Over the life of the band, their music has taken influence from noise, modern classical, dance, post-punk, minimalism, Asian percussion music, and American folk music. Frequently noted as well are the films of Todd Solondz, Shohei Imamura, David Lynch, and Seijun Suzuki and the books of Elfriede Jelinek, V.S, Naipaul, Yukio Mishima, and Ingeborg Bachmann.
Over both song concepts or music videos, the art of Xiu Xiu is often memorable to a newcomer by its divisive response. The music of Xiu Xiu has been noted for the lead singer's bleakness either contrasting or complementing the chaotic instrumentation, lyrics commonly including references to depression, suicide, family issues, militarized violence, abuse, sexual disaffection, and body dysmorphia. The band's public image has taken a similar tone, including the insertion of a poster into an LP sleeve (for the album "Dear God, I Hate Myself") of photographs of band-related cuts, brands, and tattoos sent by listeners. They have been critically divisive.
To date, they have released well over 50 titles including albums, 7inches, books, film works and dance pieces. They have collaborated with a number of artistic and musical luminaries such as Carla Bozulich, Michael Gira, Merzbow, Dahn Vo, Monika Gryzmala, Grouper, Larsen, These Arches, Deerhoof, John Congleton, Dirty Beaches, Oxbow, and Shearwater.
The name Xiu Xiu is taken from the film "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl." They currently release albums on Bella Union and Polyvinyl Records.
Dr. Troll
Xiu Xiu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The horrible dream of being somebody
Thinking about her dream makes her feel
Like it's stupid
A dream whose coming true
Is a must, a must
It would be so much easier
If she was a real girl
What she is
She thinks, "I don't know"
She say, "What do you think?"
Listen to On Fire and pretend someone could love you
Listen to Lady Day and pretend they knew the half of it
Listen to Birthday and pretend someone could love you
Listen to Nick Drake and pretend they knew the half of it
The lyrics to Xiu Xiu's song Dr. Troll examine the internal struggles of La La, a person who dreams of being someone significant. The lyrics imply that while La La has great aspirations, she does not intensely believe in the possibility of her dreams coming true. In the second and third lines, the lyrics convey the idea that La La's dream feels foolish, and they are likely to fail. Her dream is a must, but at the same time, she perceives it as something that may not come true. The fourth line reveals that it would seem easier if she was a real girl, which points to perhaps not feeling wholly human, or that there is a division in her identity.
The preschool students asking La La what she is, showcases the questions that La La may be asking herself. Her response, "I don't know," is a telling response that highlights her lack of self-identity, the difficulty of finding answers to the questions we ask ourselves, and uncertainty as to whether she'll achieve her dreams.
The last four lines speak of self-deception, where La La listens to different singers' songs and pretends that someone could love her. The lyrics suggest she's trying to attach herself to something more significant, potentially someone who could love her, yet their half-reality or lack of authenticity leaves her in a state of "pretend" happiness. In essence, the song is a profound portrayal of the internal archetypes that someone goes through to fight the difficulty of finding who they are, discovering what their reality is, and the challenges of authenticity.
Line by Line Meaning
La La holds inside of her
La La carries within herself
The horrible dream of being somebody
An unpleasant vision of becoming someone notable
Thinking about her dream makes her feel
Contemplating her aspiration causes her to become
Like it's stupid
To believe it is irrelevant or foolish
A dream whose coming true
A vision which materializing
Is a must, a must
Is necessary, absolutely
It would be so much easier
It would be less arduous
If she was a real girl
If she were an authentic person
The preschool students ask her
Young children at school inquire of her
What she is
What kind of being she is
She thinks, "I don't know"
She ponders, "I am uncertain"
She say, "What do you think?"
She asks, "What do you believe?"
Listen to On Fire and pretend someone could love you
Hear the track called On Fire and feign as if somebody could have affection for oneself
Listen to Lady Day and pretend they knew the half of it
Listen to the melody named Lady Day and act as if they had an understanding of only part of it
Listen to Birthday and pretend someone could love you
Hear the song called Birthday and simulate as though somebody could cherish thee
Listen to Nick Drake and pretend they knew the half of it
Listen to Nick Drake and act as if they had an understanding of only part of it
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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