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.
Worth The Wait
We Are Scientists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would have already left
Don't ask how long I've been waiting here
Yeah, you can probably guess
Tracing the arc of the hour hand
This clock's incredibly slow
You ask how long I've been waiting here
[Chorus]
'Cause I've been hanging out
And counting down
The time that I've been wasting
I've been holding on
For way too long
You're always worth
The wait though, I guess
Measuring time by the bottle
And I've had more than a few
I'm standing up to get outta here
I'm standing up for myself now
And this is long overdue
There ain't two ways about it
I can't keep letting this go
You ask how long I've been waiting here
I think you already know
[Chorus]
And the promises
I promise it
You know you're gonna break it
I've been holding on
For way too long
You're always worth
The wait though, I guess
Well, I keep hanging out
And counting down
The time that I've been wasting
I've been holding on
For way too long
You're always worth
The wait though, I guess
And the promises
I promise it
You know you're gonna break it
I've been holding on
For way too long
You're always worth
The wait though, I guess
The lyrics to We Are Scientists's song "Worth The Wait" describe a relationship in which one partner has been waiting for the other for a long time, despite knowing that they may be wasting their time. The singer acknowledges that they should have left a long time ago if they had any common sense, but they continue to wait for their partner. They measure time by the bottle, indicating that they have been drinking to cope with the frustration and disappointment of waiting. In the chorus, the singer reflects that although they have been holding on for too long, their partner is always "worth the wait." Despite this, they know that their partner will eventually break their promises.
The verses describe the physical act of waiting, tracing the slow movement of a clock and highlighting the impatience that the singer feels. The repetition of the question "how long I've been waiting here" indicates that the partner is aware of the amount of time that has passed, but has not taken action to make it any shorter. The singer finally decides to stand up for themselves and leave, recognizing that they cannot keep letting the situation go on.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of a frustrating and one-sided relationship in which one partner is constantly waiting for the other. Despite the disappointment and uncertainty, the singer cannot help but continue to hold on to the hope that their partner is worth the wait.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had one shred of common sense
I should have left already, but I don't have enough sense to do so.
I would have already left
I know I should leave, but I don't because I'm waiting for someone or something.
Don't ask how long I've been waiting here
I've been waiting here for a while, and I don't want to reveal the exact amount of time.
Yeah, you can probably guess
It's been so long that you can probably have a good idea of how long I've been waiting here.
Tracing the arc of the hour hand
I'm watching the clock and how slow it's moving, which makes the wait even more unbearable.
This clock's incredibly slow
The clock is moving at a frustratingly slow pace, making the wait feel longer.
You ask how long I've been waiting here
You're curious about how long I've been waiting, but I don't want to give an exact answer.
I think you already know
You probably have a mental estimation of how long I've been waiting, as it's been a while.
I've been hanging out
I've been waiting and doing nothing but hanging out.
And counting down
I keep counting the minutes and seconds that I've been waiting, which makes the wait feel even longer.
The time that I've been wasting
I feel like I'm wasting my time waiting, but I still can't bring myself to leave.
I've been holding on
I'm still holding onto the hope that the person or thing I'm waiting for will arrive.
For way too long
I've been waiting for so long that it's starting to feel like it's been forever.
You're always worth
Even though I'm wasting my time waiting, the person or thing I'm waiting for is still worth it to me.
The wait though, I guess
As much as I want to leave, I can't help but feel like the wait is worth it in the end.
Measuring time by the bottle
I'm using alcohol to pass the time and make the wait feel less painful.
And I've had more than a few
I've had quite a bit to drink and I'm feeling the effects of it.
I'm standing up to get outta here
I've finally reached my breaking point and am leaving because I've had enough of waiting.
I'm standing up for myself now
I'm finally speaking up and taking action for myself after waiting for so long.
And this is long overdue
I should have left a long time ago, but I've been waiting out of hope or fear.
There ain't two ways about it
There's only one way to put it: I need to leave and stop waiting.
I can't keep letting this go
I can't keep waiting for something that might never come; I need to take action now.
And the promises
I'm aware of the empty promises that have been made to me while I've been waiting.
I promise it
I know that the promises made to me won't be kept, but I still hold onto the hope that they will.
You know you're gonna break it
I know deep down that the promises made to me won't be fulfilled, and it's time to accept that and move on.
Well, I keep hanging out
Even though I know I should leave, I'm still here waiting.
And counting down
I'm still counting the minutes and seconds, hoping that what I'm waiting for will arrive soon.
And the promises
Once again, I'm reminded of the empty promises that have been made to me while I wait.
You know you're gonna break it
I know that these promises won't be kept, but it's still hard to accept.
I've been holding on
I'm still holding onto the hope that what I'm waiting for will arrive, even though it's unlikely.
For way too long
I've waited for so long that it's hard to imagine anything else, but it's time to move on.
You're always worth
Even though the wait has been painful and unproductive, what I was waiting for was still worth it to me.
The wait though, I guess
In the end, even though waiting was painful, it was worth it because of what I was waiting for.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER CAIN, KEITH MURRAY, MICHAEL TAPPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
hestillsleeping
imo this is probably the best track on the album!
Ethan Aarness
I gotta say . . . These Guys are my inspiration... In several respects. They inspired the way I dress, Which gets me TONS of compliments, which I owe to them, and in writing music. SO I guess I owe a lot to you guys. More Kieth than anyone, I guess.
YourShadow Self
Ethan Aarness You could definitely do a lot worse!
super fun
The way he takes that shot at 2:06 is epic. #felt
Sophie Teunissen
Great videoclip! (and love the song too)
idork
only WAS could make a video that is both awesome and lame at exactly the same time.
senorchewie
I still love this band
T Y
Same, been following them since I was a kid haha
lissam2g
Just perfect!
TheRiverintheRoad
I was watching the video and going "Oh this is just a picture" and then I continued watching it and I was like "OH WAIT THEY"RE MOVING"