They prefer the sound of vintage musical instruments, particularly the upright piano, and have often recorded at Marcata Recording, a recording studio built in Harlem in 1999 by the three former members of Jonathan Fire*Eater and later relocated to upstate New York.
Each of the members of The Walkmen grew up in and around the Washington, D.C. area, played in many of the same bands from early in their careers, and even attended the same Washington-area high school. The bandmates eventually moved to Harlem and became a part of the burgeoning New York City rock scene.
The band was formed in 2000 following the breakup of two separate bands: Jonathan Fire*Eater, whose members included Martin, Maroon and Barrick, and The Recoys, whose members included Leithauser and Bauer. The three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater, which had recorded for Dreamworks Records, had money left over from that past recording contract and used the remaining funds to construct a rehearsal space in uptown New York. The rehearsal space featured a 24-track recording studio and was dubbed Marcata Studios.
The newly-formed band, who wished to distance themselves from the garage rock sounds of previous bands, released a self-titled EP of songs in 2001 on Startime International, a small Brooklyn-based record label.[4] Shortly after release of the EP, which featured an eccentric blend of upright pianos and other vintage instruments, The Walkmen made their official live debut with a performance at Joe's Pub in the East Village.
The 2002 debut album Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone, released by Startime, was well received by critics. The album was noted for its innovative approach to atmosphere and instrumentation, with sparse bass and drums complemented by plinking piano, jangly guitars and Leithauser's unique vocal stylings. Two of the songs on the album, "The Blizzard of '96" and "That's the Punchline," were adaptations of tracks meant for The Recoys' unreleased full-length album.
Brandy alexander
The Walkmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd left open wide
Locked it for me inside
Lay me down
Count me out
Watch out it's on you
There's worse ways to see it baby
Come here sit next to me
I'll tell you about a dream
I'm looking out on the world
I see it through your eyes
Burn you down
Bury you
I tried to see it plain
There's worse ways of getting here
You don't hear me complainin'
I'll tell you of every dream
I'm holding for you and me
Look out now it's all new
Those colors are fading
Outside the wind is howlin'
Stop talkin', listen to me
I'll tell you of every dream
The lyrics of The Walkmen's song Brandy Alexander are poetic and, at the same time, a bit enigmatic. The song begins with the image of being locked inside, laying down, and counting oneself out. The lyrics are full of despair as if the singer has given up on everything. However, as the song progresses, it seems like the lyrics are moving into something more optimistic. The chorus talks about a dream that the singer wants to share with someone, making it clear that he's not ready to give up yet.
The verses of the song talk about the world and how the singer sees it through someone else's eyes. He talks about seeing everything clearly, but at the same time, he is holding onto dreams that have yet to be fulfilled. The bridge of the song becomes more hopeful, with the singer encouraging someone to stop talking and listen to him. The dream that he talks about seems like it's as much for himself as it is for the person he's talking to.
The lyrics of Brandy Alexander are full of poetic ambiguity, which is one of the reasons why the song has become so popular. The song's melody perfectly complements the lyrics' emotional content, and The Walkmen's lead singer's voice conveys a sense of depth and meaning that draws listeners in.
Line by Line Meaning
Finally close the door
I want you to end whatever has kept us apart and give this relationship one last chance
You'd left open wide
You left the door open for me to re-enter your life
Locked it for me inside
Let's close the door to the past and focus on what's ahead for us
Lay me down
Let's get intimate and let my feelings flow out
Count me out
I'm giving up on everything that didn't work and focusing on what's important: you and me
Watch out it's on you
It's your turn to take a chance on us and make this work
There's worse ways to see it baby
Although things are uncertain, there are far worse ways to spend our time than trying to make this relationship work
Set a fire and watch it burnin'
Let's ignite the passion between us and see where it takes us
Come here sit next to me
Let's get closer and talk about what we want from this relationship
I'll tell you about a dream
Let me share my hopes and aspirations for us
I'm looking out on the world
I see the world differently now that you're in my life
I see it through your eyes
You bring a new perspective to my life
Burn you down
I'll do anything to protect you and fight for our relationship
Bury you
I'll always be there for you, whether you need me today, tomorrow, or ten years from now
I tried to see it plain
I've been honest and straightforward about my feelings for you
There's worse ways of getting here
Although it's been a rough road, it could have been far worse
You don't hear me complainin'
I'm happy to have you in my life and I'm willing to make this work
I'll tell you of every dream
I have so many dreams and aspirations for us that I want to share with you
Look out now it's all new
Our future is a blank slate and I'm excited to see where it takes us
Those colors are fading
The past is behind us and it's time to move on to brighter things
Outside the wind is howlin'
Although there may be storms ahead, we'll weather them together
Stop talkin', listen to me
Let's focus on what's important and work together to create a future for us
I'll tell you of every dream
Let me share all my hopes and dreams so we can create a future together
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES HAMILTON LEITHAUSER, MATTHEW FREDERICK BARRICK, PAUL C. MAROON, PETER M. BAUER, WALTER R. MARTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ali Taimoor
That scene from In Bruges always made me feel kind of cozy. Lovely song!
Rahul
In Bruges! "Like a fairytale."
sidDkid87
"lay me down /
count me out" 🎶
Samir Soares
in bruges...amazing movie
Vineet Singh
Congratulations 🎉 , you finally found it😅
JB
Thank you!
kincs kis
In Bruges <3
James R
You heet ze Canadian?
Christopher Howard
Nice try, Walkmen. We all know you wish you wrote "The Spectre" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP7Iemb_KXo ).
Peter R
I need to get my hands on whatever you're smoking because that is nothing alike