****

It was two days before the show and I saw on The Black Keys website a chance to win free tickets to watch the live taping of the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon show from the bench seats. I never win anything but I entered my name and sure enough I was sleeping when I got the call saying I won.

I got to New York around 12:30pm and was walking around for a bit taking pictures of Rockefeller Plaza and all the NBC stuff I saw. I wasn’t sure exactly where to go so I asked a lady in the NBC fan shop and I was actually right next to where I needed to be. At 3:45pm everyone there for the show got wristbands and had to wait until 4:30pm to get in.

At 4:40pm everyone who was lined up went upstairs in an elevator and waited in a line again for about 15-20 minutes. When we got in we went through a metal detector and I guess were not allowed to have alcohol nips on me so they took that from me. It wasn’t opened, I just had knowhere else to put it, so the security guards got some free nips.

So everyones inside now and the show started great. A very humorous guy was getting everyone to loosen up a bit and laugh. He was telling us all the rules and to clap and laugh when asked and just to have fun.

The Roots did a great job and have a show to themselves pretty much during the commercials and before the show.

You may have seen the episode by now so everyone knows Jake Gyllenhal and Mario were the special guests. At the end of Mario’s singing, The Black Keys’ bench seat fans all got to go down to the stage. I was two people away from getting right in the back but I was the first one to go up on the side of the stairs where Pat was. Dan and Pat came out along with the bassist and keyboardist. It’s hard to get used to four guys on tour but I guess I’m going to have to.

The first song was Howlin’ For You. It ended up sounding pretty good on tv but if you were there it was hard to hear Dan over the music.

Then they played Next Girl which I thought would have been great to hear but the band only played half of the song. I was kind of disappointed because I thought they could at least finish the song but it wasn’t meant to be.

Lastly, they did the best song I thought – Ten Cent Pistol. Originally I thought this song was going to be shown on tv, and I thought that Next Girl was just a little in between song for the commercial break that no-one would see, but I was wrong. Ten Cent Pistol did not make it on the show but they did release a video of it (see below). Dan’s voice was clear and Pat’s drumming was at a perfect level along with the other guys. I wasn’t expecting to hear that one but it was a pleasant surprise.

This was a great overall show and it’s a memory that I will always hold onto in my mind. The Black Keys are number 3 on the Billboard charts which Jimmy mentioned and it’s a great accomplishment for the band to finally get their dues for all their hard work.

Ten Cent Pistol live on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Related posts:

1. Video: The Black Keys On The Letterman And Fallon Shows 2010
2. Dan Auerbach – When The Night Comes – Live
3. A Dream I Had Last Night About The Black Keys

Let’s not forget some of the finest MCs were asked to provide spontaneous verses, a reaction to the vibe and music they heard, often on the same day as they recorded. Under the pressure of video cameras, armed only with their Blackberry, notepad and pen, and/or bottle of Hennessy’s and medicinal smoked herbs, they had to deliver to meet the constraints of the recording sessions.

See all the webisodes showing the artists working in the studio here.

As Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys recently commented:

He [Raekwon] was sorta what I imagined watching Bob Dylan work in his prime would be like. Raekwon came in, heard the music, got inspired and just sat down and started writing. He wrote like 20 verses, just like that, in 45 minutes. And everything that he says is so visual, such a story. His rhyme schemes are just insane.

Help decipher and transcribe Raekwon’s rhymes with other fans in this Black Keys Fan Lounge Forum topic.

The best collection Blakroc lyrics is over here. No sign of ‘Keep off The Fuckin Flowers’ yet though.

Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo) featuring Mos Def, Jim Jones and The Black Keys

Intro: Mos Def – Pure heart/ I love you

Chorus: Mos Def – Pure heart/ You’re super cool/ You’re live and elemental/ You’re sweet and you’re true/ Youre sooo true/ Oo-ooo-oo-ooo/ You’re plain and yet so special/ Its nuttin’ like you/ You’re so cool/ You’re sweet and rude/ You’re so plain that its special/ Its nuttin’ like you/ Well aww hoo/ oo-oooo-oo-ooo/ You make me stand up, and holla do the hoochie coo/ You’re so cool

Verse 1: Jim Jones – They told me pain only shows you where you goin/ You get to laugh then that shows you where you been/ And when you get the cash that only shows you how to sin like when you gettin fast money and you blow it in the wind/ Where we from success one in a million/ We thought success was getting money in front the buildin/ End of the summer we was countin up the killins, like they killed baby boy trynna run up in the buildin now/ Love/ I bouged one of her rose petals/ She was from the concrete and came up out the cold ghetto/ But so gentle/ But it appears like, on a clear light it could thunderstorm/ Want some more

Refrain: Mos Def – Oo-ooo-oo-ooo/ Pure heart/ I love ya, pure heart/ Pure heart/ Uh-ooo-oo-ooo/ Ha, its nuttin’ like you/ You’re soo/ Do-doo-do-doo/ You’re live and elemental/ You’re sweet and you’re rude, so cool/ And fiery too/ You’re plain and elemental/ You’re sweet and youre rude/ You’re soo true

Verse 2: Jim Jones – Most say I’m politically incorrect/ But most people scared they spit it so indirect/ I been accused of, same thing as you but, I refused ta, follow rules of who/ The complexion of politics done changed and the computer glitch put so many problems up in the game that uh/ I prolly still be selllin ‘caine if I, didnt get a chance at the stardom or the fame/ Bein humble is a hard quality to achieve when your ego is crazy with no modesty/ We make good music just usin the black keys, and Im flyin through the hood in my newest of black Vs/ Peace

Outro: Mos Def – Wahoo-oo-ooo/ You’re plain and elemental/ Aint nuttin’ like you/ You’re pure heart

Related posts:

1. Blakroc: Live Performances
2. The Black Keys, Jim Jones, Mos Def Recording Together?
3. Blakroc: The Black Keys and Blakroc

Patrick Carney played us a new Black Keys tune recorded at Muscle Shoals (bananas!) and stuff from their new “Blakroc” (watch out Timbaland)

For the uninitiated the words Muscle Shoals meant nothing. For those with an understanding of the heritage of American music it meant everything. Knowing the new Black keys album was recorded at Muscle Shoals more than raises the expectations of fans everywhere.

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was and is where a sound and community of musicians gathered to make some primarily rhythm and blues classics . Barry Beckett (keyboards), Roger Hawkins (drums), Jimmy Johnson (guitar) and David Hood (bass) were the house rhythm section and owners of the Studio where artists as diverse as Wilson Pickett to Bill Haley and the Comets recorded through the 1970s.

The small studio and its intimate atmosphere and the accomplished musicians combined with the Studio’s analog recording equipment to create a rich distinctive sound that other artists wanted a piece of. Add to this mix the isolation of the region, as Pat Carney recently commented in an interview about the new album:

They emerged with their most minimalist-sounding effort yet, Carney said.

“There really wasn’t anything to do down there,” Carney said. “The record has this feeling of absolute isolation. It’s heavy. It’s dark. And I think it’s our best yet.”

The Rolling Stones recorded the notable Wild Horses and Brown Sugar tracks over 3 days at Muscle Shoals in 1969 with Jimmy Johnson engineering the sessions. So bands have always gone to the Studio to be inspired by the history and the recording set up. They could immerse themselves in and be part of the canon of American rhythm and blues music through their connection with this recording crucible.

In 2000 musican and enthusiast Noel Webster bought and seemingly revived this legendary studio. As has has been noted in many interviews with Webster since:

Webster has refurbished the studio (repairing water damage, installing new wiring, etc.), and rather than install up-to-date recording equipment, he ordered exact replicas of the vintage gear used during the 1970s — down to the same model numbers. “The way they construct studios now is very different,” he added. “But we did a sound test and recorded some stuff on different formats, and realized we didn’t need to change anything. The sounds that came out of this room can’t be duplicated. The building shakes when you play in it.”

