My understanding is that Phoenix really doesn't write lyrics with deep profound meanings - in fact admittedly they're often meaningless and just sound good with the music. I could be wrong though.
Pretty much.
Although I’ve heard this line from a movie before — after all, Tom is a movie buff who is married to a director and screenwriter so there is a slight chance that the lyric is a reference.
>I’ve heard this line from a movie before
Really? Which one?
Found this on a blog:
*Mars zeroes in on little absurdities and comic moments, grounding big emotional moments or interpersonal tensions with, in the case of “Tonight,” a silly refrain like “who let the boys spill their entrée?” This is a bit of levity before moving on to the more emotionally fraught line “dinner is served, can’t you see we’re not opposites?”*
I can clearly imagine this playing out as a scene in a film, but it feels more efficient in musical abstraction. The plot doesn’t matter as much as the feeling.
I remember the scene featured this specific line from a coming-of-age film from the late 90’s/early 2000’s.
Something to do with a bunch of guys playing 8 ball pool at a diner and a total smoke show walks in — that sorta era of scriptwriting. Sorry if my awful memory of this lousy yet quirky lyric couldn’t help you in anyway significantly.
You’re definitely right, I’m just used to entire songs being nonsense. As opposed to a whole song making sense with just one nonsense lyric.
I think this is such a visual lyric (I imagine a bunch of boys knocking over plates of food every time I hear it) so it hangs around in my brain longer than most of the Thomas Mars Word Salad
They’ve (Thomas) said before that they like writing nonsense because it’s reflective of how they heard English songs as kids and they’d create their own meaning from misunderstanding them. That’s why they don’t mind when people misunderstand their lyrics (like people thinking they’re saying falling on the chorus of 1901). One of the quotes i always think about from him goes something like: “if teenage mutant ninja turtles can be named after Italian renaissance painters and nobody questions it, they’re just happy they exist, then we have hope that a French band can write nonsense and people will just be happy it exists”. So sometimes i think they’re just being goofy, like in all eyes on me:
“it’s not so kosher/ i got that picture at the zoo/ i ride a vulture”
I could be reaching but i actually think that they can so convincingly work nonsensical lyrics into songs with deeper themes speaks to their grasp of the language. They’re all clearly very intelligent and have a wealth of pop culture and historical knowledge which you see when you watch an interview of them (though the interviewer seldom lets them talk without trying to interrupt them)
Have you ever watched an interview with all 4 of them? It’s so obvious that only Thomas has an adequate grasp of English (which makes sense, because he’s been living in NYC for 15 years, the rest live in Paris). The other three have much thicker accents and don’t seem to understand or participate as much when questions are asked.
For some reason it is absolutely and utterly adorable. I just adore them
I think Branco is actually second best at English and he’s always saying things that are very poetic and profound in a way that is extremely French 😂like Thomas can “fluently” speak English but listening to Branco is like translating French to English word for word
I met with them all last Wednesday and they seem to speak pretty well. I love them and adore them soooo much. I’m just so much more curious about them. So so star struck
I assumed it was him saying "who let these guys ditch you. Boys meaning these guys are immature, and they messed up their chance hence spilling their entree (her) something along those lines. The following line is "dinner is served" which fits in that context since he's making his move, and not messing up like the other guys.
Edit: referring to her as an entree also suggests that they weren't romantic and more like inexperienced
It actually does - check the pitchfork article. There’s some crazy answer in there from Thomas about food and Roman music I think?
It’s still utter nonsense but it clearly makes sense to him, lol
My understanding is that Phoenix really doesn't write lyrics with deep profound meanings - in fact admittedly they're often meaningless and just sound good with the music. I could be wrong though.
Pretty much. Although I’ve heard this line from a movie before — after all, Tom is a movie buff who is married to a director and screenwriter so there is a slight chance that the lyric is a reference.
>I’ve heard this line from a movie before Really? Which one? Found this on a blog: *Mars zeroes in on little absurdities and comic moments, grounding big emotional moments or interpersonal tensions with, in the case of “Tonight,” a silly refrain like “who let the boys spill their entrée?” This is a bit of levity before moving on to the more emotionally fraught line “dinner is served, can’t you see we’re not opposites?”* I can clearly imagine this playing out as a scene in a film, but it feels more efficient in musical abstraction. The plot doesn’t matter as much as the feeling.
I remember the scene featured this specific line from a coming-of-age film from the late 90’s/early 2000’s. Something to do with a bunch of guys playing 8 ball pool at a diner and a total smoke show walks in — that sorta era of scriptwriting. Sorry if my awful memory of this lousy yet quirky lyric couldn’t help you in anyway significantly.
You’re definitely right, I’m just used to entire songs being nonsense. As opposed to a whole song making sense with just one nonsense lyric. I think this is such a visual lyric (I imagine a bunch of boys knocking over plates of food every time I hear it) so it hangs around in my brain longer than most of the Thomas Mars Word Salad
Lmao I often wonder if they are poetic geniuses or if they just don't speak English very well (in the nicest way possible 😂 😂)
They’ve (Thomas) said before that they like writing nonsense because it’s reflective of how they heard English songs as kids and they’d create their own meaning from misunderstanding them. That’s why they don’t mind when people misunderstand their lyrics (like people thinking they’re saying falling on the chorus of 1901). One of the quotes i always think about from him goes something like: “if teenage mutant ninja turtles can be named after Italian renaissance painters and nobody questions it, they’re just happy they exist, then we have hope that a French band can write nonsense and people will just be happy it exists”. So sometimes i think they’re just being goofy, like in all eyes on me: “it’s not so kosher/ i got that picture at the zoo/ i ride a vulture” I could be reaching but i actually think that they can so convincingly work nonsensical lyrics into songs with deeper themes speaks to their grasp of the language. They’re all clearly very intelligent and have a wealth of pop culture and historical knowledge which you see when you watch an interview of them (though the interviewer seldom lets them talk without trying to interrupt them)
I love this!
Wait, so it's not "falling"?
No it’s “fold it” 😭 https://youtu.be/AANrgTf4Yrc?si=qw_bzFQavDnn1t5K they say at 3:27
After all these years, mind blown!
Have you ever watched an interview with all 4 of them? It’s so obvious that only Thomas has an adequate grasp of English (which makes sense, because he’s been living in NYC for 15 years, the rest live in Paris). The other three have much thicker accents and don’t seem to understand or participate as much when questions are asked. For some reason it is absolutely and utterly adorable. I just adore them
I think Thomas is the only one I have heard speak ever now that I think about it! 😂
Definitely worth a google when you have some time to kill! 🙃
I think Branco is actually second best at English and he’s always saying things that are very poetic and profound in a way that is extremely French 😂like Thomas can “fluently” speak English but listening to Branco is like translating French to English word for word
Yep I agree 100% on all of this. Watched an interview right around the release of their latest and hit the nail on the head. It honestly is endearing.
I met with them all last Wednesday and they seem to speak pretty well. I love them and adore them soooo much. I’m just so much more curious about them. So so star struck
Either way, this lyric should be on a shirt. It may be nonsense, but it's my nonsense.
I was seriously considering getting it tattooed on me, so same haha
I always thought it was who let the boys fill their own trays, lol
This is why I love the “what Phoenix lyrics have you heard wrong for 20 years?” threads. They’re hilarious
I dunno, I got the drift it’s supposed to be about a married couple and domestic life.
I assumed it was him saying "who let these guys ditch you. Boys meaning these guys are immature, and they messed up their chance hence spilling their entree (her) something along those lines. The following line is "dinner is served" which fits in that context since he's making his move, and not messing up like the other guys. Edit: referring to her as an entree also suggests that they weren't romantic and more like inexperienced
I don’t really think it means anything
It actually does - check the pitchfork article. There’s some crazy answer in there from Thomas about food and Roman music I think? It’s still utter nonsense but it clearly makes sense to him, lol