Young Galaxy formed in Vancouver, Canada, as duo including Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless. Through that summer of 2005 and the spring of 2006 they recorded with appearances and contributions of friends at Jace Lasek’s Breakglass Studio. Their sound has been described as similar to the bands Slowdive, Galaxie 500 and Luna as well as Pink Floyd and Spiritualized. The band has toured in Canada, The United States and Europe, opening for Arcade Fire, The Album Leaf, The Frames, Peter, Bjorn and John, Stars and Death Cab For Cutie. They later moved to Montreal, where they recorded their self-titled debut. The album was released on April 24, 2007.
They recorded their second album Invisible Republic in Montreal at Hotel2Tango studio with Radwan Moumneh engineering (A Silver Mt. Zion, Pas Chic Chic) and at Breakglass Studios with Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes engineering. Invisible Republic was released independently on August 25, 2009 through Fontana North. It was mixed by Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol) in Glasgow, Scotland. It was subsequently released in July 2010 in the U.S.A. by Paper Bag Records, and received a long list nomination for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize.
The band followed up in fall 2010 with YG No Art EP, an EP comprising unreleased tracks and remixes from the Invisible Republic sessions.
Their third album, Shapeshifting, was recorded in Montreal, Canada, and was produced by Dan Lissvik of the band Studio in Gothenburg, Sweden. The band communicated with Lissvik via Skype over the nine months he spent mixing the recorded vocals.
The album, released in February 2011 on Paper Bag Records, has been described as a massive change in creative direction, eschewing their former shoegaze, dream-pop style for a more electronic pop sound. Stephen Ramsay describes the change in song composition method, "instead of picking up a guitar and finding the most brilliant melody we could, we tried to erase the shape of the songs."
Discography:
Swing Your Heartache (2006, EP)
Young Galaxy (2007)
Invisible Republic (2009)
YG No Art EP (2010)
Shapeshifting (2011)
Ultramarine (2013)
Swing Your Heartache
Young Galaxy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause anything worth fighting for doesn't come for free
We believe in time that you will see
How a war might save us
How a war might save us
We believe in time that you will see
The institutions of the world
It's time for you and I to face the signs
And realize that living's a battle
For all the times we cried and told the lies
And realized life's not a rehearsal
Come on babe, swing your heartache
Come on babe, swing your heartache
We have learned that hope does not come cheap
We all must sacrifice in the name of our beliefs
We believe in time that you will see
The frontier is misery
The frontier is misery
What do you think it is that makes us free?
A life without boundaries
If you question everything
It's time for you and I to face the signs
And realize that living's a battle
For all the times we cried and told the lies
And realized life's not a rehearsal
Come on babe, swing your heartache
Come on babe, swing your heartache
Here's something that you should know
Getting older doesn't always mean you grow
Turning from the shadows following behind you
To stare at the sun can easily blind you
The only way to learn, you're not afraid to die
Could very well involve risking your life
Despite the contradictions that these worlds imply
You've got to live on
Live on
Live on
Come on babe
Come on babe
Come on babe
Come on babe
The lyrics of Young Galaxy's song Swing Your Heartache reflect the band's outlook on life, implying that love, hope, and freedom are not easily attained, and that they come with a cost. The song urges listeners to take risks and question everything in order to live a fulfilling life. The opening line, "We do not believe that love is free", is a testament to their belief that anything worthwhile in life requires effort and hard work. They state that "a war might save us," emphasizing their perspective that the fight for meaningful existence is a never-ending struggle. The lines "The institutions of the world/Will only serve to enslave us" suggest that societal norms and traditions can potentially impede individual progress and the attainment of true freedom.
The song also highlights the importance of living in the present and taking life one day at a time. The lyrics, "For all the times we cried and told the lies/And realized life's not a rehearsal" acknowledge that life is short and that we must make the most of our time while we have it. The repeated refrain, "Come on babe, swing your heartache," acts as a call to action, urging listeners to embrace their struggles and heartaches, rather than running from them. The song argues that facing one's challenges head-on is the key to a fulfilling and meaningful existence.
Line by Line Meaning
We do not believe that love is free
We believe that anything worth fighting for doesn't come for free, and love is no exception.
'Cause anything worth fighting for doesn't come for free
We think that valuable things that are worth preserving have to be fought for and earned.
We believe in time that you will see
We hope that eventually people will come to understand our perspective.
How a war might save us
We believe that conflict can bring about positive change and save us from stagnation.
The institutions of the world
The social, political, and economic systems in place in the world.
Will only serve to enslave us
We believe that these systems are designed to maintain control over people instead of empowering them.
It's time for you and I to face the signs
It's time for us to acknowledge the problems and challenges of life.
And realize that living's a battle
We believe that we have to fight to survive and thrive in life.
For all the times we cried and told the lies
For all the difficult times we've experienced and the times we've been dishonest with ourselves and others.
And realized life's not a rehearsal
We've come to understand that life doesn't offer us unlimited chances and that we have to live intentionally and make the most of every moment.
Come on babe, swing your heartache
We're encouraging people to face their struggles head-on and find a way to move forward despite the pain.
We have learned that hope does not come cheap
We believe that hope requires effort and sacrifice, and it's not something that can be gained easily.
We all must sacrifice in the name of our beliefs
We think that staying true to our values and our convictions might require us to give up something or make difficult choices.
The frontier is misery
We believe that progress and growth often come from facing our discomfort and pain.
What do you think it is that makes us free?
We're asking people to consider what freedom really means and how it can be achieved.
A life without boundaries
We believe that true freedom comes from breaking down the limitations and constraints that society and ourselves often impose.
If you question everything
If you're willing to examine all of your beliefs and assumptions.
Here's something that you should know
We want to share something important with you.
Getting older doesn't always mean you grow
We think that age doesn't automatically equate to personal growth or maturity.
Turning from the shadows following behind you
Stepping out of the past and leaving behind patterns or influences that are holding you back.
To stare at the sun can easily blind you
Taking on too much too quickly can be overwhelming or harmful.
The only way to learn, you're not afraid to die
We believe that living fearlessly and taking risks is essential to truly learning and fully living.
Could very well involve risking your life
Sometimes we have to put ourselves in difficult or dangerous situations to truly learn and grow.
Despite the contradictions that these worlds imply
Despite the confusing or paradoxical nature of life and the many challenges it presents.
You've got to live on
We're encouraging people to keep going and to not give up on life or themselves.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Catherine Anne McCandless, Stephen Ramsay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BanjoLupus333
This is one of my favorite songs of all times
@golddustwoman5050
It's a very unique song... deep.... always relevant...
@WhiteNacho
Me too!
@MrMarcodarko
Ya its very unique as said. It is a slow nice build. Hipster but i dig
@cinqueterreitaly
"life's not a rehearsal..." Luv that line. This song should become the new anthem of our time.
@WhiteNacho
One of the most beautifully profound songs ever written. First time I heard it I cried.
@naboi1
They were so different. Unbelievable.
@suspiria5614
Still here, with this song x.
@metequesambasoo3504
Took the philosophy right out of my mouth. Sick ass lyrics! And groovy tunes!
@bernicewalsh3432
Glad I found this. Love it.