The Posies began as a set of informal home recordings by Stringfellow and Auer, but soon became a full-fledged band. Those early demos were released as the album Failure (1988). Mike Musburger and Rick Roberts joined soon after, allowing the band to play its first live shows in Seattle and Bellingham. The four then moved into a house in Seattle's University District. The band's first full album was their major-label début Dear 23 (1990). It was produced by John Leckie and features lush orchestrations for the songwriters' literate, clever, melodic pop with occasional hard-hitting guitars.
The Posies' guitars hit even harder on their third and fourth albums, 1993's Frosting On The Beater and 1996's Amazing Disgrace. These two albums are the band's most succesful and are still widely regarded as classics in indie rock and 'power pop'.
The band's rhythm section underwent many changes over the years. During the recording of 'Frosting', Roberts left and was replaced by Dave Fox. During the 1994 European tour, Musberger left (new bassist: Joe Howard a.k.a. Joe Skyward), whole Brian Young took over on drums
The 'Amazing Disgrace line-up' also recorded album #5, Success (1998), which failed commercially. The Posies went on hiatus while the members concentrated on outside projects, including solo albums (Stringfellow, Auer) and projects such as Lucky Me, Skyward and Chariot, while Brian Young played drums in Fountains of Wayne. From 1997 to 2001, there was only sporadic Posies activity, although two live albums saw the light of day: an 'electric' one (Alive Before The Iceberg, 1999) and an 'acoustic' one (In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In, 2000).
After a satisfying tour as a duo, Auer and Stringfellow brought the band back to active service, now with Darius Minwalla on drums and Matt Harris on bass. The new line-up recorded and released the studio albums Every Kind Of Light (2005) and the particularly well-received Blood/Candy (2010).
From 1993 onwards, Auer and Stringfellow also joined Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens as band members of 'power pop' legends Big Star, playing on many tours as well as the Big Star studio album, In Space (2005).
The years 2010-2016 were a particularly dark time for The Posies. Ayer and Stringfellow's association with Big Star came to an abrupt end when Alex Chilton died in 2010. The Posies' 2014 incarnation included Darius Minwalla on drums and Joe Skyward on bass, but disaster would strike: on May 21, 2015, Darius Minwalla died suddenly in his home in Vancouver, from unknown causes. On March 26th 2016, Joe Skyward passed away after a battle with cancer.
The Posies, however, re-emerged with a new album (their 8th), Solid States, set for an April 2016 release.
Fall Song
The Posies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I was feeling dirty till now
Now witness me silent
Now I've got over thirty
Good reasons to live
It's too nice to breathe
No longer I'm embarrassed
To have lungs like these
As summer's urges soon submerge
But beautiful to see
Is your reflection on me
Is your reflection on me
There's a spark in the air
The oxygen is burning
But we are safe
Returning from work
You know the names of every streetlight
By your mother's driveway
It's too nice to breathe
I know you're sick of the same skyline
And hate the evergreens
But someday they will fall
As their base is choked
By frightening worms
Whose blind organs can see
Your reflection on me
Your reflection on me
A glow is cast orange
On every single taxi
No one will ride
And when I am weary
The statue will ungrip me
And the leaves will die
It's too nice to breathe
I'm freer than the living
If that's what they're called
It's too nice to breathe ...
The opening lines "It's too nice to breathe, and I was feeling dirty till now” of The Posies Fall Song build up a sense of optimism blended with sarcasm. This can be seen clearly in the phrase "too nice to breathe" which is a play on the idea that the air is too thick to breathe. However, the singer is breathing fine and even feeling good. He then goes on to say that he previously felt “dirty” and was embarrassed to have lungs like these. This can be seen as a metaphor for feeling ashamed of your uniqueness or feeling out of place. The singer opens up saying he now has good reasons to live which emphasises a sense of hope that brightens up the overall perspective of the song.
The song's chorus, “Is your reflection on me, There's a spark in the air, But we are safe, It's too nice to breathe” describes the subtle, yet significant possessiveness the singer has towards their partner. He is grateful to have them in his life as his reflection is cast on them, and there is a glimmer of hope in the air. Additionally, the chorus speaks to feeling safe, but again, in a sarcastic tone. They acknowledge the spark in the air but takes it as a bad omen, but in the end, finding a sense of gratitude for it being too nice to breathe.
Overall, The Posies Fall Song expresses a sense of optimism and sarcasm blended in a beautiful, poetic manner. This song highlights the idea of living life freely while finding hope in the midst of struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
It's too nice to breathe
The singer enjoys the current moment and the air around them.
And I was feeling dirty till now
The singer was feeling unclean or guilty about something, but the nice weather has made them feel better.
Now witness me silent
The singer is now reserved and quiet.
Now I've got over thirty
The artist now has over 30 good reasons to live.
Good reasons to live
The artist has things in their life that make it worth living.
No longer I'm embarrassed
The singer is no longer ashamed or embarrassed of something.
To have lungs like these
The singer is no longer embarrassed or ashamed of their physical features.
In fall the sky is dark
During autumn, the sky is often darker due to changes in the season.
As summer's urges soon submerge
As the summer fades away, the desires or needs associated with that season are also disappearing.
But beautiful to see
Even though the sky is darker, there is still beauty to be found.
Is your reflection on me
The singer finds beauty in the reflection of someone they care about.
Is your reflection on me
The artist finds beauty in the reflection of someone they care about.
There's a spark in the air
There is an energy or excitement present in the atmosphere.
The oxygen is burning
There is a chemical reaction occurring that produces flames or fire.
But we are safe
Despite the presence of fire, the singer and those around them are not in danger.
Returning from work
The artist is coming back from a job or some other responsibility.
You know the names of every streetlight
The artist is very familiar with their surroundings and can identify individual streetlights by name.
By your mother's driveway
The singer is near or at the driveway belonging to someone's mother.
I know you're sick of the same skyline
The singer understands that someone is tired of seeing the same view or scenery every day.
And hate the evergreens
The person in question has a dislike or animosity towards evergreen trees.
But someday they will fall
At some point, the trees will no longer be standing upright.
As their base is choked
The trees will fall because the ground or area surrounding them is becoming unable to support their growth.
By frightening worms
The trees are being destroyed or affected by some type of worm species.
Whose blind organs can see
The worms are able to “see” or sense their surroundings, even though they don't have conventional eyes.
Your reflection on me
The singer finds beauty in the reflection of someone they care about.
Your reflection on me
The singer finds beauty in the reflection of someone they care about.
A glow is cast orange
There is an orange light or illumination present.
On every single taxi
Taxis are present and can be seen glowing with the orange light.
No one will ride
Despite the presence of functioning taxis, no one is using them as transportation.
And when I am weary
When the singer is tired or drained.
The statue will ungrip me
The singer believes that a nearby statue will somehow help them feel less exhausted.
And the leaves will die
The leaves on trees will eventually fall off and die because of the changing season.
It's too nice to breathe
The artist loves the current moment and the air around them.
I'm freer than the living
The artist feels more liberated and less restrained than other people who are currently alive.
If that's what they're called
The singer is questioning or doubting what to call “the living” and if that definition fits them.
It's too nice to breathe ...
The artist enjoys the current moment and the air around them.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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