Their name was inspired by an awkward conversation with a U-Haul employee who was inspecting a van that the band had rented. The U-haul employee, attempting to make polite conversation, asked the three bespectacled band members if they were brothers. They said no. He asked if they were scientists, as they looked like they could be the kind of people who wear lab coats. They told him that they were musicians, not scientists. To this day, they regret telling the truth. They are not named after the Cap'n Jazz song which bears the name.
They are a franchise of Art Rock band, Art Brut. In fact, they are Art Brut 47.
The band formed while its members attended the Claremont Colleges. Murray and Cain attended Pomona College; Michael Tapper attended Harvey Mudd College.
The band has released three self-made EPs (Bitching!, Safety, Fun, and Learning (In That Order) and In Action). Their debut LP, With Love And Squalor was on Virgin Records, the first three singles of which were "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt", "The Great Escape" and "It's A Hit". The album takes its name from the J.D. Salinger short story "For Esme - With Love and Squalor". They have since released LP Crap Attack, which is a collection of B-Sides, covers and other rarities, and their full follow-up album, Brain Thrust Mastery which debuted in the UK on March 17,2008 reached number 11 at the UK Album charts.
On the 1st November 2007, NME reported that Michael Tapper has left We Are Scientists under amicable circumstances, and on September 18, 2007, the band announced on their website that Max Hart, a keyboardist and guitarist who has played live with them before, has joined the band temporarily. As they put it: "There's no easy answer as to how long Max will stick around. Maybe we'll grow to hate his sanctimonious ways, which for now tickle us so. Maybe he'll grow to hate our open-minded, funny, refreshing, handsome ways, thus achieving what psychologists and bookies long ago labeled impossible."
And to make things even more exciting for the band, We Are Scientists is featured in the soundtrack of the 2008 film Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, which Bishop Allen - at the time featuring former We Are Scientists drummer Michael Tapper - appears in a cameo.
According to Keith Murray's Wikipedia he was nominated for World's Sexiest Vegetarian 2007 and is predicted that he will be the new face of Louis Vuitton's spring/summer '09 collection.
The Band's 3rd effort, Barbara, was released in June of 2010 and features ex-Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows.
Lethal Enforcer
We Are Scientists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though later you'll pretend you can and you'll mean it
You might think it's all in your head but you're not certain anymore
You might think it's all in your head but you're not certain anymore
I wouldn't put much talk in that cause the fact is
It doesn't matter what you ask, it's who you're asking
Well, I'd say go throw it away if it's not working anymore
I promise this is not a test
It's just I want you to be sure
It all comes back to common sense
I guess that's what you're looking for
I'll have to ask you to speak up so we're sure that
We're all perfectly clear on what we're ignoring
Well, I'd say go throw it away if it's not working anymore
Well, I'd say go throw it away if it's not working anymore
I promise this is not a test
It's just I want you to be sure
It all comes back to common sense
I guess that's what you're looking for
I promise this is not a test
It's just I want you to be sure
It all comes back to common sense
I guess that's what you're looking for
Well, you've been taken and it's gonna hurt
But loves a classic cause it always works
This is a classic bluff because it always works on you
I promise this is not a test, a test
I promise this is not a test
I promise this is not a test
It's just I want you to be sure
It all comes back to common sense
Oh, I guess that's what you're looking for
I promise this is not a test
It's just I want you to be sure
It all comes back to common sense
I guess that's what you're looking for
The lyrics to We Are Scientists' "Lethal Enforcer" are about the confusion and uncertainty that can come with a relationship. The singer is telling their partner that they will never completely understand what they are seeing, even if they pretend to later. They question whether their problems are all in their head, but they aren't certain. The singer tells their partner that it doesn't matter what they ask, it's who they're asking.
The singer then encourages their partner to get rid of whatever isn't working in their relationship. They promise that this isn't a test, but they want their partner to be sure that they're making the right decision. The song's repeated focus on common sense suggests a practical, non-emotional approach to relationships.
The final lines of the song suggest that the partner has been taken advantage of, but ultimately love works because it is a classic bluff that always works.
Overall, "Lethal Enforcer" is a song about the complications and uncertainties that can come with relationships. The singer encourages their partner to use their common sense and make practical decisions about what is or isn't working in their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You're never gonna understand what you're seeing
You will never comprehend what is in front of you.
Though later you'll pretend you can and you'll mean it
Even though you will pretend to have understood it later, you will still remain clueless.
You might think it's all in your head but you're not certain anymore
You may believe that it exists only in your mind, but you are not sure anymore.
I wouldn't put much talk in that cause the fact is
There is no use talking about it because the truth is,
It doesn't matter what you ask, it's who you're asking
Asking the right person is more important than the question itself.
Well, I'd say go throw it away if it's not working anymore
If something isn't functioning correctly, then it's time to discard it.
I promise this is not a test
This is not a drill; it is real.
It's just I want you to be sure
I only want you to be certain of this.
It all comes back to common sense
The answer is simply common logic.
I guess that's what you're looking for
I believe that is the solution you seek.
I'll have to ask you to speak up so we're sure that
Please speak louder so that we can be sure that
We're all perfectly clear on what we're ignoring
We understand what we should be acknowledging, but we are purposely overlooking it.
Well, you've been taken and it's gonna hurt
You have been tricked, and it will cause you pain.
But loves a classic cause it always works
Love is a classic because it is always successful.
This is a classic bluff because it always works on you
This bluff is a classic because it always deceives you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER CAIN, KEITH MURRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lelaina H.
I LOVED THIS SONG FROM THE FIRST LISTEN. A MASTERPIECE.
Asimina Gonzalez
i freakin love this
KYRO & STYLE
Oh look at that! 0 dislikes.... 'Nuff said.
Troy Carr
The one person who has disliked this song doesn't even know. 😎
Boris CHOY
listen to the acoustic one :)
Joe Merrill
Still great fyi