Carl Newman, who writes most of the band's material, has said, "When I seriously started to try to write songs, my main influences were, like, Burt Bacharach, Jim Webb, and Brian Wilson. Those were the guys I kinda looked at their music and went, 'What the hell are they doing here?' I was just fascinated by the structures and the harmonics."
The melody of the first and eponymous track on their second album Electric Version, for instance, begins with an arpeggiated diminished triad --- a rare and strange opening flourish for a pop song.
The band have released a series of well-received albums: Mass Romantic (2000), Electric Version (2003), Twin Cinema (2005), Challengers (2007), Together (2010), Brill Bruisers (2014) and Whiteout Conditions (2017). In 2019 they released In the Morse Code of Brake Lights.
The band members include:
- Carl Newman - vocals, guitar, ebow, synthesizer, harmonica, pump organ, xylophone
- Dan Bejar - vocals, guitar, synthesizer, melodion
- Kathryn Calder - vocals, piano
- Neko Case - vocals, tambourine
- John Collins - bass, guitar, synthesizer, ebow, vocals
- Kurt Dahle - drums, percussion, vocals
- Todd Fancey - guitar
- Blaine Thurier - synthesizer
The New Pornographers are frequently referred to as an indie supergroup because of the following members' associations:
- Carl Newman, solo artist (as A.C. Newman), also of Superconductor and Zumpano
- Dan Bejar of Destroyer,Swan Lake and Vancouver Nights.
- Kathryn Calder of Immaculate Machine.
- Neko Case, solo artist, also of Maow and cub
- John Collins of The Evaporators
- Kurt Dahle of Limblifter and Age of Electric
- Todd Fancey of Fancey
- Blaine Thurier, independent filmmaker
Newman, however, doesn't care for the term: "I'm really tired of that supergroup label, and I wish people would stop using it. None of us were known at all outside of Canada --- I just don't think it's accurate."
The Bleeding Heart Show
The New Pornographers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where I had hidden myself somewhere in your charm
Our golden handshake has been smashed into this shape
It's taken magic to a primitive new place
Watch them run
Although it's
The minimum
Heroic
We hunched together in one chair out on the deck
In snow that froze and fell down on the modern set
It looked as if I picked your name out of a hat
Next thing you know you are asleep in someone's lap
Watch them run
Although it's
The minimum
Heroic
We quit the room
Quit so our thoughts could rest
Rest them, I'll never move
That's when we grab a hold
Of whatever it is we fell into
Lousy with your content
With what the majestic cannot find
In business of your lives
The perception, it is wrong, mile after mile
The phantom taste drinking wine from your heels
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived
The bleeding heart
The New Pornographers’s song “The Bleeding Heart Show” is a complex and enigmatic piece that, at a first glance, seems to describe a romantic encounter between two people. However, as the lyrics unfold, it becomes evident that the song is, in fact, a commentary on the human condition and the constant search for connection in a world that sometimes feels like it’s falling apart.
The song opens with the singer leaping into the arms of their lover, finding refuge in their charm. The “golden handshake” that once solidified their bond has been smashed into a primitive new shape, suggesting that something fundamental has changed. Despite this, they still cling to each other, even as they watch others run from the chaos around them. The second verse finds the lovers huddled together on a snowy deck, seemingly alone in a world that has left them behind. The singer picks the name of their lover out of a hat, suggesting that their bond was perhaps a fluke, a chance encounter that has blossomed into something meaningful.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that this connection is fleeting, more of an escape from the drudgery of day-to-day life than a lasting commitment. They quit the room and rest their thoughts, but there is always something lingering in the background, some phantom taste that cannot be defined or explained. The chorus tells us that they have arrived too late to play the bleeding heart show, a metaphor for a world that has moved on without them. They are like spectators at a carnival, watching the world pass them by, unable to keep up with the pace of change.
Overall, “The Bleeding Heart Show” is a poignant commentary on the human condition, a reminder that we are all searching for something more. It’s a song that urges us to hold tight to the connections we make, even as the world around us seems to be falling apart.
