While in-between Afghan Whigs albums and amidst a dispute with their record label, Elektra, Dulli recorded demos for the act with friends and collaborators Shawn Smith (Brad, Satchel, Pigeonhed) and Harold "Happy" Chichester (Royal Crescent Mob, Howlin' Maggie) in New Orleans. The demos have an exceptionally dark, tense, and New Orleans-flavored groove and swagger. As a result of The Afghan Whigs' label troubles, it is debated that Elektra leaked the demo tapes as they were widely circulated in the trader circuit.
The Afghan Whigs settled their dispute with Elektra and signed with Sony/Columbia in April 1998. Columbia optioned The Twilight Singers recordings; but preferred to release a new Afghan Whigs album instead. The Afghan Whigs' swan song 1965 was released in October 1998 to wide critical acclaim. The band toured for one year in support of the album but decided to disband in February 2001.
2000 saw Greg Dulli revive The Twilight Singers, reworking the original leaked demos with dance producers and remix auteurs Fila Brazillia. The final product was a mix of southern trumpet, Midwest idealism, and UK big beat, all masking a solemn dirge of life's transformation to death. Columbia released the album as Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers in September 2000. The band toured with members of Howlin' Maggie and former Afghan Whigs' drummer, Michael Horrigan, on bass.
Dulli took time off following the short tour for Twilight.., investing in a bar in Los Angeles. In 2001, he began working on the follow up for Twilight.. tentatively titled Amber Headlights. The death of Dulli's friend, director Ted Demme in January 2002, forced him to shelve the project, and he took a second leave from writing and recording. After reading the Jack London book Martin Eden, and experiencing an earthquake, Dulli set about writing the concept album that became Blackberry Belle.
Working with a large cast of performers, including former Prince protégé Apollonia and former Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan, Blackberry Belle became a rolling expose' of the dark side of love and loss, a familiar topic revisited from former Afghan Whigs albums like Black Love. The critics welcomed Dulli's return and were eager to give his second album, independently financed and released through One Little Indian in October 2003, high marks.
A second touring version of The Twilight Singers including Jon Skibic (guitars), Scott Ford (bass) and Bobby Macintyre (drums), made two legs through the United States and Europe in 2003 and 2004.
August 2004, the band released their third album, She Loves You, a collection of cover songs from artists as varied as Fleetwood Mac, Mary J. Blige, and George Gershwin.
September 2005, Dulli finally released his formerly shelved Amber Headlights on his own Infernal Recordings label through his official website thetwilightsingers.com as his first solo album while working on his fourth Twilight Singers' album titled Powder Burns.
Dulli is also the other member of the duo called The Gutter Twins with Mark Lanegan who released their album entitled Saturnalia.
A third touring version of The Twilight Singers including Dave Rosser (guitars), Scott Ford (bass), singer/songwriter Jeff Klein (keys) and Bobby Macintyre (drums), played at the 2006 SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX at the venue Friends (208 E 6th St) on March 16th to debut tracks from Powder Burns. Mark Lanegan also currently tours with the group.
The Twilight Singers released Powder Burns on May 16, 2006 supported by United States and European tours.
On January 3, 2007, The Twilight Singers made their television debut on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" show, performing their song "Forty Dollars" from Powder Burns. The band was joined by friend and musician Joseph Arthur on guitar and vocals.
In 2011 they released the full length album "Dynamite Steps".
www.thetwilightsingers.com/
Sublime
The Twilight Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What I want you to hear in your ears
If you stray I’ll push a button on you
Going to show you how to disappear in your will
Your mind don't need to know
The blind are led below
But, baby, when we close our eyes
Sublime
As you want it on time
If you want to be free
You're mine
And you know it as much
As you want to be real
Seven days I put the covers on you
Nobody talks about it here no more
If you stay I’ll make a lover for you
I'm going to show you how to disappear once more
Your mind don't need to know
The blind are led below
Sublime
As you want it on time
If you want to be free
You're mine
And you know it as much
As you want to be real
I love you endlessly
Behind the veil
And all of us and all can see
Is it you in the mirror or me?
Sublime
As you want it on time
If you want to be free
You're mine
And you know it as much
As you want to be real
Sublime
As you want it on time
If you want to be free
You're mine
And you know it as much
As you want to be real
The Twilight Singers' "Sublime" is a haunting song with intense lyrics that seem to be about a toxic relationship. It's a song of control and manipulation, of holding someone captive and making them disappear at will. The lyrics suggest that the singer has the power to control their partner's mind, pushing buttons to make them do what they want, and possibly even drugging them ("seven days I put the covers on you"). The lines "your mind don't need to know / the blind are led below" suggest that the singer is taking advantage of their partner's vulnerability and ignorance.
However, despite the dark nature of the lyrics, there's also a sense of seduction and temptation in the music. The chorus repeats the word "sublime," suggesting that for all its darkness, the relationship also has a kind of transcendent beauty. The lyrics "if you want to be free / you're mine" seem paradoxical, as they suggest that freedom can only come through submission to the singer's will. The lines "and all of us and all can see / is it you in the mirror or me?" further blur the line between the two people, suggesting that in this relationship, there is no clear boundary between self and other.
Overall, "Sublime" is a complex song that explores the darker side of love and relationships, with powerful lyrics and seductive music that draw the listener in.
Line by Line Meaning
There are ways of making you see
I have methods to make you understand what I want you to hear
What I want you to hear in your ears
What I want you to understand in your mind
If you stray I’ll push a button on you
If you do not follow, I will exert control over you
Going to show you how to disappear in your will
I will teach you how to let go of your control and disappear into what I desire
Your mind don't need to know
You do not need to use your reason or judgment
The blind are led below
Those who do not see the truth follow a path downwards
But, baby, when we close our eyes
When we close our eyes to reality
You feel the lover start to sin beside
You sense the lover next to you who begins to act sinfully
Sublime
Magnificent or outstanding
As you want it on time
As you prefer it, right on time
If you want to be free
If you desire freedom
You're mine
You belong to me
And you know it as much
You are aware of this fact
As you want to be real
As you wish to perceive something truthful
Seven days I put the covers on you
It took me seven days to deceive you
Nobody talks about it here no more
No one discusses this anymore
If you stay I’ll make a lover for you
If you remain here, I will provide you with a lover
I'm going to show you how to disappear once more
I will again teach you how to let go of control and disappear into what I desire
I love you endlessly
I love you endlessly despite your wavering attention
Behind the veil
Hidden behind a secretive facade
And all of us and all can see
Everyone can see this truth
Is it you in the mirror or me?
Is the reflection in the mirror you or is it me?
Contributed by Caroline T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Juliana Curtis
Hands down my favorite Dulli band! ❤
conjured_up_skeletons
Damn, this jam. Worthy of love makin'.
c.
great song...
Spartacats
5 star song.
@out_4_adventure
I know someone who might love this song
conjured_up_skeletons
TheFibonacci3 yeah, any person with an ounce of IQ.
__aeiou______
🖤
Braulio Rojas
👌👍
Artist88Arcane
♡
lory lory
«3