The Reindeer Section arose - according to Lightbody - out of a chance get-together of musicians at a Lou Barlow gig in Glasgow in 2001, at which Lightbody drunkenly laid down the challenge to others to "make an album together", to which everyone said "yeah yeah". Lightbody "went home and next day wrote the album" and later convinced Johnny Davies of Bright Star Recordings to fund a recording session and release the proposed album. The group met over three days of rehearsal and ten days of recording to produce the first album. The album, Y'All Get Scared Now, Ya Hear! was released with a mini tour, the first venue of which was Belfast's The Limelight venue.
A second album, Son of evil reindeer was released ten months after the critical acclaim of the first, with a slightly different line-up. The single, You Are My Joy appeared on US show, Grey's Anatomy, and on fourth season of US TV series Queer as Folk. The song Cartwheels appeared on "The Second Chance", an episode of The O.C.. The band's most recent gig was on 14 December 2002 at the Queen Margaret Union in Glasgow. The project has never officially split up, but from that time it has been considered in a hiatus.
Artists who contributed to the project so far are:
From Alfie: Ben Dumville, Lee Gorton and Sam Morris
From Arab Strap: Colin Macpherson, Malcolm Middleton and Aidan Moffat
From Astrid: William Campbell, Charlie Clarke, Neil Payne and Gareth Russell
From Belle & Sebastian: Richard Colburn, Mick Cooke and Bob Kildea
From Cadet: Iain Archer
From Eva: Jenny Reeve and Sarah Roberts
From Idlewild: Roddy Woomble
From Mogwai: John Cummings
From Mull Historical Society: Colin MacIntyre
From Snow Patrol: Gary Lightbody, Mark McClelland and Jonny Quinn
From Teenage Fanclub: Norman Blake
From The Vaselines: Eugene Kelly
and Michael Bannister, Roy Kerr, Paul Fox, Marcus Mackay, Gill Mills and Stacie Sievewright.
Last Song on Blue Tape
The Reindeer Section Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
i've given up on you
you brave with the big talk
when all your friends are there
bronzed from sunshine
of all your holidays
let me down easy
i fought for your honor
a lot more than made sense
I'm distanced I'm sucked out
away from breakables
it ryhmes with the stunts
you pull wool over my eyes
i cry out in lumps and
pretend to need your shoulder
The Reindeer Section's "Last Song on Blue Tape" is a melancholic tune that talks about a broken relationship, where the singer has had enough of small talk and is ready to walk away. The song is about a person who is tired of someone who puts on a brave face when their friends are around but is distant and uninterested when they are alone. The singer has had enough and wants to cut the ties and move on.
The lyrics talk about the frustration of loving someone who doesn't reciprocate the same emotions. The person being addressed in this song is someone who has been on holidays, tans bronze, and puts up a façade of strength and bravery but is not genuinely emotionally available. The singer pleads for this person to let them down softly because they cannot handle the shame and the hurt that comes with the end of a relationship.
The singer seems to be resentful of how much they have done for the other person, fighting for their honor, and yet feeling distanced and sucked out, away from the breakables. It is a sad song about a love that was not meant to be, and even though the singer pretends to be alright, in reality, they are crying out in lumps and pretending to need the other person's shoulder.
Line by Line Meaning
cut out the small talk
Stop wasting time with pleasantries and get to the point
i've given up on you
I no longer have hope for our relationship
you brave with the big talk
You're confident when surrounded by friends
when all your friends are there
You only show courage when supported by others
bronzed from sunshine
Your skin tanned from vacations and leisure
of all your holidays
You spend your time carefree and without responsibility
let me down easy
Break up with me gently and without causing further pain
i can't hide all this shame
I'm embarrassed and can't conceal it
i fought for your honor
I defended your character, even if it didn't make sense to others
a lot more than made sense
It was illogical to defend you, but I did it anyway
I'm distanced I'm sucked out
I feel distant and emotionally drained
away from breakables
I'm staying away from things that can be easily broken, including myself
it rhymes with the stunts
You're playing tricks on me and trying to deceive me
you pull wool over my eyes
You're trying to trick me and deceive me
i cry out in lumps
I'm crying uncontrollably and in large amounts
pretend to need your shoulder
I'm faking needing comfort from you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICHARD COLBURN, MICHAEL COOKE, GARY LIGHTBODY, CHARLIE CLARKE, JOHN CUMMINGS, GARETH RUSSELL, JENNY REEVE, JONNY QUINN, BEN DUMVILLE, WILLIAM CAMPBELL, NEIL DOUGLAS PAYNE, SARAH ROBERTS, LEE GORTON
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