The two dozen members often take to the stage costumed in flowing robes or military style uniforms, an appropriate backdrop for their happy and uplifting musical message that's a mix of catchy pop minimally laced with gospel. Fans have compared them to both the Flaming Lips and the Beach Boys, with a smidgen of lively Godspeed-like attitude thrown into the mix.
The Polyphonic Spree was founded by Tim DeLaughter, who led Dallas, Texas based alternative rock band Tripping Daisy (best known for their 1996 minor hit "I Got A Girl") until 1999, when Wes Berggren(founding member and guitarist) died of a drug overdose. Tripping Daisy posthumously released a self-titled record on Sugar Fix records and called it quits.
DeLaughter and other surviving members of Tripping Daisy regrouped as the Polyphonic Spree in 2000, adding about 20 more members. They put together a demo titled The Beginning Stages of...The Polyphonic Spree and distributed it to fans during performances. The album was subsequently released on DeLaughter's own imprint, Good Records and picked up by 679 Recordings.
The fluctuating group boasts a choir, a pair of keyboard players, as well as a percussionist, bassist, guitarist, flautist, trumpeter, trombonist, violinist, a French horn player, a theremin player, and an electronic effects wizard. DeLaughter holds the post of musical director and contributes lead vocals.
Tours require more than a dozen full-sized vans, but the band's spectacular shows in intimate clubs and gigs as big as 2003's Reading Festival generate the feeling of a gospel revival meeting. Single "Light and Day" was featured in Volkswagen commercials, an episode of Scrubs and on the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack, earning the Polyphonic Spree even more exposure. Their proper first album Together We're Heavy was released jointly by Good Records and Hollywood Records in summer 2004. New music was released in the form of the soundtrack for the film 'Thumbsucker' in 2005.
In the autumn of 2006, The Polyphonic Spree released the Wait EP, which features covers of Nirvana's "Lithium" and "Sonic Bloom" by DeLaughter's former band, Tripping Daisy. For the band's last album, The Fragile Army, (released June 2007) the entire band swapped their trademark robes for dark coloured military-style uniforms.
The return of The Polyphonic Spree was announced with the release of the 'Bullseye' App, an interactive music video which is a collaboration between The Polyphonic Spree and Moonbot Studios.
Lithium
The Polyphonic Spree Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've found my friends
They're in my head
I'm so ugly, but that's okay, cause so are you
We've broken our mirrors
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care
And I'm not scared
Light my candles in a daze
Hey, hey, hey
I'm so happy but that's okay I shaved my head
And I'm not sad
And just maybe I'm to blame for all I've heard
But I'm not sure
I'm so excited, I can't wait to meet you there
But I don't care
I'm so horny but that's okay
My will is good
Hey, hey, hey
I like it, I'm not gonna crack
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack
I love you, I'm not gonna crack
I killed you, I'm not gonna crack
I like it, I'm not gonna crack
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack
I love you, I'm not gonna crack
I killed you, I'm not gonna crack
I'm so happy 'cause today
I've found my friends,
They're in my head
I'm so ugly, that's okay, 'cause so are you,
Broke our mirrors
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care,
And I'm not scared
Light my candles in a daze
'Cause I've found god
Yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I like it, I'm not gonna crack
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack
I love you, I'm not gonna crack
I killed you, I'm not gonna crack
I like it, I'm not gonna crack
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack
I love you, I'm not gonna crack
I killed you, I'm not gonna crack
The Polyphonic Spree's song "Lithium" is a cover of a Nirvana song. The lyrics express conflicting emotions of happiness and sadness, love and hate, and life and death. The song opens with the singer's declaration of happiness from finding his friends, who are inside his head. He then states that he is ugly, but it's okay because his friends are also ugly. They have broken their mirrors and don't care for appearances. The singer announces his discovery of God and lights candles in a daze, overwhelmed by the experience.
The refrain follows where he declares that he likes it and won't crack, in various contexts like a declaration of love, hate, or killing. Even though he misses someone, loves them, or even killed them, he won't crack. The overall mood of the song is one of numbness, where the singer is isolating himself from the world and his emotions. The repeated "hey, hey, hey" in the verses could signify the singer trying to drown out the confusion and chaos he feels inside his head.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so happy because today
Today, I feel content with my existence
I've found my friends
I've discovered what brings me joy and peace of mind
They're in my head
It's a mental state that allows me to access happiness and comfort
I'm so ugly, but that's okay, cause so are you
Despite our flaws, we can find beauty in humanity and in ourselves
We've broken our mirrors
We've stopped seeing ourselves the way society wants us to and instead embrace our individuality
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care
Time is irrelevant as long as we're happy with our lives
And I'm not scared
I'm not afraid of what the future holds
Light my candles in a daze
I find comfort in small ritualistic acts
Cause I've found god
I've found meaning and purpose in life
Hey, hey, hey
An expression of joy and euphoria
I'm so happy but that's okay I shaved my head
I have a sense of newfound liberation regardless of society's norms and expectations
And I'm not sad
I don't feel weighed down by sadness or negativity
And just maybe I'm to blame for all I've heard
I acknowledge my mistakes and faults and how they've affected others
But I'm not sure
I'm still unsure about the extent of my responsibility towards others' perceptions of me
I'm so excited, I can't wait to meet you there
I eagerly anticipate and look forward to future possibilities and experiences
But I don't care
I'm not concerned about societal expectations and norms
I'm so horny but that's okay
I embrace my sexuality without feeling ashamed
My will is good
I have a strong sense of purpose and intention
I like it, I'm not gonna crack
I enjoy the current mental state I'm in, and won't succumb to pressure and negativity
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack
I acknowledge the past and the pain it brings, but won't let it consume me
I love you, I'm not gonna crack
I embrace love and am not afraid of vulnerability, even if it can hurt
I killed you, I'm not gonna crack
I may have caused harm or hurt to others, but won't let that define me or break me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kurt Cobain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lettherebelamp5102
You’re actually below the requirements for an ISDA...
@sirmatt9527
let there be lamp This makes us look bad, doesn’t it?
@LuckyDrD
This is so fucking disturbing.
I’m here for the same reason...
@konstantinosk.3691
@@sirmatt9527 Well.. it's not great. But keep up those returns and give us a call down the line, you know? OK?
@sirmatt9527
Niko Mycaasinishere who schedules a meeting at 4:50 in the afternoon
@konstantinosk.3691
@@sirmatt9527 I'm still young. I can do something with my life.
@MetalPoki87
great choice to whoever chosen this song for "the big short"!
@TAxelJones
I can literarily reference thi f 800 years M.I.A.
@cryptsub
This dude is G. A. F.
@dondavinci2183
Paused the movie and came straight here lol