In their native South Africa, there’s no rock band bigger than The Parloton… Read Full Bio ↴In their native South Africa, there’s no rock band bigger than The Parlotones. The Johannesburg-bred quartet have headlined the 20,000-seater Coca Cola Dome in their hometown in 2009, performed at the World Cup Kickoff Concert to an audience of a billion in 2010, and were handpicked by Coldplay to open the British band’s stadium shows in Johannesburg and Cape Town in 2011. Also last year, The Parlotones staged an original rock theater production, Dragonflies and Astronauts, which was broadcast live around the world in 3D via DIRECTV and in 2D on Facebook. (The 3D broadcast was so well received Stateside that the satellite provider scheduled 100 re-airings, while more than half of the worldwide viewership on Facebook hailed from the U.S.) Dragonflies and Astronauts wove a narrative through the band’s catalog, including 16 songs that were Top 40 hits in South Africa.

The Parlotones’ three studio albums —2005’s Radiocontrolledrobot, 2007’s A World Next Door To Yours, and 2009’s Stardust Galaxies, have racked up numerous platinum and gold certifications and South African Music Awards, while their three live CD/DVD packages (culminating in 2010’s Live Design) have cemented their reputation as a fiery force to be reckoned with onstage. Confronted with the sight of powerfully expressive frontman Kahn Morbee leading the band — which also includes guitarist Paul Hodgson, bassist Glen Hodgson, and drummer Neil Pauw — to soaring emotional heights during their Fall 2011 club tour of the U.S., the Boston Herald predicted that “The Parlotones could become huge here. Killers huge, Muse huge, Coldplay huge.” Filter magazine reckoned that “their earnestness, work ethic, and charm may be their biggest weapons.”

Those qualities will serve The Parlotones well in 2012 as they prepare to expand their loyal fanbase beyond South Africa and Europe (where they also have a devoted following) to the United States with the release of their new album Journey Through the Shadows, via their own Sovereign Entertainment label, on May 8th. “America dictates trends around the world,” Morbee says. “If you’re big there, the rest of the world listens. It has a ripple effect. We would be very proud to achieve success in the U.S. because very few artists from our country have managed it. I think for a long time, South Africans have had an inferiority complex in terms of our place in the world and our relative insignificance compared to the super powers. It would be nice to have a success story, especially in a nation that needs uplifting, and instill in folks back home that ‘can do’ belief.”

To achieve their goal, The Parlotones have crafted the kind of melody-minded arena-filling songs that transcend language and culture barriers on Journey Through The Shadows. First single “Save Your Best Bits,” with its theme of not allowing negative things from the past to affect the good parts of your soul, and the celebratory “I Am Alive” are about catharsis. They chase those moments of universal human experience when everyone in the room is uplifted by a shared emotion. “My goal is to connect with people across the world, and I think the human condition is very similar regardless of where you are,” Morbee says. “I think the theme of these songs is hope and that life is worth living regardless of its ups and downs.”

That theme informs the album’s title, Journey Through The Shadows, which, Morbee explains, is a metaphor for the human experience. “You’re not given a guidebook or map at birth that guarantees the smoothest path,” he says. “Ultimately, we all walk through with a candle that only allows us to see so far in front of ourselves. You never know what’s around the corner, so it’s an analogy for life.”

In keeping with The Parlotones’ big themes are big ideals. Ever since these four school friends formed the band in the Johannesburg suburb of Roodepoort in the late ’90s they have always aspired not only to have fun making music, but also to give back to their community. Over the years, they have raised funds and awareness for a variety of social and environmental organizations, lending their high profile to initiatives such as Live Earth, Earth Hour, The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s Carbon Free campaign, Nelson Mandela’s 46664, and Live Earth’s Run for Water, among others. They are also ambassadors for the anti-poaching organization Rhino Force, United Against Malaria, and several other non-profits that combat problems that acutely affect South Africa. In March 2012, they will join with Africa Unites for a climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise global awareness about ending violence against women and girls in Africa. The band sees the music and the activism, as well as their other creative business endeavors (the band has its own boutique wine label, which has released three highly successful blends) as one and the same: methods of expression, communication, and connection.

“People in the public eye have the ability to spread a message very quickly and effectively,” Morbee says. “So we try to do so when it concerns issues we feel strongly about. But we never want to come across as a band that's preaching. All we're really doing is drawing attention to causes that we support. South Africa is our home and home to our families and our friends. We certainly want to make sure they have a bright future. If we can get involved and encourage people to get involved, it can only have positive effects.”