Line by Line Meaning
I leapt across three or four beds into your arms
I eagerly jumped from bed to bed until I could finally embrace you
Where I had hidden myself somewhere in your charm
I found solace in your charismatic presence and feel safe around you
Our golden handshake has been smashed into this shape
Our once strong relationship has been reduced to a distorted and unstable form
It's taken magic to a primitive new place
Our relationship has transformed into something primitive and raw that requires magic to fix
Watch them run
Observe as they flee
Although it's
Even though it is
The minimum
The bare minimum
Heroic
Seen as heroic
We hunched together in one chair out on the deck
We sat tightly together on a chair outside, bracing ourselves against the cold weather
In snow that froze and fell down on the modern set
The snow settled on the modern outdoor setting, freezing everything around us
It looked as if I picked your name out of a hat
It seemed arbitrary that I chose you as my partner
Next thing you know you are asleep in someone's lap
Suddenly you are dozing off in another person's lap
We quit the room
We vacated the room
Quit so our thoughts could rest
So that our minds could find peace
Rest them, I'll never move
Rest them, unmoving
That's when we grab a hold
This is when we seize
Of whatever it is we fell into
Whatever we stumbled upon
Lousy with your content
Satisfied with what you have done
With what the majestic cannot find
Something that cannot be found by great or royal people
In business of your lives
In your daily life
The perception, it is wrong, mile after mile
Your perception is flawed no matter how far you travel
The phantom taste drinking wine from your heels
A strange sensation of drinking wine from an imaginary glass held by your heel
We have arrived too late to play
We missed our opportunity to participate
The bleeding heart show
The display of intense emotion and drama
We have arrived
We are finally here
The bleeding heart
A person who displays raw emotion and sensitivity
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Carl Allan Newman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexanderrodriguez267
The Bleeding Heart Show
The New Pornographers
I leapt across three or four beds into your arms
Where I had hidden myself somewhere in your charm
Our golden handshake has been smashed into this shape
It's taken magic to a primitive new place
Watch them run
Although it's
The minimum
Heroic
We hunched together in one chair out on the deck
In snow that froze and fell down on the modern set
It looked as if I picked your name out of a hat
Next thing you know you are asleep in someone's lap
Watch them run
Although it's
The minimum
Heroic
We quit the room
Quit so our thoughts could rest
Rest them, I'll never move
That's when we grab a hold
Of whatever it is we fell into
Lousy with your content
With what the majestic cannot find
In business of your lives
The perception, it is wrong, mile after mile
The phantom taste drinking wine from your heels
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived
The bleeding heart
@anewsongpsalm333
The Bleeding Heart Show
I leapt across three or four beds into your arms
Where I had hidden myself somewhere in your charm
Our golden handshake has been smashed into this shape
It's taken magic to a primitive new place
Watch them run
Although it's
The minimum
Heroic
We hunched together in one chair out on the deck
In snow that froze and fell down on the modern set
It looked as if I picked your name out of a hat
Next thing you know you are asleep in someone's lap
Watch them run
Although it's
The minimum
Heroic
We quit the room
Quit so our thoughts could rest
Rest them, I'll never move
That's when we grab a hold
Of whatever it is we fell into
Lousy with your content
With what the majestic cannot find
In business of your lives
The perception, it is wrong, mile after mile
The phantom taste drinking wine from your heels
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived too late to play
The bleeding heart show
We have arrived
The bleeding heart
@declancunningham6849
My Dad passed away around a month ago now at only 51, and one of his best friends made a tribute video for him with this song playing whimsically in the background. I've seen it at least 5 times every day and break down every time I watch it. The New Pornographers were so dear to me and him, and for me being only 16 I think my big man put me on some pretty good shit when it comes to music. he used to see them live at least 5 times and finally got to take me at my birthday shortly before he was sent to the hospital. best concert of my life still to this day. To many more listens and tears shed to a song that has aged like wine...love you dad.
@clairehill9704
I'll never stop thinking this is one of the best songs ever written. Just perfect.
@ScottLahti
The propulsive build-up of the rhythm section after 2:30, a cathartic shift into high gear from all that has built up to it - the rolling harmony vocals just preceding it not least - is one of this incredible band's most joyously transcendent moments, which is saying something.
@elstotzo5643
Yes. All of it. Thanks for putting it in Words :)
@gregbiker3127
I love singing the wrong lyrics: "we have a right to love today ... the bleeding heart show." I couldn't stop crying at that concert with 2,000 people singing the end of this song. What an incredibly special band.
@notanother7396
just to say I love this comment.
Seeing them for the first time, soon.
@theporsa
@@notanother7396 yea that chorus is super fun when they play live. everyone joins in. Anyone going to see them in Seattle next month? Playing entirety of Mass Romantic (including Mystery Hours which I don't think they've ever done live) and Twin Cinema.
@capybara6996
Heard this song while watching the Blindspot series and fell in love with it immediately. Such beautiful harmonization.
@elizabethjolly2335
This whole song is incredible, but the drumming at the end is transcendent. Just blows me away every time. Best coda in a pop song ever.
@PykoPon_
This evokes such a feeling of childhood for me. I have no idea why but whenever I listen to this song I get a fuzzy feeling of nostalgia.