<… Read Full Bio ↴The Shins is an American indie rock band centered around James Mercer.
The band formed in 1997, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and drummer Jesse Sandoval, who were both members of Flake Music. The band's original lineup was Mercer (vocals, guitar), Sandoval (drums), Marty Crandall (keyboards) and Dave Hernandez (bass). Neil Langford replaced Hernandez in 1998. Hernandez returned to the band in 2003, as Langford had left the band in 2001. Hernandez remained in the band until 2009. Fruit Bats keyboardist Eric Johnson joined the band in 2006.
Their debut album, Oh, Inverted World was issued in 2001 and contained the singles "New Slang" and "Caring is Creepy", which were both featured in the 2004 film "Garden State". The band's next album, Chutes Too Narrow was released in 2003 and featured the single "So Says I". The band's third album Wincing The Night Away, was released in 2007 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts, the highest charting album in Sub Pop history until Arcade Fire's"The Suburbs" debuted at #1. After a short hiatus, Mercer announced in 2009 that the band was to record a new album and that Marty Crandall, and Jesse Sandoval were no longer members of The Shins. The band's new lineup included James Mercer, Eric Johnson, Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer and Grand Archives keyboardist Ron Lewis.
Before the release of Port of Morrow, the band lineup changed once more with only Mercer and Plummer remaining from the previously announced lineup. The newly added members were announced as guitarist Jessica Dobson, bassist Yuuki Matthews (formerly of Crystal Skulls) and keyboardist Richard Swift.
The Simple Song Songfacts reports that "Simple Song." was the first single from the Port Of Morrow album, the band's debut release on James Mercer's Aural Apothecary record label. It was also the first offering to be heard from the band following the departure of Jesse Sandoval and Marty Crandall.
The current line-up for the live act is James Mercer (vocals, guitar), Jessica Dobson (guitar), Yuuki Matthews (bass), Richard Swift (keyboards) and Joe Plummer (drums).
2017 - Fifth Album & World Tour
The band released their 5th studio album, "Heartworms" on March 10, 2017 on the Aural Apothecary/Columbia Records, together with a supporting world tour. "Heartworms" features Mercer's most diverse lyrical palette to date: From fictional character sketches ('Fantasy Island', 'Rubber Ballz'), autobiographical accounts ('Mildenhall'), to first single 'Name For You', a resounding call for female empowerment inspired by Mercer’s three daughters.
More information:
*http://www.theshins.com
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shins
Name For You
The Shins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rolling down the ancient high street you'll find
In the mirror reflects a woman in her prime
Can you make your way out?
In a world dearly won
Well it's yours love
You can move it around
Given all the drops in the ocean
Somebody with an antique notion
Come along to tighten the line
They're just afraid of you speaking your mind
They've got a name for you girls
What's in a name?
They got a name for everything
All of the clothes that you wear
And all of your bits and pieces yeah
You're flipping through the check-stand rags it appears
There ain't no time to waste, you're getting on in years
You can keep your can up
If you just never eat again
It's a means to a terrible end
Even if your plan is successful
Have you really got room in your life?
Yeah and it's a bland kind of torture
You've played the mother and wife
But what do you really dream of at night?
They've got a name for you girls
What's in a name?
They've got a name for you girls
What's in a name?
They got a name for everything
All of the clothes that you wear
And all of your bits and pieces yeah
They've got a name for you girls
Some stupid name
They've got a name for you girls
What's in a name?
What's in a name?
What's in a name?
What's in a name?
What's in a name?
The Shins' song "Name For You" discusses the societal pressure placed on women to fit into specific roles and expectations. The lyrics begin by addressing a woman, suggesting that if she is lucky, she will find her way out of a world that is "dearly won", meaning it has been hard fought and earned. The world belongs to her and she can make it her own. The next lines, "given all the drops in the ocean, gonna take it one sip at a time," emphasize that this may take time and be a slow and difficult process.
The chorus then comes in, emphasizing the theme of the song: society has a name for everything, including women. This includes the clothes they wear, their physical attributes, and their roles in society. The line "they're just afraid of you speaking your mind" suggests that this is a way for society to control women and keep them from challenging the norm.
