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/
U
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was in no mood
Drift away, and I could forget
I had only one last feather left
I wore it on the island of my head
I had only one thing to do
And I couldn't do it yet
You said love fills you up
It moves you from the scattered sin and pulls you around
I got it worse than anyone else
And I just can't find a way to forgive myself
I had only one thing left
And I couldn't see it yet
I have ordered to my heart every word I've said
You have no idea how hard I died when you left
If I yield to my trances
Will I get up close again?
I had only one thing to do
And I couldn't do it yet
I had only one thing left
And I couldn't see it yet
You had your soul with you
I was in no mood
You had your soul with you
I was in no mood
The National's song "U" is a contemplative and emotional piece exploring feelings of regret and self-forgiveness. The opening line "You had your soul with you" is a poignant acknowledgment of someone who is present in every way, spiritually and emotionally. However, the singer, who is in a poor emotional state, is unable to appreciate or reciprocate this connection.
The line "Drift away, and I could forget" implies that the singer is attempting to avoid or escape from their emotional pain. Perhaps they are still struggling to come to terms with a past event that has left them feeling guilty, as suggested by the line "I got it worse than anyone else, and I just can't find a way to forgive myself." They feel trapped in their own mind and unable to move on.
The phrase "I had only one thing left, and I couldn't see it yet" adds to the sense of hopelessness and suggests that while the singer may have a way out of their situation, they are unable to see it or put it into action. The repetition of the opening lines "You had your soul with you, I was in no mood," at the end of the song further emphasizes the disconnect between the singer and their emotional state.
Line by Line Meaning
You had your soul with you
You were true to yourself and confident in who you are.
I was in no mood
I wasn't emotionally prepared for what was to come.
Drift away, and I could forget
If I could just detach myself, I could let go of the pain and move on.
I had only one last feather left
I was barely holding on and running out of strength.
I wore it on the island of my head
My last bit of hope was tucked away inside my mind, isolated from the rest of the world.
I had only one thing to do
I had a specific goal in mind that I needed to accomplish.
And I couldn't do it yet
I wasn't ready or able to complete the task at hand.
You felt like heaven stood up with you
You were engulfed in feelings of bliss and positivity.
You said love fills you up
You believed that love can fill you with an overwhelming sense of joy.
It moves you from the scattered sin and pulls you around
Love can take you away from a place of chaos and bring you to a more grounded state.
I got it worse than anyone else
My situation was uniquely difficult and challenging.
And I just can't find a way to forgive myself
I'm struggling to come to terms with my own mistakes and faults.
I have ordered to my heart every word I've said
I've analyzed and understood the impact of every word that's come out of my mouth.
You have no idea how hard I died when you left
The pain of losing you was unbearable, it felt like a part of me had died.
If I yield to my trances
If I give into my emotional states of mind, which can be overwhelming.
Will I get up close again?
Will I ever be able to feel that moment of connection again?
You had your soul with you
You remained true to yourself and your values.
I was in no mood
I wasn't ready for the intensity of the situation.
Lyrics Β© MUSIC & MEDIA INT'L, INC., BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aaron Brooking Dessner, Bryce David Dessner, Carin Besser, Thomas Wayland Bartlett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@freddiesaa
You had your soul with you
I was in no mood
Drift away, and I could forget
I had only one last feather left
I wore it on the island of my head
I had only one thing to do
And I couldn't do it yet
You felt like heaven stood up with you
You said love fills you out
It moves you from the skeleton and pulls you around
I got in worse than anyone else
And I just can't find a way to forgive myself
I had only one thing left
And I couldn't see it yet
I have owed it to my heart, every word I've said
You have no idea how hard I died when you left
If I yield to my trances
Will I get up close again?
I had only one thing to do
And I couldn't do it yet
I had only one thing left
And I couldn't see it yet
You had your soul with you
I was in no mood
You had your soul with you
I was in no mood
@tombollox10
Every album has been the soundtrack to my life. The death of my brother, grief, travelling, marriage, children, dreams and the future. They are not a band to me. They are much more than music.
@MrJslebod
I'm right there with you .... Completely
@tragicallyhip4ever
They've really helped with my depression and other things in my life. I have the same feeling.
@vincentcurrie6258
There are dozens of us! Dozens!
@sjf4405
This comment right here, folks! They are making the soundtrack to our lives!!!
@mariasalsa1212
Same.
@fabiodello1994
Most unexpected album announcement ever. I love you, The National π₯
@aaronneumann7750
Ya know. Quite literally out of the blue.
@jaramoneja
Not really unexpected if you followed them closely :)
@MrJslebod
Yes! The best