhere to stand and stay
Feeling disoriented and homeless emotionally, wishing for a sense of belonging somewhere.
I leaned on the wall and the wall leaned away
Feeling rejected even by impersonal objects, as finding no support in the outside world.
Can I get a minute of not being nervous
Sincerely asking for a moment of peace and calm, without constantly worrying and overthinking.
And not thinking of my dick?
Questioning one's own sexual motives and whether they are getting in the way of genuine connections with others.
My leg is sparkles, my leg is pins
Feeling physically anxious and restless, with a sensation of pins and needles in the leg.
I better get my shit together, better gather my shit in
Aware of the need to take charge of one's own problems and put oneself together.
You could drive a car through my head in five minutes
Feeling overwhelmed by intrusive and racing thoughts, and the impossibility of controlling one's own mind.
From one side of it to the other
Implicitly referring to the intensity and density of one's thoughts.
You know I dreamed about you
Revealing the depth of one's affection for the beloved person.
For twenty-nine years before I saw you
Highlighting the longevity and persistence of one's love, which has stayed with them for a lifetime.
I missed you for, for twenty-nine years
Expressing the pain of having missed out on the love and companionship of the person one cares for, for decades.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Bryce David Dessner, Aaron Brooking Dessner, Matthew Donald Berninger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind