The band started life as a side project for singer Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie and producer Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel, Headset and Figurine. The group formed, in 2001, after Gibbard contributed vocals for a song on Dntel's album Life Is Full Of Possibilities called (This Is) The Dream Of Evan And Chan.
The band released their debut album Give Up on 18 February 2003 on the Sub Pop label. The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and is the second best-selling record in the history of Sub Pop Records after Bleach by Nirvana.
Several songs on this album feature guest vocals from Jenny Lewis, the lead singer of Rilo Kiley, a band which was once on the same label as Death Cab (Barsuk Records) and vocals from Jen Wood, an indie rock solo artist. Chris Walla recorded some of the songs and played the piano on Nothing Better. Lewis' membership in the band was unclear during the "Give Up"-era, although she appeared with Tamberello and Gibbard in the music video for "We Will Become Silhouettes". By the time of their 2013 reunion, Lewis had become a permanent third member of the group.
The group's name comes from the manner in which their songs were written, due to the fact that the two of them lived too far away to be able to work together in person. Tamborello would create beats and mail them to singer and lyricist Gibbard, who would then edit them and put his melodies over the tracks and mail them back. Gibbard didn't write any of the lyrics until the tracks were completely finished.
In August 2003, the United States Postal Service sent the band a cease and desist letter, citing its trademark on the phrase "postal service". After negotiations, the USPS relented, allowing the band use of the trademark in exchange for promotional efforts on behalf of the USPS and a performance at its annual National Executive Conference. Additionally, at one point the USPS website sold the band's CDs. In 2007, "Such Great Heights" appeared in the background of the "Whiteboard" advertising campaign for one of the federal establishment's private competitors, the United Parcel Service.
The album's most notable single was Such Great Heights that has been featured in various television commercials, series, and movie trailers also remixed by John Tejada.
The Postal Service contributed a cover of Against All Odds to the soundtrack to the 2004 motion picture Wicker Park, and the band has worked on several remixes of other artists, including Do You Realize?? (Postal Service remix) (from Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots) and Little Girl Blue (Postal Service remix) (from Verve Remixed 3) and Mushaboom (Postal Service remix). Gibbard doesn't sing on these remixes (except for Feist's Mushaboom), and it is likely that he granted Jimmy Tamborello permission to work alone under the name The Postal Service.
Second album
On June 22, 2007, it was revealed that The Postal Service had begun work on a new album, though the specifics of the release date were ambiguous. Gibbard stated, "We're slowly starting. We're crawling right now, and whether that crawl turns into a walk remains to be seen. But we'll know more towards the end of the year. I've just been touring so much and trying to find time to make it happen and make our schedules line up." Tamborello added, "We're talking about wanting to finish an album by sometime next year, because we have to work with Death Cab's schedule and stuff. I definitely want to do another one."
On February 29, 2008, Spinner released an article stating that The Postal Service may not release a new album. Ben Gibbard stated, "Jimmy and I are still throwing ideas back and forth, but as time goes on, we find ourselves busy with our own music. ... We have some stuff, but it's been difficult to find the time and the drive to do the record. I'd love to finish it at some point and maybe even do some performances. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."
In a December 2008 interview with Rolling Stone, Gibbard laughed off suggestions that The Postal Service's long overdue follow-up to their 2003 hit Give Up is an indie version of Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy. Gibbard said that both he and Tamborello do not see it as a priority in light of their main projects, Death Cab for Cutie and Dntel. He said, "The anticipation of the second record has been a far bigger deal for everybody except the two of us... I don't know about it being the indie-rock Chinese Democracy, but now that Chinese Democracy has come out, I guess it just becomes the second Postal Service record that will never come out. There never really was a plan to do a second album. We work from time to time together but we have other things that take up all of our time."
2013 Reunion
As of November 2012, Ben Gibbard posted on his Twitter account that there are "no plans" to produce another Postal Service record. He did not cite any specific reason for this statement, other than the fact that multiple fans questioned if there was going to be a second album.
In January 2013 Postal Service updated their website to read "The Postal Service 2013," reigniting speculation that the band would play shows, or possibly release a new album. It was later confirmed that the image on the band's site portended that the band's debut, Give Up, would receive a ten year anniversary re-issue featuring a 15-song disc of rarities, including two new songs with Jenny Lewis.
In February 2013, The Postal Service announced it would officially reunite for twelve tour dates including the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April, the Primavera Sound Festival 2013 in Barcelona, Sasquatch! Festival in Washington, and Lollapalooza 2013 in Chicago. The band played a Lollapalooza aftershow on August 4, 2013 to 1,200 people at Wrigleyville's Metro, in which Ben Gibbard prefaced the night's second rendition of "Such Great Heights" by saying "not only is this the last song of the tour, this is the last show we will ever do." At the song's conclusion, Gibbard stated that "The Postal Service is closed."
In 2023, the band reunited once again to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of "Give Up" in a co-headlining tour with Death Cab for Cutie for the 20th Anniversary of "Transatlanticism."
The Dream Of Evan And Chan
The Postal Service Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The smoke too thick to breathe,
The tile floors glistened,
I slowly stirred my drink.
And when you started to sing,
You spoke with broken speech
That I could not understand,
I won't let go, I won't let go.
Even if you say so, oh no.
I've tried and tried with no results.
I won't let go, I won't let go.
He then played every song from 1993.
The crowd applauded as he curtsied bashfully.
Your eyelashes tickle my neck
With every nervous blink,
And it was perfect
Until the telephone started
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
The opening lines, "It was familiar to me, the smoke too thick to breathe, the tile floors glistened, I slowly stirred my drink," set the scene of a dimly lit bar or nightclub, where the singer is likely feeling somewhat lost or disconnected from their surroundings. But their attention is caught by the person singing on stage, who "spoke with broken speech" and "grabs [them] tightly." Despite not understanding their words initially, there's an immediate connection that the singer is hesitant to let go of, even if the object of their attention tells them to.
The second verse shifts in perspective to the person on stage, who "played every song from 1993" and "curtsied bashfully" as the crowd applauded. The imagery of the person's eyelashes tickling the singer's neck suggests a physical proximity that's both intimate and awkward. There's a sense that something special is happening between these two people, but it's interrupted by the incessant ringing of the telephone, which serves as a jarring reminder of the outside world.
One possible interpretation of the Dream Of Evan And Chan is that it's about the feeling of being trapped in the routines and expectations of everyday life, and finding a fleeting escape in a chance encounter or moment of connection with someone else. The mention of "1993" could be seen as a nod to a time before the singer or the person they're observing felt so stuck, or perhaps it's just a year that holds some significance for them. The lyrics are evocative and dreamlike, hinting at a larger story that the listener can only glimpse fragments of.
Line by Line Meaning
It was familiar to me,
The setting was familiar, but the air was filled with thick smoke making it difficult to breathe.
The tile floors glistened,
The floors were shiny and reflective.
I slowly stirred my drink.
The singer was leisurely sipping their drink.
And when you started to sing,
When the partner began to sing,
You spoke with broken speech
Their speech had noticeable issues and was unclear.
That I could not understand,
The partner's speech was difficult to comprehend.
And then you grabbed me tightly.
The partner made a sudden move and firmly held the singer.
I won't let go, I won't let go.
Despite what the artist may say or do, the partner is unwilling to let go.
Even if you say so, oh no.
Their grip will not loosen and they will not give up.
I've tried and tried with no results.
The artist has attempted something numerous times but has not achieved anything significant.
He then played every song from 1993.
The performer played a collection of songs from a particular year.
The crowd applauded as he curtsied bashfully.
The audience clapped and cheered while the performer made a shy curtsy.
Your eyelashes tickle my neck
The partner's eyelashes were brushing against the singer's neck, causing a tickling sensation.
With every nervous blink,
The partner was blinking nervously.
And it was perfect
The moment was ideal and nothing seemed wrong.
Until the telephone started
Suddenly, the phone could be heard ringing loudly.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
The phone continued to ring repeatedly without stopping.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
The phone continued to disrupt the moment.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
The phone's constant ringing was a source of frustration and annoyance.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
The phone's deafening ring tone was ruining the perfect moment.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
The phone's incessant ringing was becoming increasingly agitating.
Ringing ringing ringing ringing ringing off.
The phone's nonstop ringing disrupted the peace of the scene.
Contributed by Hannah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.