The Parlotones are excited to be representing their homeland and shining a spotlight on it in the process. “Every band dreams of making a living, touring, and having a large fan base around the world,” Morbee says. “Those were our aspirations from the beginning, but because the music market in South Africa wasn’t developed, they were very difficult to achieve. We had to pave our own way. For me the success is not in what we may eventually achieve but in actually taking the journey. Yes there's a lot of risk associated, but we’ve soaked up such a wealth of experiences that it makes it all worthwhile.”

Goodbyes
The Parlotones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sanarious sufflictions
Floating feathers in a rustic cage
Look out, look out superstitions
Pickkíng out splinters from our big bold eyes
Those hipsters running on their hamster wheels
Look out, look out condemnation

We started something good, but now it's got to end

Goodbyes are never easy
Caught up in the hype of our best devices
Goodbyes are never easy

Nastalgiac meanders, those pin up girls hanging on my teenage wall
Cling on, cling on to the memories
Fast forward life as youth subsides
The get-along gang becomes the fall-out-crowd
Look out, but embrace the changes
Speech bubble float above our heads like all those archie comics and their
innocent text
Look out, the loss of innocence

Wa started something good, but now it's got to end
Goodbyes are never easy
Caught up in the romance of our best intensions
Goodbyes, they're never easy

Caught up in the hype
Caught up in the romance
Caught up in who the hell cares

We're just gonna live our lives
Goodbyes, they're never easy

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Parlotones's song Goodbyes is a poignant reflection on the inevitability of change and how it can be difficult to let go of the past. The opening lines, "Sanarious sufflictions, floating feathers in a rustic cage," suggest a sense of entrapment or confinement, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for feeling stuck or trapped in a situation. The following lines, "Look out, look out superstitions, picking out splinters from our big bold eyes," suggest a need to break free from limiting beliefs or societal expectations that may be holding us back.

The chorus, "We started something good, but now it's got to end, Goodbyes are never easy, Caught up in the hype of our best devices, Goodbyes are never easy," speaks to the difficulty of saying goodbye to something that was once meaningful, but has run its course. The references to "hipsters running on their hamster wheels" and the "get-along gang becomes the fall-out-crowd" suggest a disillusionment with trends and cliques and a desire to move beyond them.

The second verse, with its nostalgic references to pin-up girls and childhood memories, further emphasizes the theme of letting go of the past. The lines, "Fast forward life as youth subsides, Speech bubble float above our heads like all those archie comics and their innocent text," suggests that the passage of time can be bittersweet, as we leave behind our innocence and experience the joys and sorrows of adulthood.

In summary, The Parlotones's song Goodbyes is a thoughtful exploration of the difficulty of letting go of the past and moving on, even when we know it's necessary for growth and progress.

Line by Line Meaning

Sanarious sufflictions
Difficult challenges and afflictions that we face

Floating feathers in a rustic cage
Feeling trapped and constrained despite the beauty around us

Look out, look out superstitions
Be careful of the irrational beliefs and fears that hold us back

Pickkíng out splinters from our big bold eyes
Acknowledging and working on our own flaws and shortcomings

Those hipsters running on their hamster wheels
People who are chasing trends and trying to fit in without purpose or meaning

Look out, look out condemnation
Beware of the judgment and criticism from others

We started something good, but now it's got to end
We had a positive experience, but it's time to move on

Goodbyes are never easy
Saying farewell is always difficult and emotional

Caught up in the hype of our best devices
Distracted by the excitement and novelty of our latest ideas

Nastalgiac meanders, those pin up girls hanging on my teenage wall
Remembering our past and the things that used to matter to us

Cling on, cling on to the memories
Holding onto our past experiences and cherishing them

Fast forward life as youth subsides
Life moves quickly and we must adapt as we grow older

The get-along gang becomes the fall-out-crowd
Our friendships and relationships change over time, sometimes leading to conflict or distance

Look out, but embrace the changes
Be aware of the changes happening around us, but accept and adapt to them

Speech bubble float above our heads like all those archie comics and their innocent text
Our thoughts and conversations are like the comic book characters - simple and innocent

Look out, the loss of innocence
Be prepared for the loss of our innocence as we grow up and face the world

Caught up in the romance of our best intensions
Feeling passionately about our goals and dreams

Caught up in who the hell cares
Not worrying about the opinions of others

We're just gonna live our lives
We will live our lives on our own terms

Goodbyes, they're never easy
Saying goodbye will always be difficult and emotional

Contributed by Tyler M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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