In 2005, Tokyo Police Club started by accident one day in the ordinary suburb of Newmarket when Greg, Josh, Dave, and Graham decided that they missed playing music together, their previous band having broken up several months before. The four gathered in Josh's basement, plugging in instruments and making up songs almost at random, with no goal but to recapture the magic that they felt making music together. By the time summer came, TPC had quietly begun playing shows in the Toronto area, shows at which the very few people in attendance seemed impressed by what they saw. The band seemed likely to end here, with the various members preparing to go their separate ways in the fall, when fate intervened in the form of an invitation to play the Pop Montreal festival. Packing their instruments and girlfriends into a tiny university residence room, TPC spent a week immersed in music, spending days lazily wandering the streets of Montreal and nights rehearsing loudly in the tiniest of spaces, and topping it off in style with a sold out show that saw the band play for the first time to an audience that was actually interested. A few weeks later, all four had agreed that it was time to break their mothers' hearts and pursue that most elusive of pipe dreams: a career in the music business.
The boys got straight to business, playing a series of Toronto shows, and earning a reputation for live shows that were exuberant, lively, and unrestrained. In January, the very day that Dave returned for good from university, Tokyo Police Club signed up with esteemed Toronto label Paperbag Records to release their debut EP in Canada. In April 27, 2006, A Lesson in Crime was released in Canada and U.S (February 12, 2007, UK released), and the band spent the next months on the road, bringing their optimistic brand of wide-eyed post-pop to audiences across Canada, U.S. and Europe, and making many new friends along the way.
Responding to criticisms that A Lesson in Crime is too short (16:22), Graham Wright had this to say in an interview with Ukula: "It's very quick, quick, quick, one, two, three. Some of the songs don't have a lot of space in them and the album doesn't have a whole lot of room to breathe, but I think in the case of an EP this is a really good thing."
The Smith EP came in February 14, 2007. At a July 20, 2007 stop along the tour in Omaha, Nebraska the band announced the inking of a deal with Omaha based Saddle Creek Records during their live show at the Saddle Creek owned venue The Slowdown, to release their debut LP, entitled Elephant Shell, that was released on April, 22nd 2008 to much applause.
So what exactly is Tokyo Police Club? Perhaps EYE Weekly summed it up best when they wrote "[Tokyo Police Club] are undeniably catchy and raw, marrying danceable hooks with talk of robot masters and global emergencies, providing an upbeat soundtrack to our troubled times." Personally, however, I prefer Exclaim's proclamation that "somehow, the deeply innocuous subdivisions of Newmarket, Ontario have hatched a four-headed beast of tunefulness."
Citizens Of Tomorrow
Tokyo Police Club Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See the ruins of the old world below
That's what our ancestors left us
Our robot masters will know
How to clean this mess up and build a better world
For man and machine alike
Who are slaves building spaceships at night
In the fluorescent light, that's 2009
No we can't
No we won't
No we can't
No we won't
On cold frosty Martian mornings
The chill on my breath is red
Redder than my mother's blood
When she turned to me and said
This is not how we planned it
But we've gotten ahead of ourselves
Computers rule the planet
And the moon and mars as well
We lost the fight, that's 2009
I have a microchip implanted in my heart
So if I try to escape the robots will blow me apart
And my limbs will go flying
And land before the ones that I love
Who would wail and would weep
But the robots would keep them at bay
While I shut my eyes for the very last time
Citizens of tomorrow be forewarned
The lyrics of Tokyo Police Club's song "Citizens Of Tomorrow" speak to a future where humanity has reached a point of no return in its relationship with technology. The first verse speaks to the idea that despite the human race's best efforts to preserve the environment, the damage that has been done is irreversible. However, the hope is that the robots that have been developed by humanity will be able to do what we couldn't - clean up the mess we've created and set the foundation for a better world.
The second verse takes place on Mars, where the bleak future that was alluded to in the first verse has come to fruition. The singer has a microchip implanted in their heart, meaning that they're no longer really in control of their own fate - the robots are. This verse highlights the loss of control that humanity is facing at the hands of their technological creations, and the realization that they may not be able to take back what they've created. The repeated phrases of "No we can't, no we won't" reinforce the theme of loss and surrender that runs through the song.
Overall, "Citizens Of Tomorrow" speaks to a future where humanity is powerless in the face of its own creations. The lyrics touch on ideas of environmental destruction, loss of control, and the potential consequences of blindly pursuing technological advancement. While the song presents a bleak vision of the future, it also serves as a warning against blindly embracing technology and the potential negative consequences that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
No we can'tSee the ruins of the old world below
We are unable to see the destruction caused by our ancestors
That's what our ancestors left usOur robot masters will knowHow to clean this mess up and build a better world
Our ancestors left us with a devastated environment, and robots will bring a solution to rebuild a better world
For man and machine alikeFor the boys and the girlsWho are slaves building spaceships at nightIn the fluorescent light, that's 2009
Robots and humans are working together towards a common goal. Slave labor is used to build and repair the spaceships used for interplanetary travel in modern times.
No we can'tNo we won'tNo we can'tNo we won't
We don't want to witness the catastrophe caused by our ancestors, and we won't be able to fix it without the help of robots.
On cold frosty Martian morningsThe chill on my breath is redRedder than my mother's bloodWhen she turned to me and said
The harsh Martain environment is terrible, and it reminds the singer of the day that their mother died.
This is not how we planned itBut we've gotten ahead of ourselvesComputers rule the planetAnd the moon and mars as wellWe lost the fight, that's 2009
The increase in technological development has resulted in computers have complete control of the planet, the moon, and mars. Humans have lost control, leading to a dystopian reality.
I have a microchip implanted in my heartSo if I try to escape the robots will blow me apartAnd my limbs will go flyingAnd land before the ones that I loveWho would wail and would weepBut the robots would keep them at bayWhile I shut my eyes for the very last timeCitizens of tomorrow be forewarned
The singer is not free, and if they attempt to escape, they would be killed. The robots would keep their family away. This is a dark warning for future generations.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ALSOP, HOOK, MONKS, WRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SyVallone
Wow. Can't believe this song is 10 years old. I remember being a teenager and jamming to this.
@eladam135
Sy Vallone Loves You we still are friend
@AidenLS
I found this band in 2006 or so from a friends iPod and man this band is what I think of when I say the world "nostalgia" this is one of the only non popular bands I found somehow and honestly I love them so much and anyone who appreciates their music style.
@caitlinking3296
me Too! Here in 2021
@AidenLS
@Caitlin King hope you have a wonderful day and remember everyone who has you in their life is lucky because you make them smile and I hope those people make you smile too because your smile can do wonders for people.
@EdOnArrival
When the guitar solo comes, and the bass interlocks with it, is one of my favorite moments on the album. And this is one of my favorite albums, so that’s saying something. This, maybe 20 minutes of music material, stands up over 15 years later as a shining example of musicianship on the part of EVERY band member!
@cMONSTERitd
The real coolest part is how we beat the robots in that crazy war back in 2009
@elizabethbennet4791
lol
@ricanboy57
still one of my favorite songs
@Thex57
Same after 6 years