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.
Whodunnit?
The Reindeer Section Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The weather's just as bad and it looks the same
But every morning hosts a new whodunnit
And curses me with a brand new name
I fell in love again today
I think that's been every day this week
I don't need to know a thing about them
It took a while to see the uniform
I kept on looking well everyone else did
Then I thought I saw her in the queue
And I'm still angry that she thought I thought she cared
Maybe I'm just giving too much away
The real me's too easily revealed
I didn't think I was looking for a girlfriend
But then again I thought all my wounds had healed
I fell in love again today
I think that's been every day this week
I don't need to know a thing about them
I don't need to know a name or hear them speak
You crack a joke about a midlife crisis
But realistically I'm already halfway gone
My eyes are wet when I'm watching the telly
I'm completely sober and I'm not even sure what's on
I think it's time I started branching out
And walking well and straight to keep my mouth shut
I think it's time I started staying in
And stop pretending that I'm just another slut
It took a while to see the uniform
I kept on looking well everyone else did
Then I thought I saw her in the queue
And I'm still angry she thought I thought she cared
The song “Whodunnit?” by The Reindeer Section is a reflective piece about the singer’s search for love and identity. The first part of the song talks about how the world looks the same each day but offers new challenges in the form of a “whodunnit”, a metaphor for the singer’s search for love. He falls in love every day and doesn’t need to know anything about the person. He admits to giving away too much of himself and that the real him is easily revealed, reflecting his vulnerability.
The second part of the song is about the singer’s self-awareness and acceptance of his current situation. He acknowledges that he’s halfway through his life and that he’s not sure of what he’s doing. The line “My eyes are wet when I'm watching the telly” suggests that he’s emotional and perhaps even depressed. The singer decides that it’s time for him to start “branching out” and keeping his mouth shut, meaning he’s going to try to be more reserved in his approach to love. He’s also going to stay in more and stop pretending to be someone he’s not.
Line by Line Meaning
Every day I wake up in a new world
Every day feels unpredictable and unfamiliar
The weather's just as bad and it looks the same
Despite the newness of each day, the environment is consistently dreary
But every morning hosts a new whodunnit
Each day presents a new mystery or unknown situation
And curses me with a brand new name
The artist feels burdened by constantly having to adjust and adapt to new circumstances
I fell in love again today
The artist falls for someone new each day
I think that's been every day this week
This pattern has been ongoing for some time
I don't need to know a thing about them
The singer is content with an infatuation and doesn't feel the need to know personal details
I don't need to know a name or hear them speak
Even basic information is secondary to the artist's attraction
It took a while to see the uniform
The artist initially doesn't recognize the object of their affection
I kept on looking well everyone else did
The artist's attraction is consuming and distracts from other people's perception of the situation
Then I thought I saw her in the queue
The singer believes they've identified the person they're in love with
And I'm still angry that she thought I thought she cared
The artist is upset by a misinterpretation of their feelings and intentions
Maybe I'm just giving too much away
The singer feels vulnerable and fears revealing too much
The real me's too easily revealed
The singer's true nature may be more transparent than they would like it to be
I didn't think I was looking for a girlfriend
The singer wasn't actively seeking a romantic relationship
But then again I thought all my wounds had healed
The artist believed they were emotionally ready for a relationship
You crack a joke about a midlife crisis
Someone makes a jest about the artist's behavior seeming like a midlife crisis
But realistically I'm already halfway gone
The singer feels like they've already wasted half their life
My eyes are wet when I'm watching the telly
The singer gets emotional watching TV
I'm completely sober and I'm not even sure what's on
The artist's emotions are so intense they become disconnected from reality
I think it's time I started branching out
The artist recognizes a need to try new things and change their routine
And walking well and straight to keep my mouth shut
The artist wants to make an effort to project a more confident, put-together image
I think it's time I started staying in
The singer wants to spend more time alone or in familiar, comfortable settings
And stop pretending that I'm just another slut
The artist wants to stop behaving recklessly or promiscuously
Contributed by Henry J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.