In 2000, Thrice signed with Sub City Records and released two LP's. The first, Identity Crisis (2000), only received 1.5 stars in the AMG review and little buzz. The second, The Illusion of Safety (2002), was widely acclaimed and received attention from major record labels. Even though Thrice's music has always included metal influences, The Illusion of Safety contained a heavier metalcore sound. The album was recorded in Beltsville, Maryland and the track The Beltsville Crucible reflects this.
In 2003 Thrice signed up with Island Records and released The Artist in the Ambulance, which featured more metal oriented songs while keeping true to their hardcore influences. In 2005 a DVD outlining their entire career to date was released under the title If We Could Only See Us Now. It included a CD with live tracks from the Apple Store and various b-sides.
Thrice released their fourth full-length album, Vheissu, on October 18, 2005. The album was characterized by many critics as being experimentally different, using non-traditional Thrice elements in the process. From keyboard melodies ("For Miles") to Japanese music-box undertones ("Music Box") to chain gang chant choruses ("The Earth Will Shake"), Vheissu introduced a new sound to the band's post-hardcore roots. UK producer Steve Osborne, whose past credits include many Brit-pop hits, was sought by Thrice to gain a new perspective on the songwriting process, enabling the band to expand their musical influences and produce a different album. The album garnered widespread critical acclaim and peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200.
The band releasedRed Sky, an EP comprised of various b-sides as well as live recordings, shortly after Vheissu.
Thrice released the first and second volume of The Alchemy Index, a highly experimental project based on the four traditional elements (fire, water, earth, and air), on October 16th 2007. Over the summer Thrice parted ways with Island records and signed with Vagrant. The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II - Fire & Water was released on October 16, 2007, and sold 28,000 copies in its first week. The album consists of the first two volumes, Fire and Water, and features 12 songs, 6 on each disk. The third and fourth volumes, Air & Earth were released on April 15, 2008.
The "Fire" disc features the heavier post-hardcore sound traditional Thrice fans will quickly embrace, harking back to their pre-Vheissu albums. The "Water" disc, however, is comprised of ambient songs similar to those found in Vheissu, Thrice's previous album release. The "Air" disc brings a whole new element of electronic elements and delayed guitar riffs to Thrice's sound. In "Earth", much like Dustin Kensrue's solo album, "Please Come Home", Thrice introduces an indie-folk sound combining intricate piano and acoustic guitar.
Thrice's sixth studio album Beggars was released digitally through Vagrant Records in the UK on August 9, 2009 and in the US on August 11 with a physical release containing bonus material pencilled in for September 15. These dates deviate from the original proposed release date of October 13 because of a leak via Vagrant Records web player, which has meant the artwork for the album has also changed. The first single to be taken from the album is All the World Is Mad and was first made available through Guitar Hero: World Tour on July 23.
Dustin Kensrue has described the album as being "more visceral and more raw - both in the songwriting and in the overall sound. It moves with a different energy than any of our past records. It was born out of us playing together in a room, almost as a backlash to the giant headgame that was The Alchemy Index" and has been well received critically.
The seventh studio album Major/Minor came out on September 20, 2011 through Vagrant Records. Yellow Belly, Promises and a few other songs were made available for the listeners to stream online before the release date. The album received extremely positive reviews from many online websites. Alex Djaferis of Absolutepunk.net gave Major/Minor a rating of 95%. Tracks like Promises and Listen Through Me reflected a natural progression from the sound Thrice created in Beggars, which was widely appreciated by the early listeners.
Thrice decided to take a break from being a full time band on November 21, 2011. In late spring/early summer Thrice announced the 'Farewell' tour for the spring/summer of 2012 , which would be the bands final tour before going into an indefinite hiatus.
In early 2015 it was announced that the band intends to release new music and tour again. Announcements were done via the bands website http://www.thrice.net/ and social media outlets with an accompanying picture with "Thrice 2015" text.
Helter Skelter
Thrice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and turn and I go for a ride
Then I get to the bottom and I see you again
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Do you, don't you want me to love you?
Tell me, tell me, tell me, come on, tell me the answer
You may be a lover, but you ain't no dancer
Helter skelter
Helter skelter
Helter skelter
Do you, don't you want me to make you?
I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you
Oh, now tell me, tell me, tell me the answer
You may be a lover, but you ain't no dancer
Helter skelter
Helter skelter
Helter skelter
Look out!
When I get to the bottom
I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and turn and I go for a ride
Then I get to the bottom and I see you again
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Do you, don't you want me to make you?
Oh, I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you
Tell me, tell me, tell me the answer
You may be a lover, but you ain't no dancer
Oh, helter skelter
Helter skelter
Helter skelter
She's coming down!
Oh, look out, she's coming down!
The song "Helter Skelter" by Thrice is a cover of The Beatles' song of the same name, which was inspired by a fairground slide in Liverpool, England. The opening lines of the song describe going down the slide and then going back up to the top, emphasizing the cyclical nature of the song's structure. The chorus features the refrain "Helter skelter," which means chaotic or out of control, and is used to suggest the frenzied feeling of the song.
The lyrics also include a question about whether the listener wants the singer's love, followed by a boast about how fast the singer is coming down, but how much higher they are than the other person. The repeated line "You may be a lover, but you ain't no dancer" seems to be a put-down, suggesting that the other person may be good at one thing but not another.
Overall, the song's lyrics emphasize a feeling of wild abandon and disregard for rules, which is reflected in the frenetic energy and distorted guitar riffs of the music.
Line by Line Meaning
When I get to the bottom
After experiencing the lowest point in life,
I go back to the top of the slide
I climb back to a better state,
Where I stop and turn and I go for a ride
And once I'm there, I take advantage of and enjoy the simpler things in life,
Then I get to the bottom and I see you again
Only to realize that nothing significant has changed in my life when I see you again.
Do you, don't you want me to love you?
Do you want to be loved or not?
I'm coming down fast, but I'm miles above you
I may be feeling low right now, but I am still better than you.
Tell me, tell me, tell me, come on, tell me the answer
Please share your true intentions with me so we can avoid misunderstandings.
You may be a lover, but you ain't no dancer
You lack grace even though you may be adept at romantic affairs.
Helter skelter
A phrase used to describe chaos or confusion.
Do you, don't you want me to make you?
Would you like me to help you or not?
I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you
Although I'm in a rough spot, I do not want to hurt you.
Oh, now tell me, tell me, tell me the answer
Please share your intentions with me so we can avoid misunderstandings.
She's coming down!
Referring to someone's decline in personal gain or status.
Oh, look out, she's coming down!
It's time to pay attention as the situation is rapidly declining.
Contributed by London P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nate Stein
I love everything in this recording, but I especially love the drums when they switch to a half time feel in the last verse.
Winterfresh 98
It’s magical , I love it too !!!🤘🏻
Olly Skillman-Wilson
The Beatles are legendary, incredible songwriters. i do love what thrice have done with this and eleanor rigby too.
MrDazed
A great cover by a great band, as good as their version of Eleanor Rigby
SPEAKER
That was incredible.
Anthony Brooks
simply breathtaking
Nathan Peraza
Wish the bonus tracks were streaming right now
Recording Europe
this is fracking awesome
___tones
long live Thrice. saw them tear this song UP at their 2nd to last show. bittersweet for sure. haha and sheesh what did that 4165m say? anything negative about Thrice then i agree, banished from life!
jenuhwadup
AWESOME !!!!!!