The band released their self-titled first album in March 1995 via PopLlama Records. After they garnered massive acclaim, Columbia Records quickly signed them. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and has shipped over three million copies. The RIAA has certified it as triple platinum. Songs "Peaches", "Kitty", "Lump", and "Dune Buggy" received major airplay.
Their 1996 follow-up album, "II", did not reach the same acclaim, though it reached the top forty on the Billboard 2000. Single "Mach 5" also garnered some airplay. The band then fell of the radar for many listeners, dropped by their major label. However, their albums of the new millennium, 'Freaked Out and Small' followed by 'Love Everybody' and 'These Are the Good Times People' (released in 2000, 2004, and 2008, respectively), picked up positive critical reviews, such as from the All Music Guide. Although their touring schedule became more sporadic into the 00s and 10s, they continue to perform and satisfy audiences with their off-beat humor and catchy hooks.
Feather Pluckn
The Presidents of the United States of America Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But that's totally
Billions of birdies squawkin' outloud
Talkin' in code to clams in the clouds
They send a secret message, they send it by worm
So vibratin' spiders will receive the word
But that's totally feather pluckn' insane
Ten million monkeys all pick up guitars
But nobody taught them how
Five thousand fishies rockin' really, really, really hard
Nobody taught them how
Check out Chickey, drivin' Piggy's little blue car
Nobody taught him how
Well, flies like to fly 'cuz they don't like to stay
They buzzin' in the ears of the chicken all day
Chicken understand and he pick out the code
Send a subsonic signal through the snot in
The middle of an elephant's long, wet, cold, grey nose
But that's totally feather pluckn insane
Ten million monkeys all pick up guitars
Nobody taught them how
Five thousand froggies rockin' really, really, really hard
Nobody taught them how
Check out Chickey, drivin' Piggy's little blue car
Nobody taught him how
Oh yeah, oh yeah, said oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Everybody supernova
Everybody supernova
Everybody supernova
Everybody supernova
The song "Feather Pluckn" by The Presidents of the United States of America is a whimsical and surrealistic ode to the absurdity of nature. The lyrics describe various animals communicating in secret codes and engaging in human-like behaviors that defy explanation. For example, the song imagines billions of birds communicating with clams in the clouds and sending messages to spiders by vibrating their webs. The lyrics also include a bizarre scene where a chicken drives a pig's car and a reference to flies buzzing in a chicken's ear and communicating in subsonic signals through an elephant's nose.
Overall, the song celebrates the joy of music and creativity while also poking fun at the arbitrary and ridiculous nature of existence. The repetition of the phrase "but that's totally feather pluckn insane" highlights the song's playful and absurdist tone, suggesting that the universe is a chaotic and nonsensical place where anything can happen. In this sense, the song can be seen as a form of escapism or a way to find humor and wonder in the everyday world.
Line by Line Meaning
But that's totally
Despite how ridiculous this sounds,
But that's totally
It is true and happening right now
Billions of birdies squawkin' outloud
There are countless birds making loud, incomprehensible noises
Talkin' in code to clams in the clouds
The birds are communicating coded messages to clams that are floating in the sky
They send a secret message, they send it by worm
The birds use worms to deliver these secret messages
So vibratin' spiders will receive the word
Vibrating spiders will detect and interpret these messages
But that's totally feather pluckn' insane
Even with all of this oddness, the situation somehow gets crazier
Ten million monkeys all pick up guitars
Now, there are ten million monkeys all playing guitars
But nobody taught them how
Despite this being completely illogical, no one actually taught them how to play these instruments
Five thousand fishies rockin' really, really, really hard
In addition to the monkeys, there are now 5,000 fish that are also rocking out
Nobody taught them how
Again, no one taught them how to play music
Check out Chickey, drivin' Piggy's little blue car
An additional random occurrence is Chickie, a chicken, driving Piggy's blue car
Nobody taught him how
As with the other animals, no one taught this chicken how to drive
Well, flies like to fly 'cuz they don't like to stay
Flies move around a lot because they prefer not to stay in one place
They buzzin' in the ears of the chicken all day
These flies are constantly buzzing in the chicken's ears
Chicken understand and he pick out the code
Despite the chaos around it, the chicken can decipher the messages being sent by the birds
Send a subsonic signal through the snot in
The chicken sends a silent signal through elephant snot
The middle of an elephant's long, wet, cold, grey nose
Specifically, it's the middle of an elephant's nose that the message is being sent through
Oh yeah, oh yeah, said oh yeah
A repeated exclamation of excitement
Everybody supernova
An exclamation that everyone is now exploding in light and energy (metaphorically)
Everybody supernova
Repeating the previous exclamation
Everybody supernova
Once again, repeating that everyone is exploding with energy
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER WELDON BALLEW, DAVID MICHAEL DEDERER, JASON S FINN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind