<… 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
The Fear
The Shins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feel the fear
Of all the stupid things
A man could feel
While his freedom rings
He squanders the deal
What am I, blind?
What took me this long?
On somebody's magic bong? Oh
Come back and touch my face
Feel for fever in the night
As you look into my eyes
But you don't really recognize me anymore
I passed another pointless year
Foaming at the mouth
I with my hands ever up
And you're stretching out
I know I've run out of luck
This fear is a terrible drug
If I only had sense enough
To let it give away to love
Come back and touch my face
Feel for fever in the night
You look into my eyes
But you don't really recognize me anymore
No, not anymore
Not anymore
The lyrics of The Shins' song The Fear talk about the emotion of fear and highlight its impact on human behavior. The first verse mentions how fear can make a person feel stupid and cause them to squander their freedom. The singer questions why it took him so long to realize this and even asks if he can go back in time and change things. The use of "magic bong" suggests a desire to escape this fear through drug use.
In the second verse, the singer asks someone to come back and touch his face while feeling for fever in the night, but the person no longer recognizes him. This could indicate a loss of connection or an emotional distance caused by the singer's fear-driven behavior. The mention of "foaming at the mouth" also suggests a sense of desperation and being out of control.
The chorus repeats the idea of wanting someone to recognize him and highlights the fear's grip on his life. The last lines of the song, "if I only had sense enough to let it give away to love," suggest that the singer realizes his fear is holding him back from fully connecting with others and experiencing love.
Overall, The Fear is a powerful exploration of fear and the way it can impact relationships and personal growth.
Line by Line Meaning
Fear
The song is about a man's fear of losing his freedom
Feel the fear
The artist is urging listeners to embrace their fears
Of all the stupid things
The fear encompasses all trivial and nontrivial things
A man could feel
The fear is specific to men and their experiences
While his freedom rings
Despite his freedom, the fear still plagues the man
He squanders the deal
The man takes his freedom for granted and does not appreciate it
What am I, blind?
The man realizes his mistakes and faults
What took me this long?
The man questions why he didn't realize his mistakes earlier
Can we hit rewind
The man wishes he could go back in time and change his actions
On somebody's magic bong? Oh
The man references a drug-induced alternate reality where he could fix his mistakes
Come back and touch my face
The man longs for intimacy and human connection
Feel for fever in the night
He wants somebody to check if he has a fever- which means his fever might be a metaphor a symbol of his sadness
As you look into my eyes
He wants to be seen and understood by his partner
But you don't really recognize me anymore
His partner no longer understands him and this causes him more emotional pain and sadness
I passed another pointless year
The man feels like his life is lacking meaning and purpose
Foaming at the mouth
The man struggles with his emotions and is overwhelmed by them
I with my hands ever up
The man raises his hands in surrender or defeat
And you're stretching out
His partner is moving further away from him
I know I've run out of luck
The man feels that he is no longer fortunate in life
This fear is a terrible drug
The man acknowledges that his fear is like a drug and is harmful to him
If I only had sense enough
The man recognizes that if he were more aware, he could overcome his fear and move on
To let it give away to love
The man suggests that love is the antidote to fear
No, not anymore
The man knows that things have changed and he can't go back to how things were before
Not anymore
Reinforce the notion that things are different now
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: James Russell Mercer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind