Thievery Corporation is on the Eighteenth Street Lounge record label named after the DC club owned by Eric Hilton, but several of their singles and EP's appear on the 4AD and !K7 labels.
Formed in the summer of 1995 at D.C.’s Eighteenth Street Lounge. Rob Garza and Lounge co-owner Eric Hilton bonded over club life, dub, bossa nova and jazz records, then decided to see what would come of mixing all these in a recording studio. From this, the duo was born and their self started label Eighteenth Street Lounge Music began to emerge on an international level.
The duo caught the ears of underground DJ’s with their first two 12" offerings, Shaolin Satellite and 2001: a Spliff Odyssey. Their 1997 debut LP, Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi began to both define a new genre of electronic music and connect with an international community of like-minded souls. Though the terminology has varied (downtempo, chill out, left field and a myriad of other permutations), they have maintained their unique musical standards for the duration of their popularity.
In 2002, they released The Richest Man in Babylon on their ESL label. This fifteen track album is similar in sound and timbre to their earlier 2000 release, The Mirror Conspiracy, and features performances by vocalists Emiliana Torrini, Pam Bricker, and Loulou.
In 2005 they released The Cosmic Game, which has a darker, more psychedelic sound than The Richest Man in Babylon. The album also featured more high-profile guest singers on it, including Perry Farrell, David Byrne, and Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips.
In 2006, the group released Versions, a selection of remixes done by Thievery Corporation for other artists and toured the United States, playing at Lollapalooza.
The group released their fifth studio album, Radio Retaliation, on 23 September 2008.
The language of the group's lyrics are as diverse as English, Spanish, French, Persian, Portuguese, Romanian and Hindi. This reflects the group's global feel and collaborative structure.
They were the opening act on August 1, 2009 for Sir Paul McCartney at FedExField in Landover, Maryland.
On July 27, 2010, Babylon Central, the cinematic directorial debut of founding member Eric Hilton, was released. Set (and shot) in Washington, D.C., the film follows tripwire events in the interconnected lives of its characters, each influencing power brokers' schemes to manipulate international currencies.
In June 2011, Thievery Corporation released their sixth album, Culture of Fear.
In January 2012, Thievery Corporation launched a remixes contest in conjunction with Dubspot.
Strange Days
Thievery Corporation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Strange days have tracked us down
They're going to destroy
Our casual joys
We shall go on playing
Or find a new town
Yeah
Voices will signal their tired end
The hostess is grinning
Her guests sleep from sinning
Hear me talk of sin
And you know this is it
Yeah
Strange days have found us
And through their strange hours
We linger alone
Bodies confused
Memories misused
As we run from the day
To a strange night of stone
The lyrics to Thievery Corporation's song Strange Days seem to speak about the changes and destruction that come with time. It paints a picture of a world that has become unfamiliar and dangerous, where our once carefree lifestyle has been destabilized. The opening lines, "Strange days have found us, Strange days have tracked us down," suggest that change has caught up with us and left us disoriented. The repetition of "strange" emphasizes the strangeness of it all, hinting that what we are experiencing is beyond our understanding.
The lyrics go on to talk about how people are coping with these strange times. They either continue with their usual habits, playing on like everything is normal, or move on to new places. The lines "They're going to destroy our casual joys, We shall go on playing, Or find a new town," speak directly to this. However, even those trying to deal with these strange times can't seem to escape it entirely. The lyrics, "Bodies confused, Memories misused, As we run from the day, To a strange night of stone," suggest a sense of confusion and disorientation that does not go away.
The lyrics also mention Sin, reminding the listeners that perhaps what made the world so desirable was its flaws. It could also be interpreted that the sinning has lead to these strange times of destruction. Overall, Strange Days is a coming-of-age song that reflects on the despair and confusion of the modern world, and how people adapt to the changing times.
Line by Line Meaning
Strange days have found us
The present times are peculiar and difficult
Strange days have tracked us down
These times have caught up to us and are affecting us
They're going to destroy
These times will bring ruin and destruction
Our casual joys
The simple pleasures we enjoy
We shall go on playing
We'll keep going about our usual ways
Or find a new town
Or we'll move on to a new place, away from these tough times
Strange eyes fill strange rooms
The people around us are unsettling and unfamiliar
Voices will signal their tired end
Their voices betray their exhaustion and fatigue
The hostess is grinning
The person in charge is enjoying the situation
Her guests sleep from sinning
Her guests are asleep from their sinful behavior
Hear me talk of sin
Listen to me speak of wrongdoing
And you know this is it
And you'll realize that this is what I'm talking about
And through their strange hours
Through these bizarre moments in time
We linger alone
We are left to face these times by ourselves
Bodies confused
Our bodies are unsure and troubled
Memories misused
Our memories have been distorted and mistreated
As we run from the day
As we try to escape the hardships of the present
To a strange night of stone
To an eerie, unfamiliar night
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mrbunglemrbungle
This remix has a special place in my musical memory and has replaced the original in my own personal ranking. So. Much. Love x
shangrila73eldorado
i wonder what the Doors members think of this? I'm sure they've heard it. I love it. The first time I heard it was on a long drive along rte. 80 in nebraska. It was night. There was a fire on an adjacent field. the synchronicity was perfect.
Michael Veroukis
I remember listening to The Richest Man in Babylon for the first time while driving through the Rocky mountains into Banff. I'll never forget that drive.
Alimaña Místika del Ruock
HERMOSO Y ALUCINANTE!!!!
Stormblast729
Absolutely love it! Two great musical acts have come together in a beautiful way!
Rafael Mahl
Perfeito!!!
Tahara Kaneko
This is really well done...I can listen to the Doors again, thank you Thieves
MDkid1
The Thieves know how to do it.
Simon Keel
The beat really reminds me a certain feeling like walking around in a familiar place but it seems completely different and special.
ina cazan
Simon Keel yes, like in a common dream