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/
Squalor Victoria
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a professional in my beloved white shirt
Underline everything
I'm a professional in my beloved white shirt
I'm going down among the saints
Raise our heavenly glasses to the heavens
Squalor Victoria
Raise our heavenly glasses to the heavens
Squalor Victoria
Squalor Victoria
Out of my league, I have birds in my sleeves
And I wanna rush in with the fools
Out of my league, I have birds in my sleeves
And I wanna rush in with the fools
Raise our heavenly glasses to the heavens
Squalor Victoria
Squalor Victoria
Raise our heavenly glasses to the heavens
Squalor Victoria
Squalor Victoria
I'm going down among the saints
3:30 in the last night for you to save this
You're zoning out, zoning out, zoning out, zoning out
3:30 in the last night for you to save this
You're zoning out, zoning out, zoning out, zoning out
This isn't working, you, my middlebrow fuck up
The song "Squalor Victoria" by The National is a complex and intriguing piece of music with a range of possible interpretations. At first glance, the lyrics appear to be a collection of non-sequiturs or disconnected images that don't seem to make much sense. However, upon closer inspection, patterns and themes emerge that help to uncover the meaning behind the words.
The opening lines of the song - "Underline everything / I'm a professional in my beloved white shirt" - introduce the idea of a person who is trying to present themselves as competent and in control. This theme is echoed throughout the song with lines like "Out of my league, I have birds in my sleeves / And I wanna rush in with the fools". These lyrics suggest that the singer is trying to hide their insecurities and present themselves as more successful than they really are.
The chorus - "Raise our heavenly glasses to the heavens / Squalor Victoria" - introduces the idea of contrast between the divine and the squalid. This contrast is further developed in the lines "I'm going down among the saints" and "3:30 in the last night for you to save this / You're zoning out, zoning out, zoning out, zoning out". These lyrics suggest a struggle between the desire for transcendence and the fear of being trapped in a mundane, ordinary life.
Overall, "Squalor Victoria" is a song that explores the tension between the desire for success and transcendence and the fear of being trapped in a life of squalor and mundanity. The lyrics are rich with imagery and metaphor, and the song rewards multiple listens as more and more layers are uncovered.
Line by Line Meaning
Underline everything
Take note of every detail
I'm a professional in my beloved white shirt
I am confident in my skill and ability.
I'm going down among the saints
I am heading into a difficult situation.
Raise our heavenly glasses to the heavens
Celebrate and be joyful.
Squalor Victoria
Express frustration with current circumstances.
Out of my league, I have birds in my sleeves
I am out of my comfort zone but still have a few tricks up my sleeve.
And I wanna rush in with the fools
I want to be bold and take a risk.
3:30 in the last night for you to save this
Time is running out to fix this situation.
You're zoning out, zoning out, zoning out, zoning out
You are losing focus and becoming distracted.
This isn't working, you, my middlebrow fuck up
This plan is failing and it is your fault.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BRYCE D. DESSNER, MATTHEW D. BERNINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind