Take Pills Lyrics
I think this song is about how his mother dealt with his father dying, and I'm surprised that no-one has really mentioned it. The focus seems to have been on prescription medicine. The first verse is quite muted, with his singing almost obscured, and describes the grief his mother felt (my mom's ripping off her hands/one flake at a time) and the advice she gave him when he was young and she was still strong.
The second verse is then suddenly happier and bouncier, as Panda Bear recites back to his mother the advice she gave him. He's suddenly the man in his family, and can't rely on his mother for strength - this strength and positivity has to come from within himself. Strength, positivity, and the growing up he had to do after his father died again appears on 'My Girls'. He's older now, he has a wife and kids, and these are his only concerns. He's had to grow up, and his father's death ('on my father's grave') is a major cause of this. 'Take Pills' is the start of this process. He has his period of grief, but then comes out of it stronger.
It sounds like Panda Bear is giving his own prescription. For happiness!
Rx Take one: Day at a time
@lastdinosaur perfect.
@lastdinosaur perfect.
kait1233... another band that comes to mind is obviously Animal Collective.
If you know Panda Bear, then you probably know who Animal Collective are (Panda Bear is an offshoot project by Noah Lennox of AC). If you don't know who they are then def check them out. Feels is a great album, esp Grass, Purple Bottle, Banshee Beat and Loch Raven.
Any other examples out there?
I don't think so. Animal are pretty unique. And I love this song, now that I've read the lyrics I love it even more. A lot more. Lennox is a genius, definitely.
Getting back to bands that sound similar to Panda/AC... or at least a similar genre I think would be:
Yeasayer Atlas Sound Black Dice Deerhunter Dan Deacon
Those are the closest you can get, of course they don't bear the same effect upon listening that Feels or Merriweather Post Pavillion do, but they are all wonderful artists.
switch "anything more really hurts your mind" with "everything else you can leave behind" and it looks really good to me, thanks!
Right, I think Panda Bear had posted them in the wrong order.
I like how the mood is really like 60s good time pool party but the subject matter is so honest and uncommon. I could never go on antidepressants, and things DO get better with time. if you try.
Everything written by Panda Bear is simply amazing. I love this song, especially the second half:
take one day at a time everything else you can leave behind only one thing at a time anything more really hurts your mind i don't want for us to take pills anymore not that it's bad i don't want for us to take pills because we're stronger and we don't need them
But fuck, wow, amazing. Are there any other bands out there with a similar sound to Panda Bear?
Animal Collective on Feels sometimes sound like a slightly more palatable or poppy or more listenable early Mercury Rev. Yerself Is Steam and Boces, both equally brilliant albums, just as weird, but occasionally a little too much ear-shredding white noise in places which detract from what could have been pretty good tunes. Nevertheless there's definitely a link between these and Feels.
Animal Collective on Feels sometimes sound like a slightly more palatable or poppy or more listenable early Mercury Rev. Yerself Is Steam and Boces, both equally brilliant albums, just as weird, but occasionally a little too much ear-shredding white noise in places which detract from what could have been pretty good tunes. Nevertheless there's definitely a link between these and Feels.