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.
Song
The Posies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talking on the phone at night
You never tell me why
When it all goes down
And you know shit gets around
And rumors are true
I'll never have a friend quite as lovely again
And I'm not responsible for the ending that I know is inevitable
And I understand your hand-me-down towel
Yes, I understand you're happy now
Better to be happy than to never know
Well it pins me to
An exaggerated view --
Correct me if I'm wrong
And it's man's best friend
And the tin's empty again
Degrade yourself now
I never took a pill wasn't guaranteed to thrill
And I ought to know you standing up sober
I ought to know your black & white look
I ought to know just like your dad told you
I ought to know mistakes you mis... took
You can paint it black
You can use thickest shellac
And still be see-through
And with everything I say
I mean it in the best way
To have it be true
And it's not impossible
For a friend to heed the slack behind the pull
Yes, I understand you're happy now
And I understand your hand-me-down towel
Yes, I understand you're happy now
Better to be happy
And I ought to know you standing up sober
I ought to know your black and white look
I ought to know just like your dad told you
I ought to know mistakes you mis...
Yes, I understand you're happy now
Yes, I understand you're happy now
Yes, I understand you're happy now
Yes, I understand...
Better to be happy
Than to never know
The Posies's Song #1 is a reflective ballad about a friend who is going through a tough time but refuses to confide in the singer. The lyrics describe a phone conversation at night where the friend is crying, but won't reveal the reason for the tears. The singer expresses his frustration with the situation and his fear that the friendship will inevitably end. The chorus repeats the line "Yes, I understand you're happy now" suggesting the friend has moved on from the situation but leaving the singer behind in a state of emotional confusion. The second verse refers to drug and alcohol use and implies that the friend may be self-destructive. The song ends with the repeated line "Better to be happy than to never know."
The lyrics are open to interpretation as to what the friend is going through, but the underlying message is clear - as much as we want to help and support our friends, sometimes they need to find their own way and ultimately find happiness, even if that means leaving us behind. The singer acknowledges that the ending is inevitable and tries to make peace with the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
When I see you cry
When I witness you shedding tears
Talking on the phone at night
Having nighttime conversations over the phone
You never tell me why
You don't explain the reason behind your emotional state
When it all goes down
When things get bad or negative
And you know shit gets around
And you are aware that rumors spread easily
And rumors are true
And the rumors turn out to be accurate
I'll never have a friend quite as lovely again
I won't have a friend as amazing as you ever again
And I'm not responsible for the ending that I know is inevitable
I am not accountable for the unavoidable conclusion that I anticipate
Yes, I understand you're happy now
I acknowledge that you are content currently
And I understand your hand-me-down towel
I comprehend that you received a used and worn-out towel
Better to be happy than to never know
It's preferable to experience happiness than not to encounter it at all
Well it pins me to
An exaggerated view --
Correct me if I'm wrong
It constrains me to an overblown perspective--Please correct me if I'm mistaken
And it's man's best friend
And the tin's empty again
Degrade yourself now
And it's a dog's relationship closest to humans
And the container is once again depleted
Lower your worth now
I never took a pill wasn't guaranteed to thrill
And I ought to know you standing up sober
I ought to know your black & white look
I ought to know just like your dad told you
I ought to know mistakes you mis... took
I never consumed a tablet that didn't promise to elate
And I should perceive your demeanor while remaining uninebriated
I should be familiar with your appearance in monochrome
I should be mindful, like your father advised you
I should be conscious of the errors you committed...
You can paint it black
You can use thickest shellac
And still be see-through
You can darken it with color or protect it with a thick coating
And yet, it is still transparent
And with everything I say
I mean it in the best way
To have it be true
And I express myself with good intentions
To make it authentic
And it's not impossible
For a friend to heed the slack behind the pull
And it isn't infeasible
For a friend to notice the deficit behind the endeavor
Yes, I understand you're happy now
And I understand your hand-me-down towel
Better to be happy
Yes, I am aware that you are delighted at present
And I comprehend that you have a used and worn-out towel
It's preferable to be content
Than to never know
Than living without experiencing it
Yes, I understand you're happy now
Yes, I understand you're happy now
Yes, I understand you're happy now
Yes, I understand...
Yes, I acknowledge that you are joyful at present
Yes, I realize that you are pleased currently
Yes, I accept that you are content now
Yes, I comprehend...
Better to be happy
Than to never know
It's preferable to experience happiness than not to encounter it at all
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JONATHAN PAUL AUER, KEN STRINGFELLOW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Josh Porter
How these guys weren't bigger is completely beyond me. Both from having listened to them for nearly 3 decades and from having seen them on the 25th anniversary tour for this album. Easily one of the best concerts I have ever seen.
J Louis
This song was pretty big
Debby Frederick Esq
👍 I support! 🐝👸🏽
Jonathan Payeur
Power Pop. Not grunge. The album is stellar from start to finish. A real keeper.
Debby Frederick Esq
Hot!
Julian P
You can't be more 90's than this.
Debby Frederick Esq
💲
messrocks89
One of the greatest "drum" albums of all time! Mike is/was an unreal drummer. Love it
Legend City Music
I agree! the drumming on this song is killer. That was the first thing i noticed when my GF introduced me to them in the late 90s
Eugênio Hertz
now that you said , really the drums are all over the place. the song isnt bad but compared to the drums, the guitar solo is a fart