The second verse discusses the pressures placed on women to maintain a certain appearance, and that the pressure to do so can lead to some harmful behaviors. The line "even if your plan is successful, have you really got room in your life" suggests that success in this area may not be fulfilling or worth the cost. The verse then concludes by questioning what women really dream of and whether or not they have been able to pursue those dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
My girl if you're lucky one day
If fate favors you, my dear girl
Rolling down the ancient high street you'll find
Strolling through the historic lanes, you'll discover
In the mirror reflects a woman in her prime
The mirror portrays a woman at her zenith
Can you make your way out?
Can you find your way out of a conundrum?
In a world dearly won
In a world won through great efforts
Well it's yours love
Well, my love, it's yours
You can move it around
You can modify it to your liking
Given all the drops in the ocean
Considering the countless things in this world
Gonna take it one sip at a time
I will approach it one step at a time
Somebody with an antique notion
Someone with an old fashioned sensibility
Come along to tighten the line
Is critical to maintaining traditional values
They're just afraid of you speaking your mind
They are merely scared of your outspoken nature
They've got a name for you girls
Society has labeled women like you
What's in a name?
What does a name truly mean?
They got a name for everything
They have a label for everything
All of the clothes that you wear
Including every garment you put on
And all of your bits and pieces yeah
And even your most intimate possessions
You're flipping through the check-stand rags it appears
You are rapidly browsing through gossip magazines
There ain't no time to waste, you're getting on in years
Time is running out as you age
You can keep your can up
You can maintain an unattainable standard
If you just never eat again
If you fast for eternity
It's a means to a terrible end
It is a horrific path to follow
Even if your plan is successful
Even if your strategy bears fruit
Have you really got room in your life?
Do you have space in your life?
Yeah and it's a bland kind of torture
It is a dull kind of anguish
You've played the mother and wife
You have enacted the roles of a mother and wife
But what do you really dream of at night?
But what do you truly long for in your dreams?
They've got a name for you girls
Society has labeled women like you
Some stupid name
An unimportant, demeaning label
What's in a name?
What does a name truly mean?
What's in a name?
What does a name truly mean?
What's in a name?
What does a name truly mean?
What's in a name?
What does a name truly mean?
What's in a name?
What does a name truly mean?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joe Stranger
Lyrics here!
"Name For You"
My girl if you're lucky one day
Rolling down the ancient high street you'll find
In the mirror reflects a woman in her prime
Can you make your way out?
In a world dearly won
Well it's yours love
You can move it around
Given all the drops in the ocean
Better take it one sip at a time
Somebody with an antique notion
Come along to tighten the line
They're just afraid of you speaking your mind
They've got a name for you girls
What's in a name?
They got a name for everything
All of the clothes that you wear
And all of your bits and pieces yeah
You're flipping through the check-stand rags it appears
There ain't no time to waste, you're getting on in years
You can keep your can up
If you just never eat again
It's a means to a terrible end
Even if your plan is successful
Have you really got room in your life?
Yeah and it's a bland kind of torture
You've played the mother and wife
But what do you really dream of at night?
They've got a name for you girls
What's in a name?
They've got a name for you girls
What's in a name?
They got a name for everything
All of the clothes that you wear
And all of your bits and pieces yeah
They've got a name for you girls
Some stupid name
They've got a name for you girls
What's in a name?
What's in a name?
What's in a name?
What's in a name?
What's in a name?
ButterflyTsunami
This song KEEPS GETTING BETTER EVERY LISTEN
Life and Gaming
The flipped version is EVEN BETTER!
mlv
Didnt like it at first, couple listens later and i started to love it :)
pleasure.
that's mean, you finally understanding the "real music"
Sean K
ur wrong
Feignable
+nubAsia I feel more like it's due to the unpleasant lyrical content bleeding dry in esteem over time, while I love Mercer at a constant rate
Cody McCaskill
The Shins will never make a bad song
Quixoticelixer009
I would say James will never make a bad song, because the other band members change like for almost every album and he writes a lot
Al
I'm Damian just a simple song
Christian Alfaro
chapshow1 "Well this will be a bad song, to say what you've done"