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.
Clementine
The Walkmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You might say you'd give up, you've had enough
You know that ain't true, you know that ain't true
You got bored, honey that makes two of us
You might tell me again that you had enough of me
And should we pass on the street, i won't even see you
But you know that ain't true when you're locked in your room
You know that ain't true, oh that ain't true
You got bored, honey that makes two of us
And you might tell me again that you had enough of me
Should we pass on the street, i won't even see you
But you know that ain't true when you're locked in your room.
You got bored and honey that makes two of us
The lyrics to The Walkmen's song Clementine speak to the complicated emotions that come with a breakup, where two people may try to convince themselves and each other that they are ready to move on and forget about one another. The singer acknowledges that his former partner may claim to be sick of him and ready to give up, but deep down he knows that these are not true feelings. The two of them were bored in the relationship, and now that it's over, each is still grappling with the emptiness and loneliness that comes with separation.
The repetition of "you know that ain't true" and "you got bored, honey that makes two of us" emphasizes the fact that both parties are struggling to come to terms with the end of their relationship. While the singer may claim that he is "over" his former partner, the lyrics suggest that this is not entirely true. The lyrics convey a sense of bitterness and melancholy, as the two are forced to confront their feelings about each other and the end of their time together.
Overall, The Walkmen's Clementine is a powerful and introspective song about the complexities of relationships and the difficulty of moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
You might say you give in, you're sick of this
You might claim that you surrender and are tired of this
You might say you'd give up, you've had enough
You might declare that you would quit, you've had your fill
You know that ain't true, you know that ain't true
You are aware that it's not correct, you are aware that it's not correct
You got bored, honey that makes two of us
You became bored, and that's the same situation for me as well
You might tell me again that you had enough of me
You might state once again that you've had enough of me
And should we pass on the street, i won't even see you
And if we meet on the street, I won't even notice you
But you know that ain't true when you're locked in your room
But you know that isn't genuine whenever you're alone in your room
Well i don't do that now, cause honey i'm over you
Well, I don't do that now, because darling, I've moved on from you
You know that ain't true, oh that ain't true
You know that isn't accurate, oh that isn't accurate
You got bored, honey that makes two of us
You became bored, and that's the same situation for me as well
And you might tell me again that you had enough of me
And you might state once more that you've had enough of me
Should we pass on the street, i won't even see you
If we meet on the street, I won't even notice you
But you know that ain't true when you're locked in your room.
But you know that isn't genuine whenever you're alone in your room.
You got bored and honey that makes two of us
You became bored, and that's the same situation for me as well
Contributed by Abigail Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sabrina Havok
I love this song <3
Gabriel Marçal
A hell of a song!
Susanne Collins
Looove this. Top 3 walkmen songs
B.E. Cusack
Fantastic b-side!
Esteban Alfredo
Ah that's a hard one to take.