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/
Son
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The window wrap around you
Carry from the ground
You will never be alone
You wait one turn to sunlight
That's falling on a girl
You're still outside the world
She's reading books from empty women
They're givin' beauty tips from empty hips
And how is the water of the rain
And how is the air of the wind
And how are the arms of your mother
She's holding you in
Watch them as they try to fly their kites inside their bedrooms
That were only built for drinking
Your thoughts they never lasted long when you were under the sky
Above it you can hold a thought forever
And how is the water of the rain
And how is the air of the wind
And how are the arms of your mother
She's holding you in
And how is the water of the rain
And how is the air of the wind
And how are the arms of your mother
She's holding you in
The National's song "Son" seems to be a song of guidance, perhaps from a father to his son. The first verse begins with the line "And if you follow me son," indicating that the singer is offering advice to someone they care about. The window wrapping around the son suggests the protection and safety that the singer wants to provide. The idea of carrying the son from the ground adds to this sense of protection, providing a sense of security and lifting them up from any negative influences.
The second verse describes a girl reading books from "empty women" who offer beauty tips from "empty hips." This line is likely a criticism of the unrealistic and shallow beauty standards that women are often expected to conform to. The singer may be cautioning their son to be wary of such unrealistic standards, and instead focus on more important things like the natural elements mentioned in the chorus: water, air, and the comfort of a mother's arms.
The final verse continues this theme of nature and freedom, with a description of people trying to fly kites inside their bedrooms when they were only built for drinking. This contrast between the expansive outdoors and the limitations of indoor spaces emphasizes the importance of embracing the natural world. The line "Your thoughts they never lasted long when you were under the sky / Above it you can hold a thought forever" suggests that being outside and connected to nature can provide a greater sense of perspective and clarity.
Overall, "Son" appears to be a song about protection, guidance, and the importance of staying grounded and connected to nature.
Line by Line Meaning
And if you follow me son
If you trust my lead, my child
The window wrap around you
The view outside envelops you
Carry from the ground
Lift you up from the mundane
You will never be alone
I will be always with you
You wait one turn to sunlight
You have to patiently wait for your chance to shine
That's falling on a girl
That's being enjoyed by someone else
You're still outside the world
You feel disconnected and excluded from reality
She's reading books from empty women
She's taking advice from those who have nothing to offer
They're givin' beauty tips from empty hips
Their advice is superficial and lacks substance
And how is the water of the rain
What is the quality of the world around us?
And how is the air of the wind
How does life and the world affect us?
And how are the arms of your mother
How does the love and care of a mother make us feel?
She's holding you in
She's providing comfort and protection
Watch them as they try to fly their kites inside their bedrooms
Observe people trying to achieve the impossible in an inappropriate or limiting environment
That were only built for drinking
That were not designed for anything else
Your thoughts they never lasted long when you were under the sky
You were easily distracted and couldn't focus on one idea under the vastness of the sky
Above it you can hold a thought forever
You can feel limitless and keep your thoughts for eternity under the same sky
And how is the water of the rain
Repeating the importance of the quality of the world around us
And how is the air of the wind
Repeating the importance of how life and the world affect us
And how are the arms of your mother
Repeating the importance of the love and care of a mother
She's holding you in
Repeating the importance of comfort and protection
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aaron Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, Jeff Salem, Matt Berninger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@snigdhodeepmukherjee5152
I have been a big big fan of this band for a while and came across this song just yesterday! Can't believe that I had no idea such an amazing song was out there !!
@angercaballero
¡Hombre, qué genial es este grupo!
@lost_potential22
Y si me sigues hijo La ventana te envuelve Llevar desde el suelo Nunca estarás solo Esperas un turno a la luz del sol Eso le cae a una chica Aún estás fuera del mundo Ella lee libros de mujeres vacías Son consejos de belleza de caderas vacías Y como es el agua de la lluvia Y como es el aire del viento Y como estan los brazos de tu madre Ella te está reteniendo Míralos mientras intentan volar sus cometas dentro de sus habitaciones Que solo fueron construidas para beber Tus pensamientos nunca duraron mucho cuando estabas bajo el cielo Por encima de eso puedes tener un pensamiento para siempre Y como es el agua de la lluvia Y como es el aire del viento Y como estan los brazos de tu madre Ella te está reteniendo Y como es el agua de la lluvia Y como es el aire del viento Y como estan los brazos de tu madre Ella te está reteniendo
@Seigge
love it!
@Bekayvd
Good song. Really love the National. It's funny to see the band members this young. The video itself could be a little more inspired though, it kind of looks like it was made in the middle of the nineties or something. :P
@DeathStigmata
This is song is so underrated and unknown it hurts...
@786Basil
Camilo Gallego Let's keep it a secret... the entire album
@Rheinholdo
👍👌.....einfach geil !!
@TalesfromtheCradle
Matt without grey hair makes me uncomfortable lol, such a long journey the band of brothers have been on.
@betholivia99
Ryan the different sounds and styles that they have produced on their albums really shows they’ve developed the band in a great way (in my opinion)