For a studio and equipment devotee like Dan Auerbach, listening to many of the recordings from Muscle Shoals over the years and hearing of the revival of the authentic Muscle Shoals recording set up must have been, er, music to his ears. Dan has long championed the importance of recording technique and studio sound.  His solo release ‘Keep It Hid’ was recorded in his own custom-built studio (Akron Analog) and it was often remarked in interviews how the album could well have been produced in the 1970s. It’s not surprising considering the attention to detail at Akron Analog, as Dan has explained about his studio in 2008:

“I’m trying to go back to a time when people actually used the preamps on the console,” laughed Auerbach. “The studio is really stripped down compared to a typical modern studio, but all of the essentials are covered by the very best analog gear in the world – Neumann mics, Pultec analog processors, Studer tape machines, that sort of thing. I needed a fully functional console that would fit into a small space and deliver a beautiful analog sound.”

Intentionally, or otherwise, the community aspect and technology of Muscle Shoals was referenced in this July 2009 interview with Dan:

“The great moments in music always seem to revolve around a certain scene; there were a handful of studios where musicians would create together,” he [Dan] remarks, when asked to elaborate on what drove him to construct a studio in his hometown. Clearly, he is intrigued by the idea of establishing an environment that encourages the sort of inspiration that commonly accompanies like-minded musicians coming together. Auerbach is consciously invoking the impetus behind some of the more fruitful collaborations, what might be called happy accidents, in rock history. Virtually all the stories involving Abbey Road, or Electric Lady Studios and, of course, Muscle Shoals, involve interaction amongst the assembled musicians.

The Black Keys have always prided themselves on coming from Akron, OH, making real music, engineering it (mostly) themselves and defining their sound whilst acknowledging their influences and peers. As Pat noted in this October 2009 interview, this isn’t always the case in music today, though it was in places like Muscle Shoals:

There used to be some amazing regional record labels, but that all dried up. But the same talent pool is there—just no one is there to discover it. It’s the same thing with Muscle Shoals—there are talented people everywhere. I do believe that music is genetic—it’s a family thing. Whatever was magical about Muscle Shoals is still there, it’s just no one fucking cares anymore. Music now is just pop music, made by motherfuckers like Bob Rock. Motherfuckers that have wrap-around Sub Zeros and dreadlocks and a crazy ass Kurzweil keyboard. People just don’t get it.

The scene then is set.

The Black Keys apparently recorded 15 songs in 10 days in August 2009 at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and was produced by Mark Neill of Soil of the South and Toe Rag studios fame. The band always work fast and the recording was scheduled in between Black Keys festival gigs and Dan and Pat’s respective side projects touring. I dare say we are going to be hearing a lot more about the recording and of this new album and the influence of Muscle Shoals on it in the months ahead of the new album’s release. The new Black Keys album will be out on May 18, 2010.

For more info about Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, be sure to listen to the excellent Alabama Public Radio reports on the studio here.

The front of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio:

Inside Muscle Shoals Sound Studio:

Photos courtesy of Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel

Related posts:

1. Brothers: The Black Keys New Album out May 18, 2010
2. The Black Keys’ YouTube Channel
3. Liner Notes: Mark Neill’s Track By Track Description Of The Black Keys’ New Album Brothers

I needed to do some further investigation. The appearance of the ‘keep it hid’ lyric seemed to be more than coincidence.

When I looked at the lyrics of the respective songs I was again surprised. The songs are relatively similar in their subject matter – a man on the run wanting to impress his sweetheart. ‘Keep It Hid’ almost reads like ‘Leavin Trunk – Part 2′.

Many of Dan’s lyrics revolve around this lurking dark side which we’ve previously covered on The Black Keys Fan Lounge.

The original lyrics to Leavin Trunk were written as ‘Milk Cow Blues’ by blues singer Sleepy John Estes (1899 – 1977). The song became a bit of a blues standard when it was adapted and recorded as Leavin Trunk by Taj Mahal amongst many others. The Leavin Trunk lyrics were then shortened and recorded by The Black Keys.

I find this all very interesting.

Dan has always been very up front about his influences and style. Clearly he continues to mine a rich vein of inspiration through these influences, musical styles and themes from his first album lyrics through to his most recent. In so doing he places himself into the blues musical lineage of those he admires.

When you listen to the respective songs performed the musical similarities are also quite notable. Not only do the lyrics in ‘Keep It Hid’ seem derived from the theme in ‘Leavin Trunk’, so does the musical composition.

What do you think?

Listen to Leavin Trunk by The Black Keys here

Listen to Keep It Hid by Dan Auerbach here

Leavin Trunk Lyrics by The Black Keys

Goin’ upstairs to pack my leavin’ trunk
I ain’t seen no whiskey
woman make me sloppy
Ain’t seen no whisky
woman made me drunk
Goin’ back home where I had much better luck
Look here darling
want me to be your king
Said you’re kiddin’ darling
gotta keep it hid
Don’t let your main man
your husband catch me here
Don’t let your main man
your husband catch me here

Keep It Hid Lyrics by Dan Auerbach

Lock the door and close the blinds
They’re coming for me girl and I ain’t got time
If they ask you, darlin’, oh about what I did
Baby you gotta keep it hid
I’m heading south, and I can’t say where
But I’ll phone you baby soon as I get there
They’re not gonna seal my coffin lid’
Cause you’re gonna keep it hid
(Bridge)
Well Big Sue knew but she don’t no more
If you know what I mean
They’ll never find what they’re looking for’
Cause you’re my tight-lipped queen
I’ll buy you a dress, a nice handmade piece
And send your Mom on a vacation to Greece
If you’re an auction, oh I’m the highest bid
Oh baby, ’cause you’re gonna keep it hid

Related posts:

1. The Best Black Keys Song Lyrics
2. Meet Me In The City: Junior Kimbrough vs The Barnburners vs The Black Keys
3. Blakroc Lyrics

It’s obviously easier and cheaper for magazines and newspapers to use a stock PR photo than commission a new one. In any case, bands like using the same images to build up an identifiable attitude or profile.

I’ve assembled the commonly seen publicity images that have come to define the look and story of The Black Keys (in no particular order).

From the look of this lot, I guess there’s only so many band photo faces you can pull.

They are interesting in that they each capture a moment in the band’s life, a piece of it’s history, from the early days to recent days. None of them portray a self-satisfied or smug attitude, rather the modesty and irony of Dan and Pat’s personality comes across.

In a recent comment on this post, Black Keys fan Dan mentioned the first image below of Dan and Pat in the basement would make a great poster. I’d have to agree.

I look forward to seeing some new images for the new Black Keys album being released. With a bit of luck they’ll be done by James Quine who took all of Dan Auerbach’s recent solo press images.

Related posts:

1. Dan Auerbach and the Fast 5 Concert Photos
2. Black Keys Live Concert Photos
3. Photos: The Black Keys @ SXSW, Austin, Texas, USA, 2010

****

In the post The Best Black Keys Song Lyrics it was noted pretty much all of Dan Auerbach’s lyrics are about life, love, or heartbreak. The Black Keys have not yet written a political song or anything expressing opinions about the state of our economy, society, or world. I relate to The Black Keys lyrics so much because they evoke a lot of personal emotion and heartache. I’d like to highlight some brilliant Black Keys lyrics and somehow justify and interpret them based on my personal experiences. Perhaps other fans can relate.

We have all been heartbroken. Usually lyricists write about what they know best – their own experiences. I’m sure we all know how it feels to be in blissful harmony with love and then all of a sudden getting betrayed. I’m sure we all know how it feels to fuck up and regret choices we made. I’m not trying to assume that all this has happened with Dan, but he sure does sing a lot about someone who hurt him through lies.

A perfect example is the song “Lies” from the Attack and Release album. The tragic irony is that even though the lyrics contain so much pain and anger, they still imply that he loves her:

Said the moon was ours
Yeah
Said the moon was ours
The hell with the day
The sunlight is always
Gonna take love away
Brings up suspicions
And alibis
But I can see blue
Tear-blinded eyes
Lies, lies, lies
Ohh, lies

Dan uses very beautiful imagery. She promised him the moon, perhaps signifying an affair, but when the sun comes out she leads her other life, having him feel alone and suspicious. However, her tears make him forgive her, and he knows that she just lies.

I got a stone
Where my heart should be
I got a stone
Where my heart should be
And nothing I do
Will make you love me
I’d leave this time
Break all my ties
Be no more
Use for any disguise
Lies, lies, lies
Ohh, lies

The stone heart signifies his numbness and utter grief. He is in so much pain because she is lying to him, but there is nothing she can do to keep her from leaving or doing what she does. If he could, he would leave and sever, so there would be no more lying for anyone.

I wanna die
Without pain
I wanna die
Oh, without pain
All this deception
I just can’t maintain
The sun, moon
The stars in the sky
It’d hurt me too bad
If you said goodbye
Lies, lies, lies
Ohh, lies

As much as he wants to let go of everything and get rid of the pain, the deception kills him. He loves her like the sun, the moon and the stars, but if she left for real, he would be devastated. Ah, lies, lies, lies…

I am simply fascinated by those lyrics. I want to share a personal experience why these lyrics mean so much to me and how I relate to them.

No one likes cheaters. Men get away with it a little more, but when women do it, they are persecuted and highly disregarded in all aspects. No one is ever right or justified when they cheat, deceiving two or even more people.

I carried a burden of my Father’s affair as a child for years before finally telling my Mom.  I have seen that men can treat women so shitty, and maybe that has obscured my view.

Perhaps because I witnessed my Dad carry his affair on, believing that she was just a “friend”, I somehow feel like all men do that and are disposable. It’s unfortunate when people are so loyal and good to others.

I do, however, believe we go through this heartache and pain to become stronger and grateful for what we have. There are, therefore, a lot of the upbeat and hopeful songs from The Black Keys too.

Each of the ‘Keys albums have at least one song about betrayal, so I shall explore more of the lyrics of those songs and how they affect me in future posts.

photo: msachtler

Related posts:

1. The Best Black Keys Song Lyrics
2. Blakroc Lyrics
3. The Black Keys Leavin Trunk vs Keep It Hid Song Lyrics

I should mention I’ve had a few dreams before where I’ve met Dan and he has ignored me. I guess that can be explained as fan anxiety. I’m not sure how I explain this dream, however.

The dream I had last night went like this:

I’m waiting to see The Black Keys at a live concert. I’m standing back from the stage on the right. Pat comes onto the stage from behind the stage curtains. He sits down at his drum kit with the crowd going wild. He launches into a drum solo. The crowd are screaming with joy, recognising it as the song ‘Scarred’ [note: this song title doesn't exist in reality]. I stumble with my camera trying to get it to video mode since I realise Pat never does drum solos. As I’m fidgeting with the camera I realise someone in front is videoing on their camera and they are blocking my view. So bummed out. Then Dan comes out and the drum solo segues into Dan playing Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ accompanied by Pat. As the song goes on Dan is cranking so hard the song morphs into Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ until only Dan’s playing. The crowd is loving it, screaming with absolute joy. I’m still standing there amazed and fumbling with my camera unable to get it into video mode.

Hmmm.

Have you ever dreamt about The Black Keys? Is that what being a fan is all about?

Related posts:

1. March 08 Dream
2. Dan Auerbach – When The Night Comes – Live
3. A Black Keys Fan On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

It’s easy to acknowledge the mythologised road trips Dan took with his Dad to try and see Junior Kimbrough. Whilst that legacy is important, maybe we should pay more attention to the influence of Robert and James Quine on Dan’s development as a musician and guitarist.

Dan Auerbach did a lot of interviews after he released his solo album ‘Keep It Hid’. Not many were as insightful as this one.

In a wide-ranging interview, respected Triple J radio host, Richard Kingsmill, inquired into the musical heritage of Dan’s family and unearthed interesting anecdotes about his Uncle James Quine and noted guitarist Robert Quine his first cousin once removed.

Dan’s full name is actually Daniel Quine Auerbach. The Quine family heritage stretches back via Dan’s Mother’s side of the family. They are all related to the famous analytical philosopher WV Quine (Robert’s Uncle), who was also born in Akron, OH.

In the aforementioned interview Dan tells a great anecdote of playing guitar for and with Robert Quine when he was a 16 year old. The story is even more innocent when you understand the musical legacy of Robert Quine. He was at the heart of the New York punk scene playing with everyone from Lou Reed, Richard Hell and the Voidoids through to Mathew Sweet.

I never knew that it was actually Robert Quine who laid down the instantaneously catchy guitar lines on Sweet’s song ‘Girlfriend’ (listen to it below).

As with Kimbrough, Dan never got to play with Robert Quine in a professional capacity. You can feel Dan’s lament in the interview that Robert died in 2004 just as The Black Keys were making great strides and before they had a chance to seriously play together. It would have been a raucous jam, for sure.

For more info on Robert Quine check out this excellent article by his cousin Tim. Tim is also Dan Auerbach’s cousin and the article includes some additional quotes from Dan.

It’s always been too easy to pigeon hole Dan’s guitar style and The Black Keys song book as “blues rock”. Like Robert Quine, Dan has not been fearful to experiment and define his own sound, most impressively on his solo album. Robert’s influence might be reflected in the angular sounds of ‘The Breaks’, through the harsher electric sound on the Magic Potion record, while the country influence on ‘Keep It Hid’ reflects the heritage of James Quine.

James Quine, of course, accompanies Dan on the track ‘Trouble Weighs A Ton’ and took the publicity photos used for the album. He’s actually an acclaimed photographer and it’s worth checking out both his photographs and music. James is the brother of Dan’s mother.

Keeping it all in the family, let’s not forget that Dan’s father Charles Auerbach wrote the words to ‘Whispered Words’. It’s interesting to hear Dan discuss this on the interview. I’m surprised like the interviewer that he didn’t press his father for a deeper interpretation of the lyrics. Charles apparently told Dan about Jessica Lea Mayfield as well, the rest is history.

I also hear whispers that Pat Carney is recording with his Uncle Ralph Carney who helped out on The Black Keys’ Attack and release record. Pat has recently changed his MySpace page to reflect the naming “Pat and Ralph Carney” including a photo. Ralph Carney has had a long association with Tom Waits and interestingly Robert Quine played on Tom Waits’ 1985 album, ‘Rain Dogs’. Both Robert Quine and Ralph Carney have played with guitarist Marc Ribot (also of Tom Waits’ band) who also contributed to the Attack and Release album.

I loved Mathew Sweet’s ‘Girlfriend’ (with Robert Quine on guitar) when I was growing up. I also briefly studied WV Quine’s philosophy at University. Very tenuously, no wonder I like The Black Keys so much!

Come to think of it I’d love to hear a Black Keys version of ‘Girlfriend’. Too cheesy? Maybe, but I reckon it would work.

Mathew Sweet – ‘Girlfriend’ live on the Dennis Miller show (that’s Robert Quine in the dark glasses on Mathew Sweet’s left)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzl3AB5tw-w

Dan Auerbach w/ James Quine – ‘Trouble Weighs A Ton’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUlZB8TFQjs

Related posts:

1. Interview with Patrick Carney from The Black Keys – Part 2
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3. Blakroc: Listen to Pat Carney on Triple J Radio

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLOhRJ2Xf6E

This video for Dan Auerbach’s “I Want Some More” track was created by Black Keys fan Vampireplayground.

The video is not just a few still images and a music track slapped together. Thought and time has gone into the imagery and editing to create a professional result which reflects the themes of the song.

So far Dan has only made videos for “Trouble Weighs A Ton” and “Heart Broken, In Disrepair”.  It would be great for Dan or The Black Keys to run a fan oriented video competition to create a video for the band in the future.

The Black Keys Fan Lounge recently caught up with Vampireplayground to ask him about his inspiration for the video:

I have been a fan of The Black Keys for a long time and have seen them perform live about 8 times.
I have all of their studio released albums and would put them in my top 5 favorite bands right now.

The song ” I Want Some More ” really stood out to me on Dan Auerbach’s new solo album.
I love the hard driving blue/rock arrangement and the context of the song. It painted a very vivid picture in my mind of love, sex and lust.

I am always combing through old footage looking for thing to appropriate for projects. When I heard the song for the first time it conjured up the footage of the women with the coke bottle that I had
pulled around the same time. I thought the imagery and the track would compliment each other well. The other elements I just inserted where I felt it worked. The character footage ended up giving the video more of an ominous – “fat cat” – enough is never enough context.

The video only took me about 4 hours to put together (Not counting rendering time). I would call it a rough cut for sure. I did it just for fun – I loved the song and thought the images worked well with it.

I guess you could say I have made a few other music videos… I find it very relaxing to edit things like this together with no clients or deadlines… Just for me.
I am sure I will continue to do more videos in the future as the fancy hits me…

Related posts:

1. Dan Auerbach and Hacienda On The Road Video
2. Patrick Carney's Solo Music Projects
3. A Black Keys Fan On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Then I found the excellent Lucid Dreams blog. Scott, who runs the site and is clearly a fan of The Black Keys,  posts a band’s lyrics with an image.  The image and words contrast and concentrate your thinking. It caused me to start looking at the lyrics of The Black Keys again.

Dan Auerbach, who writes all The Black Keys lyrics, has noted in many interviews that he is growing in confidence with his lyrics. One might even argue his recent solo album is the best example of his lyrics. In all his lyrics there’s a continual focus of loss, heartbreak, distance, girls, lurking, and being on the fringe and not fitting in. All good blues themes.

Interestingly enough I don’t think there’s one overtly political song lyric in The Black Keys’ catalogue.

As an aside, it’s quite interesting that people often quote this part of the lyric from ‘When The Lights Go Out’ on Twitter. It’s such an evocative phrase:

you know what the sun’s all about
when the lights go out

My favourite Black Keys lyrics would have to be ‘The Lengths’. Lucid Dreams has other lyrics that other’s might also consider as some of the better lyrics including ‘When The Lights Go Out’, Memories Of Night’, ‘Midnight In Her Eyes’, and ‘Elevator’ .

What are your favourite lyrics?

The Lengths

tell me where you’re goin or
what is going wrong
I felt you leavin before
you’d even gone
and hold me now
or never ever hold me again
no more talk
can take me away from this pain I’m in
see the moonlight shinin on
your window pane
see it leave you as
faithful as it came
please yourself so you
don’t have to be afraid
make amends
or carry on another way

tell me what you were thinkin
to treat somebody so
the care he took the
lengths to which he’d go
coals are hot to walk
across without your shoes
but in the end
know that you got nothin to lose

Related posts:

1. The Black Keys Leavin Trunk vs Keep It Hid Song Lyrics
2. Blakroc Lyrics
3. Dan Auerbach – When The Night Comes – Live